Digital BW, The Print

Mike,

You can convert to b/w the way Johnny Eades described by extracting
the channels into layers and use opacity to blend them,
you can also use the channel mixer adjustment and click the monochrome
checkbox.
Or you can use the hue/saturation to desaturate, maybe click colorize
to get a tone. 
Or you can use a gradient mask. 
Or you can use Image/Calculations and mix 2 channels using blending
modes and opacity.
Or you can convert to grayscale in mode.
Or you can use the channels pallet and select one that looks good and
delete the other 2.
Probably more ways too.

Basically there are a ton of ways to make a grayscale image. It's just
a metter of finding the one that works best for you and for the image.
Alot of these techniques can be done in layer adjustments as well so
you still have the original layer, and also can be combined even. Some
methods work better for different images, some show more noise than
others. 

As for the two problems you mention, gradients and softness, it's hard
to tell, are the images sharp before the conversion and soft on screen
after? Are they soft on screen at all before you print? What
resolution, printer/settings and paper/settings are you using to
print? One thing I wonder about converting to gray from an 8 bit jpg
file, is how much info is being discarded along with the color. Is it
enough to posterize a gradient?  Would converting to gray from a
higher bit depth RAW file result in a better image with better grads?
Are you sharpening your images before printing with the unsharp mask
filter? Alot of variables to consider I know, alot of times it may
just take expierimenting with different methods of striving for the
same result to get something that works better.

As for links, there are some techniques here:
http://www.outbackphoto.com/content/technique.html

Josh Freeman




--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Mike"
<shampanier@y...> wrote:
> I am new to the group and forgive me if I am doing this incorrectly, 
> and, if I am being lazy in just asking what you all probably know 
> quite well...or, maybe you all are looking for the better solution - 
> which is what this group is all about.
> 
> I have a Canon 10D and I typically shoot in jpeg, but I am about to 
> switch over to RAW (memory backup concerns). Anyhow, I have been 
> converting the image under mode from RGB to grayscale in photoshop 
> and then usually back to RGB for adjusting the color of a nice black 
> and white. When I print them, the images seem horribly soft and the 
> gradation is not satisfactory.
> 
> Can someone point me to some articles or instructions on how to get 
> great results from a digital file?
> 
> Best,
> Mike Shampanier
> http://www.MikeThePhotographer.com
> Mike@M...