RGB to black and white conversion

There are MANY ways to convert your image to black&white. This is one way to convert your RGB camera image information to black and white. It really doesn’t matter how you get there as long as you are pleased with the result. The description below is the way I like to do it. It works for me. Not always but most of the time. Maybe it can be of any use to you too, maybe not. That’s ok.

Here goes.

1. Always shoot RAW if possible.
2. Process your RAW file for best result in full-color. We’ll call this file nr 1.
3. Process your RAW file for highlight detail (under exposed). We’ll call this file nr 2.
4. Process your RAW file for shadow detail (over exposed). We’ll call this file nr 3.
5. Open the three processed images in photoshop.
6. Paste file nr 2 (highlight detail) into file nr 1.
7. Paste file nr 3 (shadow detail) into file nr 1.
8. Close file nr 2 and 3.
9. Now edit file nr 1. Add layermasks to the highlight and shadow detail layers and fill with black so the layers are hidden. Brush in or otherwise fill-in as much detail as you need in the light and dark areas of your image.
10. Looks like an HDR image? That could be right.

    Your shadow-detail and highlight-detail can eventualy lead to a more pleasing and wider grayscale tonality (!) so use this infomation wisely it can really add to your image. Of course it all depends on the effect or style you’re looking for in your black and white end result.

11. Ok, so now you have a pleasing full color result with lots of detail and tonality.. Now add an adjustment layer on top: black and white.
12. Adjust the sliders (or use one of the presets) until you start liking the result.
13. Fine tune your image with other adjustment layers like Curves, Levels or Brightness/Contrast and use the layer-masks of these adjustment layers to locally influence the image to your liking. You can also still adjust the highlight and shadow detail areas to fit your needs.

Adjusting the atmosphere

1. Select the top layer. Now hold Alt, or Option if you are on a Mac, and click on Merge layers from the layer-menu. You now have all your editing layers merged into one layer on top of the previous layers.
2. Set this layer to multiply and add a layer mask filled with black so it is hidden behind the mask.
3. You can now brush into this layer mask with white to darken certain areas like the corners and sides of the image for a vignetting effect to make the subject stand out more. Use a big zero percent soft brush to do this.
4. Be subtle! Adjust your brush flow to 1 – 5 %.
5. Of course you can also lighten certain parts using the same method as above but with the top-layer set to screen. You can also set the layer to normal and adjust the tones with a curve. Anything is possible. Add a layer mask, fill with black, and brush in the parts you want to lighten up.
6. A good tip: walk away from your screen, do something else for a while (…) and then take a good look! See anything you don’t like? Adjust!

That’s it.