Black and White Challenge
by KaceyReally cool photo, huh?
Too bad I didn’t take it. My son of the very organized desk took it. I love black and white photography. He actually took this with his canon xti, in color, then photoshopped it to black and white.
I’m so learning how to do that this weekend. Anyone up for a challenge? Take one of your photos and convert it to black and white. I’ll post my photo on Monday. Feel free to leave a link to your photo in my comments, or drop a link to me with my contact form. I’ll update my post during the day and add in any links to posts that you’ve done.
According to Scott Kelby, one way to adjust color photos to black and white (and this should be similar in both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements) is to make a new adjustment layer. Select Hue/Saturation. Set the Saturation to -100 (the slider all the way to the left). Create another adjustment layer. Select levels. Then in the levels box select red channel, then blue channel, then green channel. Use the sliders on each of these channels to adjust the contrast. When you’re done flatten the image. Then go to image and select grayscale from the submenu.
(okay, I have the full photoshop on my PC, but I’m not speaking to my PC right now. So I only have Photoshop Elements on my Mac. I love my Mac. 
But I need to get the full Photoshop for my Mac.) But anyway, those instructions should basically work for either program.
Anyone up for a Black and White Challenge? Or if you’ve already done some experimenting with converting to black and white, feel free to drop a link to the pics in the comments. I’m going to spend this weekend messing around with some pics and see what kind convert to black and white the best. Stay tuned for the results on Monday!
Do you have any tips for me?
After you convert, flatten the layers and then drag the image in the layers box to the new layer icon to make a new duplicate layer. Then go to filter-distort-diffuse glow. Move the slider in the box for graininess to 0, the glow amount to 3-6 and the clear area to about 15. Then apply the action. It will make your white area glow. Then use the opacity slider in the layer box to reduce the effect to your liking! Then flatten again! Have fun :0)
Here is a link to one on my flickr site. There are others there too, but this one is a portrait converted to b/w:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/traceygrumbach/2218628803/sizes/o/
I am photo-shop-challenged. I need to just sit down and do it. Do you know of any good books for dummies on it?
Tracey, I’ll have to try your hint too. Thanks! Your photo is just gorgeous!
MPM–I like any book by Scott Kelby. Or you can look online for tutorials.
I looked through my photoblog and found it amazing that I only had one photo that was B&W:
http://photoblog.hoguechronicle.com/index.php?showimage=29
So, I’ll play too this weekend.
BTW, this is a great tutorial for GIMP people (the poor man’s Photoshop):
http://www.gimpguru.org/Tutorials/Color2BW/
And a quick Photoshop tips page:
http://luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/b-w_better.shtml
One thing I am noticing is everything I can do in GIMP, I can do in Photoshop and vice versa. The menu items may be a bit different but the basic concepts (layers and masks, etc.) are the same.
I love the bridge photo! A good choice for converting to B&W. Great contrasts.
That’s a great photo! I need to find time to work on learning Photoshop better….
I love black & white photography. Reminds me of the legendary Ansel Adams.
I’ve never done any converting that I can recall. Though I have done some tweaking (a long long time ago in a land far far away) on old photographs that were black & white. I tweaked them into sepia tones just to see how they’d look. 
Here’s my black & white photo at midlifebyfarmlight.blogspot.com
(I don’t know how to do a link in a comment.)
I actually saw your name as Racey and thought that was the name of the shot and in my mind I saw a car racing across the bridge. Must be under the influence of the flu.
Hmmm, I’ve been playing with this. I think I might have a go at it.
I don’t know if I took your challenge properly. But I did post a couple of b&w photos. They’re of people.
Here’s the link:
http://chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com/search?q=Black+%26+White+Challenge
Have a great weekend and talk with you later!
[…] part of that, to me, is trying and learning new things. Which brings me to the Black and White Challenge. I’m still working on mine. I’m not entirely pleased with the results, but I keep […]
Jeannelle I’m right there with you. How DO you put a link in the comments section, Kacey??
Go to Saturday on my blog and you’ll see my black and white entry….or just go to the first picture on Sunday!
Love the bridge photo.
abb
I did it again. Now I am obsessed.
(not really).
must stop playing with photoshop!!!
Yeah, um.
I forgot the link:
http://chroniclesofacountrygirl.blogspot.com/search?q=black+%26+white+challenge%2C+revisited
I’m still learning photoshop but will give it a try — check www.realdirt.blogspot for a couple of attempts.
[…] issued a Black and White Photo Challenge back on Friday. I didn’t have time on the weekend to do it. Yesterday, however, I had a bit […]
Love that image. Thanks for sharing at Shutter Sisters. How great that you can collaborate with your son! I often convert my images to B&W. Here’s one of my favorites:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/littlepurplecow/2390982680/in/set-72157603805296154/