To help you understand the late methods of Black-and-white photography from scratch.

This is my first time in the system of black and white photography later, I hope to be helpful to everyone. Including saturation method, lab method, channel mixer method, and so on, another professional level of black and white photography ideas summed up to collect!

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First of all, one of the issues that we have to figure out is:

What is the essential difference between black-and-white photography and color photography?

The answer to this question seems obvious: black-and-white photography lacks color information.

But hiding behind this result is a basic photographic principle.

We often mention the three-point method, the central composition, the guide line, the color collocation, the light choice and so on, but have you ever thought of a question: what is the purpose of our use of these tools?

All the means we use, the ultimate goal is to express, in order to let the viewer understand the feelings they want to convey.

Black and white photography lacks color information, which in fact loses a means of conveying feelings.

We can use cold tones to express the cold, with warm tones to express warmth, which is the effect of color.

We compare photographers to warriors, then composition, color, light and light are the weapons of warriors, Black-and-white photography is equivalent to our loss of color of this weapon, can not be through the color to mobilize the viewer's emotions.

Therefore, the late black and white photography is actually a difficult thing to do, because we can use a limited number of weapons.

But since it is a weapon, can kill the enemy, also may hurt oneself.

Therefore, color is a double-edged sword, the use of improper, it will hurt their emotional output.

For example, this picture:

Because people's clothes and the color of the room background are more "noticeable", so may let the viewer pay more attention to the color aspect, but ignores the overall atmosphere as well as the character itself expression.

If we turn it into black and white:

At this time the viewer will pay more attention to the character's facial expression, and will scan the big environment.

This time the color is like a broken organ, we cut it, it will be better.

On the other hand, when the color information of a photo is castrated, we will pay more attention to the brightness of the picture itself, and will pay more attention to the highlights.

There are a number of ways to turn color into black and white, for example:

Saturation method, Lab method, black and white method, Mixed mode method, channel mixer method, coloring method and so on.

Let me briefly introduce these methods and their pros and cons.

　　First, saturation method

is to minimize saturation, this method is very low controllability, because a picture can only form an effect.

　　Second, lab method

The lab method is to convert the color gamut of the picture to lab and then use the L channel to adjust the picture.

Its biggest advantage is the picture details of the reservation is very in place, there is a lot of late space.

　　Third, black and white law

Black and white method is to use PS black and white tools to adjust the color of the screen.

Its biggest advantage is that it can adjust the brightness of different colors, so as to achieve a richer picture effect.

　　Four, channel mixer method

The channel mixer is similar to the black and white tools, except that the object being adjusted is the channel.

　　Five, go to the color method

The so-called Go-color method, is to use the PS Color tool to adjust the screen.

The control of this method is very low, only a picture effect, but its advantage is that you can keep a rich picture details to facilitate your further processing.

　　Mixed Mode method

Create a new blank layer, fill it with black or white, and change the blending mode to color.

In this case, the layers below will become black and white.

You can choose the above method according to your own needs.

Personal recommendation:

General picture selection Black and white method is more suitable. How to require a richer detail, you can choose Lab method.

Other methods can be covered by either of these means.

The above is a primer, the following is the official content.

Black and white photography later generally have the following several ideas.

　　First, create texture

Black and white photography because there is no color information, so people will pay more attention to the picture changes in the light, we can improve the texture of the picture through light and shadow.

The creation of black and white texture is a very common technique in commercial photography.

The original image is this:

General Processing:

Texture Processing:

The process of creating texture is actually the process of reconstructing light and shadow.

Texture creation includes two aspects:

One is the creation of the texture of the object, such as the characters in the picture.

One is the creation of a large environmental texture, such as our walls and floors.

So how do you create texture?

Here is a way: "High-end repair map tricks!" Just a trick to improve your photo texture.

In the inside, the deepening/Dodge method, the soft light method, the Hyperbola method and so on.

I am here to highlight the deepening/Dodge method.

A lot of people think that the deepen/Dodge method is very backward relative to the soft light method and the hyperbolic method, because it cannot be undone, so it is very clumsy to use.

This is indeed a weakness of deepening/dodge, but it has another unique advantage:

We can choose the depth/Dodge tool action position!

This is easy to use without friends Ah!

For example, we have the above diagram, we directly select the Dodge tool, and then select the midtones, you can very quickly enhance the image of the lighting effect, and do not destroy the image of the shadow and the high light part.

This is the most unique place to deepen/Dodge tools.

Here's another tip.

Even if the effect we ultimately need is a color effect, we can still choose the black and white processing method.

Change the blending mode of your adjusted black and white layer to lightness, and the brightness of the layer will automatically apply to the layer below.

What is its biggest advantage?

As I said before, because black and white can make people pay more attention to the change of light and shade, so you can be more sensitive to detect the brightness of the screen changes.

Another thing is, for example, we have a bright red image, which is actually very disturbing the sight of people and easy to fatigue color, through this method, you can effectively improve efficiency.

You can get a nice color picture with a little adjustment.

　Second, senior Ash

The so-called high ash, refers to the screen in the main focus of pixels in the middle of the adjustment, so that the entire picture of the details of the transition is very smooth, looking very comfortable.

Let's give an example:

We use the Go color:

The brightness of the whole background is higher, some of the distracting, leading to the character's facial expression is not enough.

Neutral Ash can make the whole picture of the exposure in the middle of the tune, so that the screen appears soft and stable.

To create neutral ash, pay attention to two aspects can be:

1, use this curve.

2, reduce gamma value.

Black and white have less information than color, so it's easier to create a softer atmosphere.

　　Third, film style

This is a direct color black and white Photo:

We use film style:

Film Style uses a curve:

(In fact, this curve is a combination of three curves: High contrast curves, low light compression curves, high light compression curves)

Because Black-and-white photos are not color, so that only need to simulate the effects of light and shadow can achieve the effect of film.

　　Iv. Elimination of High light

The elimination of high light can make the picture show a quiet atmosphere, which is a common technique in the later period of Black-and-white photography.

The method is relatively simple, the use of this curve can be:

As you can see, for the late black and white, we are more in the brightness of the adjustment (because there is no color to adjust), the above demonstration of the focus of the method is basically a complete black and white late means.

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