removing color

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Doug - 08 Mar 2004 23:20 GMT

I'm trying to make a black and white image from a color file. Am I better
off using desaturate or changing the mode to grayscale (in photoshop)??

Thanks in advance

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Bob - 09 Mar 2004 01:55 GMT

> I'm trying to make a black and white image from a color file. Am I better
> off using desaturate or changing the mode to grayscale (in photoshop)??
>
> Thanks in advance
>
> Best way is to use the channel mixer.

Keep the image as an RGB and to print just make sure all colour profiles.
Photoshop and printer are set the same and of course your monitor set up,
you should then be able to get a perfect BW print.
There are hundreds of write ups on this technique.

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-xiray- - 10 Mar 2004 16:55 GMT

>Keep the image as an RGB and to print just make sure all colour profiles.
>Photoshop and printer are set the same and of course your monitor set up,
>you should then be able to get a perfect BW print.
>There are hundreds of write ups on this technique.

But only keep it as RGB if the print you're going to make is from a
printer connected to a computer. If the photo will be printed as a B&W
on a printing press, then there's a whole 'nother list of concerns.

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zeitgeist - 09 Mar 2004 07:05 GMT

> I'm trying to make a black and white image from a color file. Am I better
> off using desaturate or changing the mode to grayscale (in photoshop)??

grayscale sucks, desaturate is adequate, channel mixer takes some getting
used to, but it gives you desaturated images of all three color channels,
IOW, the red spectrum, green and blue, and you can try to replicate the
effects of having used various filters.

Also there are filters and actions you can get that can replicate familiar
renderings of popular black and white films, tri-x, infrared etc. You can
find links to some of them in the z-prophoto mailing list at yahoogroups.com

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Tim Sheets - 11 Mar 2004 04:34 GMT

> I'm trying to make a black and white image from a color file. Am I better
> off using desaturate or changing the mode to grayscale (in photoshop)??
>
> Thanks in advance

I'm not an expert (actually new to all of this), but here's something
you may want to give a try.

http://www.cybia.co.uk look for BW-Plus Filter (Fotomatic Series). Free
plugin, so I don't figure you have much to loose.

Tim

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