[peterjcb]

I thought that I'd throw this out there.....I'd like some tips to improve my black & white images.
I actually prefer B&W to color but a Leica M Monochrom and lens are completely out of my photographic budget....
What is the next best option to improve the black & white images that I get from my K-5 / FA31 lens?
I shoot everything in RAW, are there settings in the menu that will enhance black & white?

[Dario79]

How do you proces your images? With what software?
Lightroom really have great tool for bw conversion...

[i83N]

raw is all improvement you can get (((((:
make preset B&W in LR which you like and use it

[peterjcb]

How do you proces your images? With what software?
Lightroom really have great tool for bw conversion...

DxO Optics 9 and Photoshop 5.5 mostly.
I have Lightroom but I don't use it much....I just got used to using DxO.
Is Lightroom a better option?.... if so, I'll start using it more.

---------- Post added 07-24-14 at 12:20 PM ----------

raw is all improvement you can get (((((:
make preset B&W in LR which you like and use it

BTW...my son is going to take my Ricoh GR to Scotland and Lithuania next month....he want's to travel light....I told him to take an umbrella....LOL...

[Imageman]

You need a clear idea what it is you want.


There's colour style and Monochrome style, understanding where you want to go will help you get there.


A Colour image is about colours, saturation, colour contrasts.


A Monochrome image is about textures, shapes, tones and form.


Choose Monochrome adjustments that help bring out the Texture tones and shapes.


But don't fall into the trap of rendering a colour image in monochrome.


Ask yourself are there strong textures and shapes present.


When there are its a monochrome image and you can render it as such, use whatever conversion you prefer.


Try changing to LAB, Try selecting out a channel, don't just desaturate.


Red channel will mimic classic red or orange filter, but this channel is often more grainy than blue channel or green channel. Red channel gives vivid skies and distinctive clouds.


Go into levels and drag the left and right sliders to meet the histogram, this will render blacks as deep black and whites as bright white, the classic rendering of monochrome and a simple mimickery of the zone system. Experiment with the amount you expand the tonal range in this way, and adjusting contrast, some subjects are better rendered with slightly less contrast.


Research Monochrome conversions on the internet theres a whole raft of different approaches.


Don't fall into the trap of finding a subject and taking it. consider the light its direction its strength and its diffuse nature. These all have a dramatic effect on your monochrome image.


Expose to the right in histogram but don't allow the histogram to touch the right hand edge or blown out highlights will ensue.


Plan to come back when the light is perfect for the subject. A Monochrome rendering of a subject can be the highest pinnacle of the photographers art, its worth taking the time.


Ansel Adams took up to a week over an image before pressing that shutter, that's why his work is seminal and the very best.

[TwoDaveM]

Outdoor Photographer: August issues -including 2014- are dedicated mostly to B&W going back to at least 2009.


Tip: Select RAW + JPEG(Monochrome). Everything you shoot will appear as black and white on the cameras LCD; To display RAW + JPEG images in Lightroom, you must select both files in Lightroom preferences before importing or you will only get the RAW image.

Tip: HDR for enhanced B&W. When shooting bracketed RAW files for HDR; If there was too much movement in the frames, (handheld, rolling clouds, leaves and branches rustling) use a single RAW image to create a psuedo HDR by saving multiple files from the same RAW, each with different exposure values; import, save, re-import original RAW file, adjust exposure, save, etc..

[peterjcb]

Thanks for all the tips and suggestions...some of it is a bit over my head right now as I'm not very well versed with digital imaging but I'm working on it and will learn as I go along.

...also, does the sensor of a camera matter? I noticed that the Leica Monochrom uses a CCD sensor...?
I may try some comparisons with my K200D vs. my K-5 using the same lens and subject.

[K McCall]

Could you post some examples of black and white images that you like? That way we'll have a better idea if you're asking about composition, post-processing, etc. What are you finding lacking in your black and white images?

I find I spend much more time in Lightroom working on a black-and-white conversion versus a color photograph. I personally tend to a pretty stark definition of black and white - I'm not a big fan of grayscale and want real, blackest black and highlights that are pure white. But it's difficult to always strike the right balance and retain lots of detail as well. I'd be happy to expound on this more if this is indeed the kind of thing you're looking for.

[DAZ]

In the days of film you would pick you film speed and this would give you your grain/DR. You would then expose for the shadows and to some extents let the highlight fall were they may. In digital you expose (as other have indicated) for the highs. This would let you get as much DR as possible. You would could also look at the scene colors. Different colors give you different grays. 2 colors that may look very different can look like the same shades of gray. The cyan sky could look very light gray for example. To help change this you would use color filters on the lens. You could do this with digital but it is not necessary and is better to do it in PP.


I use Paintshop Pro so I can't tell you how to do the following in your program.


In the old film days you would develop your film and then print on paper. In doing this there are many things you could do to get it to look like you wanted. One of the first is print for what was called DMax /DMin. What this was is you would spread out the DR so that the darkest part of the scene is the blackest the paper could print and the lightest part is the white of the paper. In digital you do this with things like fill light. You may have to do a little noise reduction first then a little more after. You can also move the brightness/ contrast and local tonal mapping.


You have to think in BW. So any colors in the photo don't have to be correct but you can use the colors to get better things like textures, shapes, tones and form. You can turn up the color more then you would think for a color photo.


Next you can do your sharpening for textures. You do this before the BW conversion so you can see the effect but you may have to do some after.


In PSP you have a BW film filter. This is not the same as just turning the photo to grays. The BW film filters lets you apply color filters like in the old film days. In PSP it will even suggest a color. You can try different colors to see how it changes the grays. It would take a lot of practices (a lot of film) to get good with color filters but on the computer you can get it fast. If you don't like it just pick a new filter color. You can also do some adjustment of lightness and tonal mapping.


Now that you have your BW photo you then do your final contrast and brightness as normal. Then do your resizing and final sharpening.


Here are some examples https://secure.flickr.com/photos/dazt/sets/72157622289190866/ or https://secure.flickr.com/photos/dazt/sets/72157630592881516/.


DAZ

[TwoDaveM]

Contrast:
Tonal or brightness contrast.
Textural contrast i.e. broad leaves vs grass, gravel bank vs river, sky and puffy clouds..
Sharpness contrast.

Composition:
Remove the color and do you have anything interesting!? Or is color carrying the image?!


A variety of benefits to shooting B&W include midday photo-ops. When the sky is washed out and the air is hazy, sometimes it just doesn't matter, much

[Winder]

DxO Optics 9 and Photoshop 5.5 mostly.
I have Lightroom but I don't use it much....I just got used to using DxO.
Is Lightroom a better option?.... if so, I'll start using it more.

---------- Post added 07-24-14 at 12:20 PM ----------



BTW...my son is going to take my Ricoh GR to Scotland and Lithuania next month....he want's to travel light....I told him to take an umbrella....LOL...

If you are using DxO then you might want to try their Film Pack 4. DxO's color film pack options are average, but they do a really good job with B&W and it will integrate into DxO Pro Optic 9. It makes for a simpler workflow.

I wouldn't say Lightroom is a better option from a quality standpoint. Its a better option for many reasons, but for IQ I prefer DxO or Capture One. I use LR for other reasons. If you do use LR then you could look at VSCO presets for B&W film. You can create your own presets for free or buy them and use them as a starting point to create your own.

If you like DxO:
Sony | www.dxo.com Free Version of Film Pack 3

DxO FilmPack V4.5 - a review Version 4 Review.