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Black and White – Episode#48 Tuesday

Color, Photoshop, Video May 17

So there are a lot of ways to make an image black and white. You could shoot with black and white film, you could set your camera to black and white, or you can convert a black and white image to color after taking it. We prefer the last method, doing everything in Photoshop. In today’s episode we go over several different ways of converting your color image to black and white, including desaturate, channel mixer

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  • Balint Alovits

     http://www.flickr.com/photos/balintalovits/4868931227http://www.flickr.com/photos/balintalovits/4868931227

  • http://www.flickr.com/photos/t_e_brown/ Tom Brown

    Just returned from Yosemite… and of course B&W is required on some images. 

  • Anonymous

    When using the Black & White adjustment layer, I like using the tool that Aaron clicks at 4:26 to selectively adjust areas. If you use that on the image the eyedropper tool appears and you can sample the area with a click, then drag left and right to adjust that sample… which will adjust all the component channels accordingly. 

  • Alexandre

    Those were made in lightroom. When the examinations are over I’m gone try it in photoshop. Or is lightroom as powerful as photoshop when it comes to black and white?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandredebie/5704396351/in/photostream/lightbox/http://www.flickr.com/photos/alexandredebie/5708064999/in/photostream/lightbox/

  • Alexandre
  • http://profiles.google.com/joshmillersemail Josh Miller

    Hey Aaron and Avery. You are doing a great job. Getting a new business up and running is easy, but it can be fun. It looks like y’all are having fun, and we are having fun being part of it. I am going to send y’all an email with some info about marketing. 

  • Rattyboots

    How about asking your Phlearners to do a bit of viral marketing for you – we could all tell our friends about this cool site and how much fun it is to Phlearn with you guys. I’Ve already done this with a couple of contacts who like digital editing. Best of all it’s completely free.

  • Octavian

     here’s one of my black and whites :)  

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/octavuss/4717107479/in/photostream

  • ColeTurner

     Shot with an Olympus OM10 in Spokane, Washington

    Cole-Turner.Tumblr.com

  • Cornflake Couture

    I wondered the same thing- are the presets in Lightroom as good as Photoshop?
    XX 

  • Cornflake Couture

    My ‘The Bench’ series, all black and white, although now I have realised I’m (Whispers) Desaturater!!!  The shame!!  I’ll be recifying that on the double!XX
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/cornflakecouture/sets/72157625628343125/ 

  • Waseef Akhtar

    That’s an AWESOME photoshoot, ever! I’m not gonna miss it’s Phlearn Pro class in ANYWAY!

  • bb

    Great Phlearn episode!

  • http://Flickr.com/Greg83 Greg Sheehan

    Hey guys, my old college roommate owns a company that does Search Engine Optimization. It might help you get quite a bit more traffic to your website. Let me know if it is something you are interested in and I will have him call you guys. His website is http://www.bonsaimediagroup.com/ 
    Below is my B&W with a layer mask over the shoes.

  • Chad North

    Here’s my favorite… Great episode!

  • Milica Tepavac

      Hi guys,
    won’t give a comment related to a car. But I definitely want you to continue with this great web site. This site has a quality and all potential in the world to succee. If you start charging everything then the web site is going to loose it essence and audience. The way how you can increase incomes:
    1. increasing traffic so more people can buy classes “Phlearn Pro”
    2. Make the brand! Here you should involve good marketing agency to make you famous. With the brand you can organize seminars and live classes on line and in person all around the country for example. Later, you can publish a book too and sell it on Amazon, trough your web site etc
    3. I cannot belieive you haven’t done this so far! BUT guys you must find sponsors and offer good marketing package to big companies (once you make the brand and good traffic) so they can advertise on your web site! And ou should sign annual or even moe long term contracts with them. After all, you gave free advertise for cannon camera, lenses and all those reflectors and lightening. Next time, make a deal with those companies. Charge them and in return give them offer: We gonna recommend your brand to your potential buyers. And yes, this kind of stuff works amazingly and power of “word of mouth” is simply amazing. Many people want to know what equipment they should use, how to use it and if you already explain this for free, at least make deal with companies you advertise basicly for free because many of us are going to buy equipment u use. For example, i’m going to buy some new lenses soon, and i was watching episode about equipment u use ver carefully and honestly i think we gonna have some same equipment. This is how all medias actually live and survive, the all live from selling ad spaces. I think you MUST do the same. Scott Kilby got linked with Photoshop, you can too + Cannon+many many others + web sites you recommend where we should buy certain stuff (Target, BH etc). I think this is the direction where you should go.

  • Jack Temple

     Nice video.  How do you rate Camera Raw B&W conversion to channel mixing and adjustment layers? Same-same, better, worse? Thanks!

  • http://profiles.google.com/hanweizatoichi Chris Toy
  • http://profiles.google.com/milla.kouhia1 Milla K

    Fun episode! I hadn’t realized there’s the tint thingy right there. I’ve always added it on a new layer on top and put it into overlay + adjusted the opacity. Oh well…:)

    Here are my best b&w photos:
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tingelim/4537104467/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tingelim/4427527979/
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/tingelim/5151144812/

  • Ida

     I’ve always used gradient map to make b&w photos and just last week I discovered the black&white option that you used just now! What a coincidence :) When I started my 365 project last november (which lasted only for a few weeks.. haha) I quickly realised that I could easily make my bad photos even a bit better if I turned them black and white! 

