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After the shot3 min read

LESSON 71

Black and white conversion

Tones instead of colours, chosen with care.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. What monochrome means
  2. Colour still matters
  3. Converting a digital file
  4. In practice: a good conversion

What monochrome means

A monochrome photograph records different amounts of light at each point, but not different colours. Most monochrome pictures today are black and white, from the gelatin silver process or from digital files. Other tones exist: brown and sepia come from older processes such as albumen prints and from toning, and blue from cyanotypes, which use iron salts instead of silver. Monochrome dominated photography until the middle of the twentieth century. Today it is mostly an artistic choice, which some see as more interpretive and less literal than colour.

Colour still matters

A black and white picture is made of values: lightness and darkness. Two colours of similar lightness can turn into nearly the same grey, so a scene that is full of contrast in colour can look flat in monochrome. That is why colour still matters in a picture that shows none, as the next section explains. Most modern black and white films are panchromatic and respond to the whole visible spectrum; orthochromatic films record mainly blue and green and are less sensitive to orange and red. There are also digital cameras built only for black and white, made without the colour filter over the sensor, which record pure luminance.

Converting a digital file

The source describes two ways. You can desaturate the colour image so that no colour shows, while keeping the colour channels, which lets you still darken or lighten tones by colour, such as darkening a blue sky. Or you can convert to greyscale, which throws the colour away for good. The first is almost always better, because it keeps your options open. After conversion you can add a tint to imitate sepia, selenium or gold toning, or a split of two tones in shadows and highlights.

In practice: a good conversion

This section is working practice. Shoot in colour RAW, even if you plan a black and white picture, and set the camera's preview to monochrome so you see in tones while shooting. In the edit, use the black and white mixer: move each colour slider and watch what happens to the grey it becomes. Darken skies with the blue slider, lift skin with the orange and red ones. Then set contrast with a curve. Look for a true black and a clean white somewhere in the frame unless you want a soft, low-contrast look. Strong shapes and light carry black and white best.

Try it today

  1. 01Set your camera's preview to monochrome while still shooting RAW.
  2. 02Photograph a scene with a blue sky, a face and some foliage.
  3. 03Convert it with a plain desaturation, then with the colour mixer.
  4. 04Darken the sky and lift the skin using the mixer, and compare.
  5. 05Add a light warm tint to one version and decide whether it helps.