Creating Black & White Photographs

Today’s Photo Tips: First, let's discuss the why. Why create Black & White (or monochrome as its also called) pictures in the first place? B&W is a medium that adapts really well to all lighting situations. Colors can often be terribly distracting in some images and can take the focus away from the intended subject. While color photography works best on sunny days - low light can allow a B&W image to show much more emotion. Whenever I see one of Ansel Adams' majestic black and white landscapes, I am reminded of the power that's possible when you leave color behind. Using B&W techniques allows you to heighten contrast, the difference between the light and dark areas in a photo, and better show off the detail and texture of a subject. If you are still interested in creating B&W images, let's look at the how. While doing some research concerning my New Year's resolution to take more B&W images, my Internet searches caused me to rethink the whole process. I thought that this would be as simple as changing the film mode setting on my camera to Black & White and snapping away. Wrong! It appears that this is definitely not the way to go. I then began to realize that the art of converting color images into a quality monochrome image is much more complicated than I suspected. So much so that I'm sure I will need to update this page as I learn more over time, however, here is what I have found out so far.     Should You Shoot in B&W or Color Mode? The first thing you have to consider is what mode to shoot in – B&W vs. Color. When you set your digital camera to black and white all the natural colors in the shot are lost. When you do this, the camera creates identical Red, Green, and Blue channels in the final picture file. The problem inherent with this is that the camera does all the interpreting of what makes a good black & white image – not you – and often provides diminished results. On the other hand if you shoot in JPG color mode you can always convert to black and white later and keep your full colored version as well - the best of both worlds. Not only do you not lose any quality in your image in doing this and keeping your options open, you may even be getting a better quality image as many in-camera B&W modes sometimes have a tendency to "soften the image. However, going one step further and making the original capture in RAW (and monochrome JPEG so you can view it on your LCD in B&W) will provide a much better result. Granted, if you’re not used to using photo editing software, the thought of post editing can be somewhat of a put off. However almost all photo editing packages have a very quick and simple way to convert your shots to black and white - often with just one click. However, this will often provide you with an image that is flat, with not a lot of contrast.      Black & White Shooting Tips: Shoot in RAW: Of the two cameras that I use, only ne can capture in RAW. Shooting in RAW will give you the most control when converting from color to B&W in post production. If you switch to a B&W mode while shooting in RAW, the results on your LCD will be in black and white, even though the camera actually records all information (including color). If you can shoot in both modes (RAW and JPG) as I do, you get to view your image in color on the LCD. Use the Lowest Possible ISO: Noise (or grain) created by ISO can become more obvious when shooting in B&W. Be sure to use a tripod so that you can get away with using slower shutter speeds in low light situations. Visualize in Gray Scale: Let’s talk Gray Scale vs. Black & White. So what’s the difference between the two?  Actually, there is no difference. The key here is that you should think in terms of “gray scale” whenever you want to end up with a black and white image, and here’s the reason why you should be thinking in “gray scale” in lieu of “black & white”.  When you’re editing your images you need to keep in mind that every color has a value that can be interpreted as a shade of gray – hence “gray scale”.  Not only that, but any color can be interpreted in many shades of gray – from white to black!  Sounds crazy, but it’s true. It’s important to think in tones (how light or dark an object is), as different colors produce different tones, for example, in color  a red flower with green grass below it may look stunning, but in black and white, the tones may be very similar and the photo may look quite flat. A greater contrast of tones will make for a more engaging shot. By using your editing software to interpret each color’s value into a specific shade of grey you can significantly alter the final image and make it look just like you want it – not the camera’s interpretation of what it thinks looks good. Shoot On Dark or Overcast Days: Low contrast situations are best for shooting B&W images. So next time you find yourself complaining about "poor light" on an overcast day - try shooting some black and white shots. However, at the same time, look for lighting (and highlights) that will add to contrast. Because you can’t use color to distinguish one element of your image from another, tonal variances become all the more important. Look for Unusual Shapes, Patterns and Texture: Many times these items can almost be unseen in color because the color itself draws ones attention. Try using black and white when shooting subjects with particularly interesting detail or texture. The lack of color will really highlight the subject matter and enhance the shot. Use Shadows and Highlights To Fame the Shot: Because you are unable to use color to lead the eye into or around your shot you must learn to look for shapes, tones and textures that will help to frame your key point(s) of interest. Without the distraction of color  light and shadow play a pivotal role in black and white photography, drawing the eye to highlighted parts of the shot whilst other parts are left in the shade. Shadows and highlights will become key features of your shot. Remember to utilize the option of creating silhouettes, especially when there is particularly strong light. Look for "Active" Skies: When shooting landscape photography, look for skies with lots of moving clouds and light variations. Take advantage of gloomy storm clouds which often come out very well in black and white. Having skies with clouds add action and a mood that is impossible to capture with a clear sky. In the same vein, look for images such as rocky cliffs and mountains that have varying amounts of shadow effects.     Post Conversion Process: SAVE the Original: Always SAVE AS to create a NEW IMAGE: Never work on the original image! Converting an Image to B&W/Gray Scale: Simple one click conversions are obviously quick and easy, however they do not always provide you with the best B&W image. As it converts the colors to Black & White, it doesn't make any compensation changes for colors that tend to look more gray, thus not always providing you with sharp contrasts. However, using various options in a post editing program, you can improve gray scale brightness, and improve tone, saturation and contrast. If your editing program allows it, you should create the following effects on separate layers, combining them in the end. Remember, when making these adjustments, there are no "perfect" settings. Everything depends upon the original capture settings and your personal preferences. Make Color Adjustments: On a separate layer use a Color Channel Mixer to control how much of the three color channels (red, green and blue) contribute to the final grayscale brightness. Make Hue &Saturation Adjustments: On two separate layers, one for Saturation and one for Hue/Saturation, set the blending mode to Color and the saturation of -100 on the top layer. On the bottom layer change the Hue slider to apply the desired affect. Lightness: Adjust the lightness, usually by removing some of the original lightness. This will provide more contrast. Desaturate: Reduce color intensity by using a lower saturation value. Use Levels and Curves: These two controls can provide even further control over tones and contrast. Apply Sharpening Effects: Though editing program usually offer several methods for sharpening, the High Pass Sharpen feature usually works the best. The reason the High Pass filter technique works so well at sharpening images is because any areas in the image which are not an edge are left untouched. The only areas that have sharpening applied to them are the edges, which is exactly what you want. Unsharp masks are probably the most common type of sharpening. An unsharp mask cannot create additional detail, but it can greatly enhance the appearance of detail by increasing small-scale acutance. Reduce Noise: No program can eliminate noise, however they can reduce the appearance of noise in an image, including luminance noise, color noise and even jpeg artifacts, all using a reduce noise filter. Merge Layers and SAVE    In Summary: Always shoot in Color Mode. The best route to obtaining a good B&W image is to start with a RAW file and convert it with software. This allows you to manipulate the Red, Green and Blue channels and make other adjustments for hue, saturation and contrast.