  • Stephanielaurenphotography

    This is my version of a black and white photo… same steps.. taught myself years ago!

  • http://www.facebook.com/ksenya.lim Oksana Lim

    Hey, guys! You are doing a great job! Thanks. I subscribed to your feed and will be checking the updates.

  • Anonymous

    Thanks so much! 

  • Anonymous

     very nice Milla! love the feather

  • Anonymous

    This is all brilliant, thanks so much Milica. 
    We are trying to find a marketing agency right now :)  

  • Anonymous

    Thanks so much Greg! 

  • Anonymous

    Thanks Josh, looking forward to hearing from you
    Aaron 

  • Milica Tepavac

    You’re welcome! I use to work as a Marketing Manager for years and it’s def way to go from my experience. You need strong partners who will support your projects. Try to find the way to involve Samsung (see what you can offer them, they have some cool products that u can maybe use on your photo shootings), they have huuuuuuge marketing budgets even due this crisis (100% true information). I’m just not sure which agency is doing marketing for them in USA or who are decision makers in USA office.
    Keep doing the great job!

    All the best,

    Milica

  • Pysha

     Yeah….. I had to figure B&W out on my own too! Love it. 
    Here is one of my favs
    Aaron, you mentioned that you guys quit your jobs to dedicate your time/effort/sweat to Phlearn- what did you do before? (not sure if you have answered this or not but I am super curious)

  • Dave/sashimiso

    Hi

    I wrote you a note on 47… I’m not sure it us in your best interest to hire a firm at this stage, just my advice. Build your plan then execute…. I know you are learning as you go, but you have to start with a foundational structure that can be built on, and MUCH more importantly, sustainable….

    I really believe the ground work is essential and I hope, and hope some more…. Well…….

    Peace
    Dave

  • http://profiles.google.com/milla.kouhia1 Milla K

    Thanks :)  

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_GDV6MVTX5RVDK5ISGA67KAONIM m!

    Thanks once again for another great episode! I’m not into marketing much, but you might want to check out targeted Facebook ads. They are really customizable and might attract a lot of new members who are interested in the area of photoshop/photography!

    http://flic.kr/p/98w8dY 

    Malcolm

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_BVIY23DFCMSXGIJ7TOLD2N3II4 Silvia D

    Hi!

    I’ve tried to change to b&w these pictures I took three years ago but I didn’t know what to do with the sky. What would you do?

    Thanx!

  • Anonymous

     Hey Silvia, you can do a lot to darken the BLUE of the sky, and keep the clouds white, you can do this with a black and white ADJ layer :)

  • Anonymous

     Great idea Malcom, we are targeting away haha

  • Anonymous

     Love the black and white!
    I worked as an industrial designer :)

  • Anonymous

     You free to talk on the phone Dave?
    email us at info@aaronandavery.com

  • Si665

    I’d find all the big national Photography expo’s and see if you could get a stand there, or if that is too expensive get hundreds of fliers made up and distribute them to the crowds there.  Get an advert in a really popular photography magazine or if that is too expensive approach several to see if they want to interview you for an article ?
     

  • Jon

    Hi Guys, just watching through the last couple of episodes and seen that you guys are looking at selling cars, marketing and other bits’n’pieces. I would think you could easily find partners to fund your project, even locally (Small pc stores, repair shops, Camera stores and so on. It doesn’t sound like you need a whole lot of cash !) How about family ?? With all the work you guys have already done. The feed back from your sites comments would surely convince any potential investor, maybe even a bank … Uwww (Do those guys give anyone money anymore –lol !) I wish I had a few bob as I would gladly invest in what you guys are doing. Potentially an excellent stand alone brand with huge room for expansion in a lot of different areas. The book idea is fantastic and I would go a step further to suggest editing all the episodes you already have and plan to do into a full length tutorial DVD / video. That could sell equally well with your books – all available from amazon and the like. Seminars, workshops, books, DVD’s – you guys have done the hard graft all you need now is a small amont of cash to take it further…. But be careful how much equity or share holding in YOUR company you would be prepared to give away to an investor, they would gladly take it all for as little cash as possible given the chance. Have you tried contacting Canon, Adobe, lighting and accessories companies to seek partnership, sponsorship or cash injections – I would think these guys know exactly whats going on with your site and are delighted with all the free advertising they have been getting already. Sorry to nag but I think you guys DESERVE to be making a pile of money with the effort and time you have already put in to this project.
     
    Wishing ye all the very best of luck !!  Jon. 

  • Justyna Z

    My Black and white :)

     

  • http://twitter.com/MrFlungabunga Ian J. Grant

     A little dark and gritty, but that is what I like about it

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/home_spun/5745805875/

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=566747651 Jesica Whittington

    One of my favorite black and white conversions..

  • Tealynnephotography

     :)

  • mourya dandu

     http://www.flickr.com/photos/mourya_stan/5746942307/

  • Anonymous

    cool, as ever.

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