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| Mark
Wed, 29 Aug 2007 22:34:28 EDT
 |  Converting to B&W
Our latest Theme Challenge (B&W photos) gives us an opportunity to explore various techniques used in converting a color image to Black and White.
Many digital cameras include a B&W feature, or you can use your photo processing software to do a gray-scale conversion, but these are usually "one size fits all" approaches and may not give you the best results.
Betty's recent photo submission "B&W Butterfly" is a perfect example of how B&W conversion can dramatically affect the image.
Here's the original in full color (Courtesy Betty Whitson):
Notice how the white butterfly stands out in the photo, distinct from the pink flower.
With a standard B&W conversion (using Paint Shop Pro), the pink in the flower converts to a very light grey, nearly matching the butterfly wings. The result is quite nice, but very different from the color version as the butterfly seems to get lost in the flower:
However, what if the photographer wants to retain the distinct individuality of the butterfly?
One way is to change the pink flower to a darker gray, rendering darker tones than the butterfly's wings. Tools such as Photoshop's B&W adjustment layer allow the photographer to selectively desaturate different colors so that, for example, pinks and reds stay darker than other hues.
In this example, I pulled down the red channel to blend the flower into the background, making the butterfly stand out:
This is just one possible approach of course, (and some folks may prefer the first version) but it illustrates the versatile nature of B&W photography. And we're just touching the surface! :-)
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Michael Whitson
Thu, 30 Aug 2007 10:36:33 EDT
 | Re: Converting to B&W
Nice bit of info to show how the differnet layers of color can be affected when one plays to change the overall out come of the picture.
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Lynda
Mon, 17 Sep 2007 3:11:58 EDT
 | Re: Converting to B&W
That's interesting how that altered the photo. I have to say of the three I like the first black 'n' white Betty made of it the best myself, but it's nice to see all three together like this.
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