Trouble producing good black and white pp!

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russbates

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Name
Russell Bates
Edit My Images
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Hey all looking to the forum yet again for more advice! Im really having trouble producing the black and white effects i want from my pictures in photoshop. Im getting the hang of editing in colour and am starting to produce the effects i want.

The first photo is the sort of thing i am getting (just something i snapped the other day and conerted to BNW in PP.:

_DSC4635edit2.jpg


Flat with no dynamic high and low lights

I'm looking of this sort of effect, blacks and whites really accentuated:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/gunnisal/2536861048/

BTW - This is not my image and has only been posted for comparison

(Check gunnisal's photostream actually all his bnw results are what i'm look for!)

Is this something that is done in PP. or more reliant on light when taking the actual photo
Thanks in advance

Russ
 
You need to tick your 'Edit' box Russ. :)

<-----------------------

via your profile.
 
Done, though its not specifically this photo i just snapped this quick the other day just trying to show what i'm getting at the moment and what im hoping to get.

Russ
 
Well the traditional view on mono printing is that you should be looking for a good black with detail just visible in the darkest shadows , a good white without blowing the highlights, and a good range of tones in between. I'm an old fashioned git so that's what I'd go for mostly.

There's a popular trend towards very contrasty mono images with good blacks and highlights, but compression of the mid tones and people not too worried if they've lost shadow detail or the highlights are pushing towards blown. I can't say I dislike all of it, but I'd say get the hang of the traditional way and take your liberties once you've got the hang of it.

This is a quick adjust of the highlight mid tone and shadow sliders, and a sharpen, but there are loads of ways to achieve the same end.

mono_-edit_.jpg
 
Hey thats a good edit, but i feel i can achieve balanced BnW pp. already and i was actually looking for that blown look you described! Is it simply achieved using the channel mixer and highlight and shadow? Lowering the mids to remove detail?
 
You need somebody else about now, but this is using a Virtual Photographer filter called 'Anvil'. You can adjust the filter quite substantially.

mono_-edit2.jpg


It's a free download which works as a plugin with Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro.
 
Yeah thats getting there thanks CT ill download and have a look. Any other opinions greatly appreciated
 
Yep - some good filters and some crappy ones too mind you, but can be very useful at times. My biggest grumble is it always adds noise, which you don't always want, but you can take it as low as 25 ASA.
 
Yeah i noticed that, its not too bad if you keep it at 25 anyhow espically if the original image ISO is low
 
you could always just try using the Levels in Photoshop to blown out the black and white. How did you convert it to black and white? You might be better off using the Channel Mixer set to Black and white......it gives you a more tonally correct conversion. Whilst you in there you could have a play around with the sliders and see if you can blow out the photo there.

Simon
 
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