How To Create A Stunning Black And White Photo Effect In Photoshop

How To Create A Stunning Black And White Photo Effect In Photoshop – The right place named black and white is the best tool for converting images to black and white in Photoshop. It doesn’t remove the color immediately, but it also allows you to make fine adjustments to the tonal quality of the image based on the available colors. So if you want the red and yellow to look bright in black and white, just drag the red and yellow sliders to the right until those areas are at a level of brightness that looks good .

Depending on the background color, you can use other sliders to adjust the other colors that may be present in the scene.

How To Create A Stunning Black And White Photo Effect In Photoshop

Now that our image is black and white, we can move on to detailing and getting the artistic look we like. The adjustable settings are very powerful and allow us to control the brightness, contrast and different types of image tone. When you look at the Levels dialog, you’ll notice two sliders, one for input levels (below the histogram) and one for output levels (below the gradient box black to white).

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Changing the input position allows you to select the black point, white point, or center point of the image and drag each one to the left or right. When you drag the black dot to the left, all the information on the slide or to the right of it turns black, darkening the image. If you move the white point to the left, it will change all the information on the slider or to the right to white and brighten the image. The middle slider can be moved to the left or right, which will brighten or darken the midtones of the image.

Resulting conditions work a little differently. If you take the black slider and move it to the right, it will lighten the dark parts of the image. As you move the white slider to the left, the brightest areas become darker.

Once you have a good base, you can continue to add adjustment elements to get the look you want. In our example, we added a second adjustment layer and used a Layer Mask and blur to create a look that helps focus more attention on the subject of the photo. Ever since photography first became an art form, we have been fascinated by the power of black and white images. They have an undeniable beauty and a grace beyond reality to give us something profound. Every photographer, at some point, wants to play with this amazing style.

But how can you do it right? There really is a fine line between taking any old black and white photo and creating a great photo. Here are some tips to help you create a bright monochrome photo.

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Image by Shannon Squires Photography – edited using the “Modest Silver” black and white Photoshop Action from the Everyday Workflow Essentials – Photoshop Action Collection

It may seem strange that our first advice is to avoid doing something, but there is a good reason for that! When you use your camera’s black and white mode for photography, you actually remove a lot of potential from the image. Your camera has the ability to capture a full range of sounds everywhere and can create something close to real life. If you reduce it to just black, white, and shades of gray, you are removing a lot of functionality from the device.

Your DSLR is designed for color, so it works best that way. Simply put, you’ll get better color photos. But if that’s not reason enough for you, next we need to look at the post-production process. When you edit an image and convert it to a black and white file, you have several options for editing and adjusting the image. You can make the darkest areas darker, or the lighter areas lighter, or vice versa. You can also set the black and white image mode. You do this by choosing which colors in the image read darker or lighter.

If your photo isn’t in color, you’re missing out on a lot of options. Also, since shooting the camera doesn’t give you the contrast or scale you need, you still have to edit it. Black and white photography does not save you time and can reduce the chances of your final image. Actually, it’s useless: stay away from black and white in the camera!

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After that, you can decide to convert your image to black and white in Photoshop. There are several options available to you which we will explore here.

If you don’t want a very different look, it’s very easy to use the color and saturation tools. All you have to do here is open the app and drag the “Saturation” bar down. Just like that, your picture is black and white. This is a great tool to use because it doesn’t break down: changes happen in a new section instead of touching the original file. This means that if you make a mistake, you can go back and change or delete it. However, it does not allow you to control the tones of the image very well. You can adjust the darkness and lightness of each color, but this can be inconsistent and make parts of the image look pixelated or obviously recreated.

Photoshop Actions are a great way to quickly create black and white images, as they can be grouped together to edit multiple photos at once. There is a black and white Photoshop action called “Modest Silver” by the Everyday Workflow Essentials Photoshop action suite that is great for this.

Photoshop also has a black and white tool specifically for black and white conversion. Here, just click on the tool and it will open again in a new layer. There is more control with this tool, as you can change each slider to change the brightness of certain colors. These adjustments may not be enough to make the difference you want without the image looking weird, so it’s a good idea to use the curves tool.

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Finally, you can use a gradient map, which I really like. It puts a different light on your image, and the black and white gradient is built right into Photoshop. You can adjust the sliders in the gradient editor to increase the contrast/brightness.

You can play with different options, as well as mix and match for different looks. Adding dodge and burn is a great addition to add to your new black and white image for a more appealing image. The possibilities are endless!

All those changes will be for naught if you don’t have a good photo to start with. Not every photo looks good in black and white. For example, some images need color to explain. Think of the image of a sports fan wearing his country’s flag on his back and his team’s colored shirt. The importance of his dress was completely lost in black and white. You want your image to tell a strong story without needing color to provide context.

What works best in monochrome? Pictures are a very powerful example. A short head with a very sharp expression in the eyes and a soft expression elsewhere always looks amazing in black and white. Silhouettes can also look great in monochrome, and if you’re looking for an artistic or traditional look, black and white can give you the appeal you need. It can also be a good choice for a few selected wedding photos, although in general you should leave most of the set in full color.

In Defense Of B&w Photography

Here is a video made by Grace Pamela to show you how to make the best photos in Photoshop:

The more you play with black and white, the more you’ll find out what kind of images work – so practice!

Do you have any tips for using black and white? What do you wish you knew when you first started editing your photos? Share with us and other readers in the comments below!

Founder A photographer, mother, and creative editor, Grace honed her skills in Photoshop, creating tools and tutorials for other photographers along the way. Honest opinions are supported by their audience. If you purchase through links on our site, we may receive a commission. Learn more.

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