Winter photography reminds me of photography's foundation in black and white (B&W). Snow covers the landscape in a monochromatic blanket with the occasional dark rock or tree jutting out in contrast. With the absence of color, the subject's form and texture increase in importance, opening a world of possibilities for the visual artist. The creative options and unique challenges of B&W photography have long inspired photographers to move beyond documentation of the world as we see it. Unfortunately, most digital cameras are limited to capturing images in color. B&W images are not an option. The good news is that Photoshop provides options for converting color images into B&W. In this article, we will explore three B&W conversion methods.

The first, and simplest, method for converting a color image into B&W is to make it a grayscale image. This can be done through Photoshop's image menu (Image → Mode → Grayscale). Once selected, Photoshop asks if the color information should be discarded. Selecting "yes" converts the image to grayscale. This technique can be applied very easily; however, it does come with drawbacks. First, all color information is discarded, which means that it can't be recovered at a later time. Undoing the conversion, either as a whole or in part can be problematic once the change has been saved. Second, and most importantly, with the image made up entirely of shades of gray, available image adjustments are limited to those that can be performed on grayscale images. Some of the more powerful color controls are removed from the toolbox. For these reasons, I recommend against converting images directly to grayscale as the creative options are just too confining.

Another common B&W conversion technique digital photographers employ involves creating a hue/saturation adjustment layer. Once a color image is opened in Photoshop, I create a hue/saturation adjustment layer (Layer → New adjustment layer → Hue/Saturation). When the dialog box appears, I reduce the saturation setting to -100, removing all color from the image and producing a grayscale image. This technique has the advantage of retaining the color information within the image file; after all, the hue/saturation layer hides the image's color without discarding the color information. This permits me to selectively return color to portions of the image (details on how to do this will be in featured in next month's Digital Corner article). On the downside, reducing the saturation puts me in the same situation regarding post B&W conversion adjustments. With the color information hidden by the hue/saturation adjustment layer, my adjustments are again limited to those which affect shades of gray.

At this point it could be asked why I am covering techniques that I don't recommend for use. Why bother mentioning these methods at all? The answer is simple. Many photographers have been told to use the above techniques because they are quick and easy. For general purposes, they will get the job done; however, they limit the level of control that separates the snapshooter from the serious photographer. For those who want the quickest solution, the above techniques are available. For those who want to replicate the control utilized by skilled darkroom technicians, read on.

With the addition of a single step, I can greatly improve the level of control I have over the final image. This time, my B&W conversion involves the creation of two adjustment layers. First, I create a hue/saturation adjustment layer (Layer → New adjustment layer → Hue/Saturation). We will call this layer #1. When the dialog box appears, I click "OK" without making any adjustments. Next, I create a second hue/saturation adjustment layer (layer #2). On this layer, I set the saturation to -100, converting the image to B&W. Once the saturation is reduced, I click "OK" to close the dialog box. At this point, I double check my layer's palette. It is important that layer #2 (the one with a saturation of -100) is above layer #1.

Now, I highlight layer #1 in the layer palette by clicking on it. Once the layer is highlighted, I change the layer's blend mode (located in the pull down menu in the upper left corner of the layers palette) from "normal" to "color." It is now time to fine tune the image. I double click on layer #1 (the bottom one with the blend mode set to color) to open the dialog box. Altering any of the three controls (hue, saturation, or lightness) will alter the image in various ways. Since the color information was retained in the image, I can also make selective adjustments to individual colors by selecting the color from the edit menu at the top of the dialog box.

For those familiar with working in the darkroom, altering individual colors produces effects similar to applying colored filters during printing. For those without darkroom experience, the best technique I have found is to play with both the master and individual color channels until you produce results you like.

Chris Gamel has been an active wildlife photographer for the past 14 years. The combination of his biological research and photographic interests has taken him around the world. In 2001, Chris discovered the joys of digital photography and he hasn't looked back. Chris lives with his wife and daughter in Salt Lake City where he teaches courses at Weber State University and Salt Lake Community College. To see more of Chris's photography, visit his web site at www.Animal-Antics.net.

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