Photography

As with all post processing the results are individual interpretations, there is no "correct rendering" for b&w conversions...

In the below example I am using Silkypix, and while the application details / tools will be different, most post processing applications will work in varying degrees toward achieving the desired results.  There are also stand alone applications for digital b&w conversion.  I scan my monochrome film to TIF files... after which some of the below steps can also be used.

There are as many conversion techniques as there are photographers... below is just one approach.

01) Convert the Image to Black-and-White by setting the "saturation" to zero.

02) The Tone Parameter - Adjust the contrast to darken the blacks and bring up the whites.  Silkypix has a general and mid-tone contrast setting.  Use both if your application has them.

03) Darken the edges - Adjust peripheral illumination.  Works best if you compose to have the brightest part of the image in the center. Manually add a little "vignetting" for effect.

04) The Fine Color Control Parameter - Darken the sky.  If your application allows, darken the blues to match the effect of film.

05) The White Balance Adjustment - bring all adjustments into line.  With the White balance adjustment circle, drag the point into the red area... play around with this adjustment to find what works best for your image...  It helps if originally shot in RAW, but TIFF and other file formats can benefit from this step.

06) The Gamma Histogram - enhancing details in the shadow area.  The heavy contrast setting (step 02) may produce an image that is very dark.  Play with the overall brightness of the image using the gamma adjustment... watch the histogram not to overdue this adjustment.

Below is a quick conversion of an average wooded scene...

Thanks to "horology8" for inspiring this post...

Casey

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