Fading from Color to Black and White

[Debbwl]

Fading from Color to Black and White

Remember the days when all photos were black and white?

For years people spent countless hours coloring black and white photos. Then the colored film was invented fallowed by the digital photos we all take and enjoy now.

But there are two ways to recreate that great old black and white feel with digital photographs. One way is to set your camera to black and white mode (if it has a black and white mode) and take a picture. A better way is to take color photographs and convert them to black and white using photo editing software.

Using a photo editing software will give you more control and better results but can be daunting and software can be expensive.

Well no more because this month we are going arm ourselves with a link to a very helpful article on converting digital photos to black and white as well as some free edit sites for anyone who does not have or want to purchase software.

The challenge this month will be to take and post a color photo of your kitchen, a food scene or any recipe you have made here at Food.com. Then right below the color photo post your black and white version along with any comments. Please post different versions of the same photo say one that is all color, one that is all black and white, one that is part color and part black and white, or even some that show how increasing and decreasing the shades changes your photo. The more we all post and talk the more we will all learn.

Because this is a learning challenge we are encouraging lots of comments and also for you to help with editing and experimentation.

Black and White Digital Photography

Free Editing Sites

Photobucket
PicMonkey
Photofitre
Pstimage.org
** The above is just a sampling of the sites used by some of our members, please tell us what software or sites you use and what you like or dislike about it.

[AskCy]

A little playing with an online photo editing site - http://pixlr.com/editor/

managed to come up with this -



I'm no expert on editing, but I do like to play/mess about with things.. sometimes I get it to work..

*edit* - for those not used to my photos, you need to click the the picture link for it to open up and show bigger.

Steve

[Debbwl]

Steve what a wonderful job of fading out the color, looks like you have been playing with this quite a bit as I see you managed to keep the color on the crayon.

Think I will go check out pixlr

I have so far only used the black and white button on PSE but am hoping to learn to do more this month and was surprised at how much was possible when I read Black and White Digital Photography

Hoping for lots of input from everyone this month

[AskCy]

at a push you could do what I did with MSPAINT ! would you believe... not quite in the same way, not quite with the same control but....possible...

just tried and it appears it doesn't give black and white as well as my previous try... too much info in one pic... so scrub that idea...

!

Steve

[Debbwl]

What I liked about your photo besides the little guy is cute as a button is that you did such a great job of not just showing black and white but how you picked up the slight shadows.

I am hoping to give my first real try at black and white later today.

[AskCy]

yeah thats what I aimed for (not really.. well maybe I did do some tweeking and such to make it "look" better...)

I'm just working on a bit of a tutorial for the online editor I used...!

(will take a bit to edit the photos and upload them..)

in the mean time.. here is the picture I've worked on to create the tutorial with)



from this



Steve

[AskCy]

TUTORIAL for making black and white photos with colour using the online photo editor site - http://pixlr.com/editor/ (you might find other photo editors work in a very similar way)

I meant to put on the pictures but forgot... remember "UNDO" is your friend.. if it goes wrong, simply undo ! (but don't forget to make a copy beforehand of any photo you are working from just in case)

(click the thumbnail pictures to see them bigger)

go to site and open your picture


picture opens, you might need to adjust viewing window


use the freehand mask tool


invert the selection


one way of changing to black and white - using old photo option


another way using colour vibrance


best way seems to be using Hue and Saturation controls


If you want to adjust the coloured part, you need to go and invert the mask again


when you have finished adjusting the masked and unmasked bits, knock the masking tool off...


Then you need to tidy the edges up. Do this by using the eye dropper tool to select the colour of the background very near to the coloured bit. Then use the brush tool to gently fill the gap. You might need to keep re-selection with the eye dropper tool as the background colour will be different in different parts of the photo... time consuming but worth it..


Then use the blur tool to make a smoother transistion between coloured and black and white edges


and thats it done.. don't forget to save your work at a high quality setting


hope this helps

Steve

[Debbwl]

Steve that is soooo cool!

You have really given this thread a great start

Ok I have to go do a few things but will be back to play later today.

[Zurie]

Steve, that is a great tutorial! I wouldn't have a clue ...

To all who scroll through that: click to open Steve's photos. Unless you open them to their larger size you won't really see what he did.

[AskCy]

You can also use the masking parts off method to use the "blur" filters on the site to make backgrounds out of focus if you want that type of effect on photos you have taken that don't have the settings etc...

Steve

[AskCy]

I'm getting to like this playing about...

Fire in the Hold

[Debbwl]

I decide to start with baby step I made a board using all the auto black and white settings on PSE

I made a board because when I looked at them one by one was hard to see the subtle differences but side by side they are much more noticeable.

[AskCy]

I can see difference between them but don't understand the headings ?

Things like "landscape" and "portraits" wouldn't normally be a setting for making something black and white ? (I don't use PSE, so no idea what it does)...

Have you got some sort of setting on the editor for "scenic" shots, where you upload your picture and it plays about with it based on it being a scene, trying to give it more zing... and then you've hit another button that makes it black and white ? This being repeated for varying settings such as "landscape" where it probably trys to make the greens and blues more vibrant and then you've hit the "go black and white" button?




Steve

[Debbwl]

Morning Steve, sorry I have not really mastered doing screen shots at home.

The headings were what each black and white setting is called on Photo Shop Elements

So you click a black and white button, then you click what auto setting you want or off to the right there is a way to manually adjust the amount of gray given to greens, reds, blues and what not.

[AskCy]

i get ya now

Steve