Black & white conversions in Photoshop
There are many ways to convert a color image to black and white in Photoshop. One of the most popular methods is to use the Black & White adjustment layer, which gives you more control over the tonal values and contrast of the image. To use this method, follow these steps:
- Open your image in Photoshop and make a duplicate layer by pressing Ctrl+J (Windows) or Command+J (Mac).
- Click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Black & White.
- A Properties panel will open with a set of sliders for different color channels. You can adjust these sliders to change how each color is converted to grayscale. For example, moving the red slider to the left will darken the red areas of the image, while moving it to the right will lighten them.
- You can also use the presets menu at the top of the panel to choose from different black and white styles, such as High Contrast, Infrared, or Maximum Black.
- To fine-tune your conversion, you can use the Targeted Adjustment Tool (TAT) at the top left of the panel. This tool allows you to click and drag on any area of the image to adjust its brightness. For example, if you want to make the sky darker, you can click and drag down on a blue area of the image.
- You can also add a tint to your black and white image by checking the Tint box at the bottom of the panel and choosing a color from the picker or using the Eyedropper tool.
- To apply your changes, click OK or press Enter. You can always go back and edit your adjustment layer by double-clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers panel.
- Click on the Create new fill or adjustment layer icon at the bottom of the Layers panel and choose Black & White.
- A Properties panel will open with a set of sliders for different color channels. You can adjust these sliders to change how each color is converted to grayscale. For example, moving the red slider to the left will darken the red areas of the image, while moving it to the right will lighten them.
- You can also use the presets menu at the top of the panel to choose from different black and white styles, such as High Contrast, Infrared, or Maximum Black.
- To fine-tune your conversion, you can use the Targeted Adjustment Tool (TAT) at the top left of the panel. This tool allows you to click and drag on any area of the image to adjust its brightness. For example, if you want to make the sky darker, you can click and drag down on a blue area of the image.
- You can also add a tint to your black and white image by checking the Tint box at the bottom of the panel and choosing a color from the picker or using the Eyedropper tool.
- To apply your changes, click OK or press Enter. You can always go back and edit your adjustment layer by double-clicking on its thumbnail in the Layers panel.