b/w conversion

[brickftl]

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I've used SilverEfex forever for my color to b/w conversions.

Recently I stumbled across the huge number of presets (including b/w presets) in Adobe Camera Raw.

Would like to hear from people who use ACR presets for b/w conversion and how they compare to SilbverEfex. ESPECIALLY people who are processing images from Leica M cams.

[Bikie John]

When using any sort of preset, the only criterion is whether you like the results or not. And the only person who can judge that is you!

I quite like the B&W profiles provided in Lightroom, although I don't do much serious stuff with them. SilverEfex also produces some nice results. Generally I find using the LR embedded features easier because it doesn't need to create an extra copy of the file, which in my experience SFX usually does. (Maybe this is because I am using SFX wrong, of course - I don't have all that much experience).

John

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[shanefking]

On 2/12/2024 at 7:57 AM, brickftl said:

I've used SilverEfex forever for my color to b/w conversions.

Recently I stumbled across the huge number of presets (including b/w presets) in Adobe Camera Raw.

Would like to hear from people who use ACR presets for b/w conversion and how they compare to SilbverEfex. ESPECIALLY people who are processing images from Leica M cams.

For me, the main benefit of silver efex was the masking of tonal regions.

Now I can do that in photoshop manually, and lightroom classic also has tools to make it easier.

The b&w profiles built in are alright, I always consider that a starting point and develop my own personal presets to dial-in the look I like.

As always, its a tool.  How it suits you and how you use it yourself are the determining factors.   I liked silver efex a lot several years ago, but Lightroom classic by itself allows me to work more efficiently.

Attached is an image from my M10 that I worked on with Lightroom Classic, and a preset that adjusts curves, contrast, color grading, and adds grain.

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Edited February 13 by shanefking