FWIW
Not specific to B&W but for me the image is very flat and lacking in contrast.....................so had a quick look at its and with some simple contrast adjustments the whole image has more 'punch'.
Thanks, will check this out!The Online Photographer has done a few pieces on digital B&W, for example this one...
If you go to his main page and search "editing black and white" or something similar you'll see more from him.
Hope that helps.
Really, really appreciate everyone editing my image. You have all made it look so much better than I could of hoped. I use Affinity Photo but I've only had a few months and I've not tried B&W edits. The chap in the photo is my hobo-looking husband, hence me wanting to save a rather badly exposed photo.
I use affinity photo, just adjust the contrast and brightness to get the overall picture looking how you like, then zoom the face to fill the workspace and use lasso select to select just the face (10px brush size would be OK, and if you select some background, just use the alt plus mouse to erase that part)Really, really appreciate everyone editing my image. You have all made it look so much better than I could of hoped. I use Affinity Photo but I've only had a few months and I've not tried B&W edits. The chap in the photo is my hobo-looking husband, hence me wanting to save a rather badly exposed photo.
This was my thought. I'd like to see the color versionDo you have the colour version available - all the work I do in mono relies on differentiating between the luminance of different colours (chrominance) as though I were shooting with a filter on the lens. I do sometimes do dodge and burn too, but it's highly effective to use the red/pink of skin to stand out against differently coloured backgrounds. Example.
And this is a very good point too.
This was my thought. I'd like to see the color version
Post #8 above, though not a full sized imageThis was my thought. I'd like to see the color version
I posted the above comment before I read through all the posts or saw all the edits. I too started to edit the original and then realized that all the edits really already show the possibilities. So some advice? Don't worry about failing or not getting it right. Just play and have fun with it. In addition to this site Google and Youtube are your best friends to help learn these things. Find some other pictures and get right to the B&W process and see what you come up with. Share them here and I'm sure lots of us will jump in to help. Good luck and happy new yearReally, really appreciate everyone editing my image. You have all made it look so much better than I could of hoped. I use Affinity Photo but I've only had a few months and I've not tried B&W edits. The chap in the photo is my hobo-looking husband, hence me wanting to save a rather badly exposed photo.
Thanks, I saw. I need to read new threads all the way through before commenting. I appreciate itPost #8
Thankyou. I hadn't thought about preparing it first. Off to learn about adjusting the black and white points...It's worth saying BTW that some software is MUCH better at mono conversions than others. I find Nik Silver Efex to be the best for me, followed by On1 Photoraw. Lightroom is poor by comparison because it's a general editor without specialised tools. No idea about Affinity - I have it (bought during Covid) but never used in the end.
Also worth pointing out that it's good to prepare you image for conversion, rather than doing all the work after. So the first thing I did was to adjust black and white points, which made the image much punchier and more interesting and a better starting point for an exciting mono image.
Toni, I used to feel exactly like you about Nik and such. I'm still using Googles version and toyed with the idea of upgrading to the newest version of Nik then didn't. Are you still using the original or have you upgraded to the DXO version? If so, was it worth the price of the upgrade? ThanksIt's worth saying BTW that some software is MUCH better at mono conversions than others. I find Nik Silver Efex to be the best for me, followed by On1 Photoraw. Lightroom is poor by comparison because it's a general editor without specialised tools. No idea about Affinity - I have it (bought during Covid) but never used in the end.
Also worth pointing out that it's good to prepare your image for conversion, rather than doing all the work after. So the first thing I did was to adjust black and white points, which made the image much punchier and more interesting and a better starting point for an exciting mono image.
Yeah, I was hoping after all these years that there would have been improvements. I might just move on and see what I can see. Thanks@PhotoVanGogh I'm still using the old, free version. It's far from perfect, but I'd heard the paid version from DXO wasn't better in the areas of greatest weakness (halos around high contrast objects) so didn't think it worth buying.
Yeah, I was hoping after all these years that there would have been improvements. I might just move on and see what I can see. Thanks
I have to agree about Silver Efex, it's the best I've tried (not tried On1) On large images I find it a little slow on my PC though. I something use a gradient map if I'm in a rush.It's worth saying BTW that some software is MUCH better at mono conversions than others. I find Nik Silver Efex to be the best for me, followed by On1 Photoraw. Lightroom is poor by comparison because it's a general editor without specialised tools. No idea about Affinity - I have it (bought during Covid) but never used in the end.
Also worth pointing out that it's good to prepare your image for conversion, rather than doing all the work after. So the first thing I did was to adjust black and white points, which made the image much punchier and more interesting and a better starting point for an exciting mono image.
I've tried repruducing SE in photoshop and I cant get it quite the same. Theres more going on in SE than just a BW conversion, it's doing something with contrast and I suspect some sort of clarity-ish effect that PS BW just cant match. With time and using more than just the BW in PS you could probably get close, but I gave up after spending ages playing with colour test charts trying to get a match. Maybe thats just me though.I find Silver Efex very easy to use. My CS2023 may be able to match or even better it but maybe requires greater knowledge and more faff. I sometimes use Analogue Efex too.
I've tried repruducing SE in photoshop and I cant get it quite the same. Theres more going on in SE than just a BW conversion, it's doing something with contrast and I suspect some sort of clarity-ish effect that PS BW just cant match. With time and using more than just the BW in PS you could probably get close, but I gave up after spending ages playing with colour test charts trying to get a match. Maybe thats just me though.
I'm against a formulaic approach - I see each image as an individual product requiring individual treatment.I suppose if you can get the effect you want in PS you can then create a filter to apply to any new picture but you can do that in Nik too.
I'm against a formulaic approach - I see each image as an individual product requiring individual treatment.
I'm against a formulaic approach - I see each image as an individual product requiring individual treatment.
I'm like that too to a limited extent, but for me that approach came apart badly when trying to assemble a body of work that needed to look connected. There are 5 presets I created in SE that are my starting point depending on image and required end result, and provided I don't go wild with adjustments they ensure that my picture will all work together an look related (from a processing POV).
I've never thought of or even heard of taking that approach. I might have to play with that and see what I can get.I find the best way to do mono conversions is by adjusting the individual color channels... especially if you are trying to maximize tonality/gradation.
This was done in LR from the color image. The majority was done by desaturating all of the colors and individually adjusting their luminance and hue in the color mixer tab... I did also use basic exposure/clarity adjustments and a couple of masks as well. Just clicking the B&W button in the basics tab almost never generates the best results; any "one button conversion" will generally be lacking IMO.
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