Digital BW, The Print

If you use Photoshop, correct the image the best you can in RGB and then
convert the image to LAB color by going to Image>Mode>Lab color.. LAB color
separates the image into three channels. Lightness (isolates all the detail)
and isolates the color in channels A & B ... (Hence L-A-B Color). Once you
have converted to Lab color, go to channels and click on the lightness
channel and lo, you get a BW image with all the detail and none of the
color. Then make your corrections with levels and curves in that order.
Avoid the brightness and contrast controls ... they destroy information ...
levels and curves does not.

Once you are satisfied with the image, sharpen it if you care to and save it
as (image number or name-BW. The you can reopen your existing image and
convert back to RGB and it is as it was before you started working on it. I
have also used the Fred Miranda Black and White Workflow Plug-in with some
success for converting RGB to BW. NEVER convert to BW by merely converting
the mode to grayscale. You let the computer interpolate what it thinks the
BW shades of gray should be and I trust my eyes more than I do the
processor. One further hint. As of late, I have been converting my color
images to LAB and selecting the lightness channel for sharpening and am
getting better overall appearance. After sharpening, I convert back to RGB.

Hope this helps,
Joe
  -----Original Message-----
  From: cirkutguy [mailto:cirkut@...]
  Sent: Sunday, April 11, 2004 3:06 PM
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
  Subject: Re: [Digital BW] On film


  --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Anthony G.
  Atkielski" <anthony@a...> wrote:
  > Most of the renditions are impossible in color conversions, because they
require information missing from a color image.

  I'm curious as to what information is missing from the color image
  that would be in the black and white. I too find that I often can't
  match the look of black and white film with a color conversion, but
  have always assumed that some amount of messing around would do it.

  Mark





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