Digital BW, The Print

> From: s98103r [mailto:s98103r@...]
>
> I would appreciate any comments on preferred workflow to convert a
> RAW digital file (NEF) to a B&W file for printing using PS CS.
>
> Do you use the Abode RAW file converter in the browser to make some
> initial adjustment prior to importing the RAW file into PS?  If so,
> what do you do and why?

I like the Adobe Camera Raw plug-in for several reasons. First of all, it
lets me treat the raw file as any other file, so I don't have to clutter up
my disk with huge intermediate TIFF files. Second, it lets me correct for
chromatic aberration before doing the Bayer interpolation. Third, it's fast.
Many people prefer CaptureOne LE, on the ground that it produces better
color, but the difference is slight, and of course irrelevant when you're
printing B&W. People also say it produces lower-noise images, but my Canon
10D is so quiet that it rarely matters.

> What procedure do you favor for conversion of the digital image to a
> grayscale (LAB to grayscale vs. Channel Mixer adjustment layer vs.
> Hue/saturation adjustment layer vs. other techniques)?  What
> advantages does your chosen procedure offer?

Depends upon the subject. One thing that's nice about the channel mixer is
that it lets you apply negative gains. You can get really dark skies by
using something like 150% red plus -50% blue. Sometimes I use a gray proof
setup while I tweak the underlying colors. That's the moral equivalent of
the H/S layer technique, but I think it's a bit easier to use.

> What further tweaking do you carry out using levels, curves or
> filters before printing?

I usually start with Levels just to spread out the histogram, then go into
Curves for finer control. In 16-bit mode, there's no harm in using multiple
sequential operations. I find that B&W often requires gross curve
adjustments, of a magnitude that would ruin a color picture. I sometimes
finish with a bit of Unsharp Mask, and occasionally an image will need some
NeatImage noise reduction.

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Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
Paul                mailto:pderocco@...