Converting RAW files to B&W

[jimrowley]

I've not long got a "real" digital camera and need some advice - if I want to print monochrome images

from

my RAW files, is it better to convert them to mono in Cannon DPP or in Photoshop? Which gives me more

control/realism/anything else you might think of? I use Elements 2 (still saving up...)

 

Thanks;

 

Jim

[ronaldo_r]

I used Canon DPP. I change the picture style to "monochrome", adjust exposure, then, depending on the image, add 6 to 12% contrast and laos a bit of colour cast

[godfrey]

I do my B&W rendering work in Photoshop CS2 normally, after RAW conversion. I feel this

provides the greatest flexibility. There are several methodologies. I use the channel mixer as

an adjustment layer and then manipulate the contrast/spectral curves using Curves

adjustment layers.

 

There are at least two ways to do B&W rendering in Camera Raw as well.

 

Godfrey

[patricklavoie]

I do all my darkroom in CS2, including my BW with channel mixer. I f i ever need the color i

can just remove the BW layer and i get back my color without having to redevelop a shot a

retouching again...

[roger_kallet]

When you are able to have a version of Photoshop that has the Channel Mixer, then that is

what most feel is the best way to convert color to BW. However, if Elements 2 has Hue/

Saturation then here is a way to convert Color to BW that gives control over the contrast

and brightness of the "colors" in you newly converted picture.

 

 

In the Hue/Saturation panel move the Saturation slider all the way to the left for the initial

conversion to BW. Then drop down (or up) the Edit menu and adjust the Lightness slider

for colors that need to be brightened. You will need a copy of the color version of your

picture to be able to see what colors need tweaking.

 

This technique is better described and discussed in Ben Willmore's excellent book," Adobe

Photoshop CS2 Studio Techniques."

[samir]

Lightroom tool to conver RAW into Black and White is outstanding. You can also use ACR,

Adobe RAW converter:

- get the exposure, contrast, and curve to your liking;

- turn saturation to zero (-100);

- and now? Well play around with the temperature and tint (in the adjust TAB): you can

achieve amazing results;

- even better, go to the Calibrate tab, and play around the hue and saturation. You have a

blue sky: tweak the blue saturation and the blue hue, etc ....

 

I find this approach much more convenient and flexible than in CS2 channel mixer (which

is a pain to use as you always have to adjust 2 slider at a time to keep the luminosity

constant), in addition, you work directly on your RAW file, so once in CS2, you still have a

lot of headroom to tweak your image.

[emre]

I have never achieved satisfactory results with channel mixer, so I always did a lot of dodging and burning to make the picture look acceptable. Now I use Bibble's desaturation tools, with greater success. Some person offers free plug-ins for fine tuning: http://bibplugs.livejournal.com/

[tim_reid1]

I use ACR in CS2 by dragging down the saturation slider to 0 and then adjusting the sliders

and curves. I was using roughly this same method in CS but now that I have the power of

curves in the raw conversion process I am much happier. I shoot a lot of different subjects so

I don't have a "standard" adjustment.