Digital BW, The Print

Or use the Split Channels approach that has been discussed here in the past.
You can then play with how much red, green, blue or LAB you want, varying
their opacity and altering their blending modes.  This is the most versatile
solution I have seen.  There are a 1000 ways to skin this cat and the topic
repeatedly comes up.  Look thru the archives.  Try this method and see what
you think.


> From: "Michael B. Askew" <mbaskew@...>
> Reply-To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Date: Fri, 03 Sep 2004 03:43:26 -0000
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Subject: [Digital BW] Re: image degradation when converting to BW?
> 
> 
> To get a more dramatic red filter effect, try this:
> 
> In RGB mode, open the channels window and discard the blue channel.
> Then convert to greyscale mode.  Also try going back to the full
> color image, in RGB mode, throw away the red channel.  This has the
> effect of adding the opposite color filter.  If you throw away the
> red channel, if I remember correctly, it is the same as adding a
> blue filter.  If you throw away the blue channel, it should be the
> same as adding a red filter (or thereabouts, I know on the color
> wheel red and blue are not opposites, yellow and blue are, but these
> are the channels available).  Or you can just reduce the saturation
> or opacity of that channel.  If you think about it, a filter reduces
> the opposite colors, so if you take out the opposite color channel
> or reduce it, then you are simulating the effect of that filtration.
> 
> It's a reduction of the representation of existing information in
> the image, not an overlay or adding more information.  I'm not sure
> I fully understand what degrades an image or the level of it, but i
> know from a visual and detail retention perspective, the channel
> method of converting to greyscale is the most recommended method by
> people from NAPP.  I've tried multiple methods of this, and these
> simple channel methods have always been more suitable to me and
> those I have worked with in classes, etc.
> 
> Once you have gotten closer to your desired filter effect by
> removing or reducing color channels, then you can convert to
> greyscale by going to lab color and saving only the lightness
> channel, then finally converting to greyscale mode.
>