Best Tips/Tricks for B&W

[Beyder28]

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Hello, I have recently purchased an X1 and have been playing around with some black and white pics in Nik Silver Efex Pro 2. I have seen some gorgeous B&W pics from some people on this forum and would like some of you to share your techniques for creating these amazing shots. I have always liked one technique that I always see from the old masters (B&W with deep shadows and dark blacks) but I am not able to accurately replicate it. Would love to receive feedback for best approaches to take my black and white photos to the next level. Thanks in advance.

[Beyder28]

Really?? Nobody has got anything? Wow.

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[MEB]

Beyder,

 

It is somewhat difficult to answer your question because it depends, to a large degree, with the qualities in the picture you are adjusting. In addition, Silver Efex Pro 2 has an amazing number of available adjustments. The best advice that I can give you about this program is to try out the presets (in the column on the left side of the program screen). Don't consider these to be a final product but rather a starting point for your picture. After you get into the ball park with the presets, then you can make numerous refinements (first global and then specific/local with the U-points).

 

I find Silver Efex Pro 2 to be an astonishing program that is lots of fun to use. One point that I would suggest is not to have too much contrast or blocked up shadows in your original before you apply SEP2. You can always adjust the contrast and black points and highlights in SEP2 but it gets where it is going by analyzing the underlying photo and its colors. If you do any serious alterations to the balance of the original, I think you may limit the flexibility of the SEP2. I have also had very good luck using the program's color filters in creating the B&W because they can help bring out detail that would otherwise be lost in blocked up shadows.

 

Mark Blumer

[vdb]

Beyder, I strongly suggest reading Leslie Alsheimer's book on B&W conversions using LR/CS4...some great tips in there.

[horosu]

I recommend Raw Photo Processor (Mac only). It has phenomenal B&W conversions.

[250swb]

You are doing the right thing in having Silver Efex Pro 2 Beyder as its the market leader and far more capable than other software. But even if we did know what you wanted to create it would need a detailed tutorial. Just start using the sliders and see what happens. But if you want the look of older photographs try to think what it is about them that you like. Is it low contrast, so turn the contrast down, or make them darker, if the blacks have gone too black bring them up with the blacks slider, if whites are too bright or blowing out bring them down with the whites slider. Its a vast programme, the options are endless, you don't need to use them all, so stick the the main ones at first.

 

Steve

[Jeff S]

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Extra software plug-ins may work fine, but you don't really need them. The old masters to whom you refer understood darkroom techniques. I can attest that, after several decades using a darkroom, the digital realm offers far more options, flexibility and efficiency using software like Photoshop or LR3 (or equivalent from other companies). Even then, only a few basic tools generally suffice to get pretty close to a good result. The rest involves tweaking.

 

There are many books on the craft, and even ones on basic darkroom techniques can provide a useful understanding of basic concepts that have digital equivalents. The adjustment tools aren't complicated once you understand what each does and how it does it. The rest is practice, practice.

 

But, nothing matters more than a good eye, and good judgment. If you can't really see where you're going with a print, or when you've gotten there, the tools are not effective. That's the tough part.

 

Jeff

[otto.f]

Really?? Nobody has got anything? Wow.

 

Maybe your question is not specific enough

I agree with Jeff about LR3; I use Silver Efex too, but have not been able to do it dramatically better with this than with LR3 and/or Aperture3. It is a nice program with nice tools to work and play with, because of its referral to film-photography, but result-wise I see no advantage above LR3

[wda]

Beyder, so much depends on the subject and lighting. You can only convert, successfully, if the original subject lends itself to mono treatment. I suggest you pick a simple repeatable subject and experiment with different lighting. Subject which look good in colour seldom have impact in black and white; and vice versa.

 

My few conversions have been done in Photoshop CS4 and Lightroom; although I have been experimenting with Topaz filters, as an aside.

