Converting from Color to Black & White
Method Three
Using a B & W Gradient Adjustment Layer
This tutorial comes with a video which
can be viewed by clicking on B&W
Gradient Video. It is a quicktime movie.
You may download the image of the Grand Canyon (1.4 Mb) that is used in the video for your own practice if you wish. Click here to download.
One of the advantages of this technique is that it works equally well in Photoshop Elements (all versions) as well as in Photoshop CS (all versions). A second advantage is that the technique uses adjustment layers is non-destructive in that it does not change any pixels in the original image.
You may download the image of the Grand Canyon (1.4 Mb) that is used in the video for your own practice if you wish. Click here to download.
One of the advantages of this technique is that it works equally well in Photoshop Elements (all versions) as well as in Photoshop CS (all versions). A second advantage is that the technique uses adjustment layers is non-destructive in that it does not change any pixels in the original image.
Part 1, the Gradient Map
- Open in Photoshop Elements or CS a color image that you wish to convert to B&W.
- Start the process of creating a gradient adjustment layer with the command "Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Gradient Map"
- Rename the adjustment layer "B&W Gradient". Leave the
mode
as normal and the opacity at 100%. Leave the box unchecked.
Click OK.
- Select the B&W gradient by clicking on the down triangle on the right of the gradient box. You will get a selection of gradients that you may choose. Pick the third one from the left on the top. This one is black to white. The first one on the left is actually the foreground color to the background color. Since the default foreground and background is black and white it may seem to be the one to choose. But pick the third one anyway.
- The other choices may be used for effects. But that is not part of this lesson.
- Click OK. Your image will now be a black and white image.
- Note: You have not changed any pixel in your original image. If you turn off the B&W Gradient layer by clicking on the eye in the layer pallet you will get all the colors back.
Part 2, Adjustments Using the Channels in Levels.
We are going to now take advantage of
the fact that we still have all
of the color information of the original image. The color image
is
made up of three colors - Red, Green, and Blue (RGB). Each of
these
colors form a channel which can be accessed individually in
levels. By
adjusting only the Red channel we can control how the reds in the
original image effects the tonal quality of the black and white
image.
And we can do this for all three channels.
- Create a levels adjustment layer with the command "Layer - New Adjustment Layer - Levels"
- Rename the layer to "Luminosity".
- Change the mode of the levels adjustment layer from Normal to Luminosity by clicking on the mode selection symbol. The Luminosity choice is at the bottom of the mode menu. This will mean we will not be introducing any color into our image with the levels command. We will only be modifying the greyscale values (luminosity) in the image. This step could be done later if you forget but it is easier if done at this time.
- Click OK
- You now get the levels dialog box with the histogram. Note that the default channel is RGB. If you use this channel you will be adjusting the image in all three colors.
- Select the channel "Red". Now make the usual levels adjustments with just the Red channel. Move the left (shadows) slider in until you just touch the histogram. Move the right (highlights) slider in until you just touch the histogram. Then adjust the midtone slider until you get the desired effect. Note: This is only effecting the red colors in your image by making them lighter or darker.
- Select the channel "Green" and repeat step 6.
- Select the channel "Blue" and repeat step 6.
- Depending on your image different channels will have different effects. In an image that is dominated by blue the Blue channel will have the most effect. But an image dominated by red will have the Red channel producing the greatest effect.
