B/W conversion (Gimp c2g filter)

[Licinio]

I have seen the Gimp has an interesting method to convert colour
photos into black and white: the so called c2g filter found under the
Gegl operations menu. Is there anything of the kind in Photoshop? I
use CS1, but will soon upgrade to CS4. Thanks
Andrea
www.licinio.altervista.org

[Rob]

yes CS4

CS

Looking for more information about black and white conversion. Check out
some of these great web sites.

Nightlight Images
http://www.northlight-images.co.uk/bwfromcol.html

Tom Nieman's Site
http://epaperpress.com/psphoto/index.html

Jeff Schewe � Pixel Genius
http://www.pixelgenius.com/tips/schewe-color-bw.pdf

[lebouef]

There is nothing you can do that can't be done . . . in Photoshop.
All B&W conversions are similar at the core. They only vary in the means for
adjusting selective color tonality.
There are several ways to do this in CS1: you must struggle to learn.

[Licinio]

I'm sure there's a way, that's why I was asking!
If any of you guys have experimented with this technique, please let
me know.

[NeilG]

In my earliest PS class (on CS1), the teacher had a list of
eight ways to convert color to black and white. Since then,
Adobe added a very precise way to control color tonality to
achieve the best black and white image. I presume that
learning the eight official ways to convert and learning the
new system are part of the struggle to which Leboeuf refers.
However, I still find an unofficial method the easiest to use:

1. Correct your image to attain the best possible color image.

2. Add two HSL layers on top.

3. Open the top HSL layer and fully desaturate.

4. Change the blend mode for the lower HSL layer to color.

5. Open the lower HSL, and move the Hue slider to find the
best B&W image. Voila.

This method may not as precise as the new B&W conversion
option, but it's a lot easier.

Neil