[Beyder28]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

[timd.]

you'll just have to try both versions sometimes.

if you really want to do more b/w than color, you'll soon get accustomed to actually see things you want to photograph in b/w before you press the shutter - well i should better say you'll be able to imagine how things will look like after conversion.

[Jeff S]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

 

 

That's what I mean by the eye and judgment aspects. These are the critical elements; the rest is simply technique, which can be learned much more easily.

 

I suggest you look at lots of work in person and in books, and read commentary by folks like Szarkowski who discuss how to look at photographs.

 

Individual tastes vary, but having your own style and critical eye is what matters. I know before I push the shutter whether I see the image in b/w or color. Once in a rare while a photograph will work on both levels. Even then, different post-processing techniques will be required. Experience is the best teacher.

 

Jeff

[wda]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

One practical solution is to set your camera to shoot monochrome; view the resulting jpeg and if it doesn't appeal in mono, you still have the raw file to work with.

[rob_w]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

One technique is to set the camera monitor to B/W. This is useful because the monitor image is then easier to judge for accurate lighting and composition. But it also gives you a chance to consider how every photo would look in B/W. Sometimes this alerts you to a possibility you might not have considered.

 

I also consider B/W when the prevailing colour conditions are not good, e.g. some artificial lights, dominance of one unattractive colour, etc.

 

Just a couple of tips!

[prunelle]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

Hi,

The more I take photos, the more I notice that colour is absolutely useless. Unless you want to photograph something or someone for their colours instead of themselves.

[otto.f]

Hwo do you distinguish between what is better left in color and what would be better in black and white? I know its subjective but Im just curious what people's opinions are on this.

 

Maybe you should start with Ansel Adams first, for instance The Negative. He makes you aware of pre-visualization, learning to see subject and scenes in B&W, and how you want it in B&W. He advises to carry a Wratten filter #whatever, through which you can see a scene in how it comes in B&W, so you know what filter you need (this can of course be translated into digital with filters in Silver Efex)

[Jeff S]

Hi,

The more I take photos, the more I notice that colour is absolutely useless. Unless you want to photograph something or someone for their colours instead of themselves.

 

Not the best use of colors IMO. That's why color photography is so hard. B/W immediately imparts a special feel. The trick is to use color to elicit a different, but equally important esthetic. Not easy, as you've discovered.

 

I find some of the best color photos have few colors and a subdued (less saturated) palette, and use color to help unify the composition. Not always, for sure, but often.

 

I know of only a few photographers who are equally adept at color and b/w.

 

Jeff

[250swb]

I know of only a few photographers who are equally adept at color and b/w.

 

Jeff

 

This is probably true, but personal photography isn't a contest to see who can do everything, as if its a competition. Unless of course you are an amateur competitor in a club, or something equally shallow.

 

If a photographer has something to say that doesn't need colour, or colour distracts, or they just don't like it, I think thats a good enough reason to ignore it. Saying that colour isn't easy, as if its a failed aim if you won't use it, is the most patronizing thing I've read today.

 

Steve

[mweiner]

Many form members say the information on Welcome to ReidReviews is more than worth the price of subscription. Among the many interesting articles there is one about black and white photography which addresses your question about color vs black and white. As others have said above, Sean Reid writes that it's hard enough to get composition and geometry right and that trying to include color adds vastly more complexity to getting an image right. He says that the default choice is black and white unless there is something specific that color would _add_ to the image. He describes a total black and white work flow (including setting the camera monitor to black and white as described above) so that one never sees the captures in color unless one specifically wants to.

 

There is one downside to setting the monitor that way since it requires using DNG+JPG which can slow down the image processing and saving to card.

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[prunelle]

... He says that the default choice is black and white unless there is something specific that color would _add_ to the image. He describes a total black and white work flow (including setting the camera monitor to black and white as described above) so that one never sees the captures in color unless one specifically wants to. ....

Looks like I don't need to read the book because it's exactly what I think.