Show us your digital M black and white conversions.

[Keith]

If you feel like it please add some info about your processing methods as I'm curious to learn and view results from the various alternatives.

These are shot as in camera black and white at ISO 2500, converted to tifs for adjustments and a little noise removal and back to jpeg and resized for posting here of course. I actually prefer the look I get from this method to shooting raw and converting to mono!

 

[maggieo]

I usually process the DNG file in either Capture One or LightZone, applying either one of Jamie Roberts' B&W profiles in C1 or one of the B&W conversion filters in LightZone. I've also gotten good results converting color in-camera .jpgs to B&W in LightZone.

Here's a few done with LZ:







And a few from C1:

 

[Keith]

Really nice work Maggie ... excellent examples thankyou. 🙂

 

[tbarker13]

In studio, I've been shooting at ISO 160. I do raw conversions in C1. Then I do B&W conversions with the silver efex pro. With that, I often use one of the film filters, but sometimes not.
With available light or outdoors, I'm generally shooting at ISO 640.

 

[horosu]

I use RPP (Raw Photo Processor) for all my RAW conversions. I am extremely satisfied with it. I did some comparison with Silver Efex Pro and I was amazed how much more information RPP squeezed out of the files. The highlights, in particular, were completely blown out with SEP.

 

[__--]

The following pictures use Aperture as RAW converter and then Silver Efex for converting from colour to B&W. I've also tried Raw Converter, LightZone, C1 and ACD under Photoshop and Lightroom and find that Aperture has the best highlight recovery, of this which the first picture below, shot in extremely bright and contrasty light, is a good example:




Bangkok | M8.2 | Elmarit-21 ASPH | ISO 320

Sri Racha | M9 | Summilux-50 pre-ASPH | ISO 320

Wiang Pa Pao | M8.2 | Elmarit-21 ASPH | ISO 320

Potomac, MD | M8.2 | Summicron-28 | ISO 1250

—Mitch/Manila
Bangkok Hysteria: Book Project

 

[selfdialogue]

I use a few ways to convert the image. Usually process the raw in Lightroom with a preset I created. Or, I bring it in to PS and add warm filter, then convert to BW. I sometimes duplicate the layer and overlay with screen to gives a little more lighter tone. It really depends on the feeling I like to portray.

 

[disambiguated]

Lightroom, converted to B&W with Silver Efex Pro:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/null0/4170699742/in/set-72157622963998374/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/null0/4342721443/in/set-72157623262900327/

 

[maggieo]

Really nice work Maggie ... excellent examples thankyou. 🙂

Thank you, Keith!!! 🙂🙂🙂

 

[pachuco]

M8 B&w

M8 B&w

 

[niels christopher]

a few from my flickr-stream:

converted in photoshop, no filters or anything.

 

[dfxinc]

from M8 and M9 using Silver Efx Pro

 

[downstairs]

M9/50mmSummicron, 3 shots developed with RPP directly to B&N and then tweaked with Photomatix.

 

[downstairs]

M8.2/24mmElmarit, 2 shots developed and tone-mapped with Photomatix, then converted to B&W with PShop. It's cheating a little to tweak first and convert later.

 

[Bobfrance]

For me it's RAW processed in Lightroom.
I have a preset that steepens the curve a little to heighten the contrast. Then I tweak the sliders a bit here-and-there, often adjusting the exposure and colour channels and a bit of dodging and burning if necessary.

I do find every image requires a slightly different treatment though.

Apologies for the JPG compression artifacts. 😱

 

[tightsqueez]

Bobfrance...

I really like the first image but feel the background doesn't feel natural (top 1/3). Did you burn in a lot of areas? I understand the need to reduce well lit areas of an image (it's inherent for the eye to notice bright areas first). What did the original B & W conversion look like?

 

[Bobfrance]

Bobfrance...

I really like the first image but feel the background doesn't feel natural (top 1/3). Did you burn in a lot of areas? I understand the need to reduce well lit areas of an image (it's inherent for the eye to notice bright areas first). What did the original B & W conversion look like?

Thanks, I'm glad you like it. 🙂

You're right, I placed a graduated exposure adjustment at the top to bring down the flare from the lights and added a vignette all with the intention of drawing the eye to the subject and the nice lighting he had on him.

I'm conscious of being too heavy handed at times, as I don't like to see it in other people images, but as I'm sure we're all aware, it is sometimes hard to tell if you've over laboured your own shots.
That said, I think it was needed in this instance.

I've attached a version with no spot adjustment.
Your Flickr gallery is really interesting BTW.

All the best!

Bob.

 

[tightsqueez]

Thanks.

You definitely had the right idea but I'd tone it down a bit with the burning. Some of the burning really kills the mid tones as well as the shadows in main parts of the image. You may want to select some of those nasty highlights, feather for effect and try reducing them that way. With the M8 1.33x crop it is acceptable to add some vignetting to capture some off that "wide open" lens effect. You did a good job creating that with the edges.

There's nothing wrong with the original but I agree that a little tweaking to isolate the subject does enhance the image. Somewhere I think there is a balance between the two. Regardless... I still think it is a fine moment.

 

[nixphotopix]

I usually process the DNG file in either Capture One or LightZone, applying either one of Jamie Roberts' B&W profiles in C1 or one of the B&W conversion filters in LightZone. I've also gotten good results converting color in-camera .jpgs to B&W in LightZone.

Here's a few done with LZ:

love you b&w pics, excellent conversion! very vibrant images

 

[menos]

Great idea Keith!

Great idea Keith!

There are some really beautiful frames here to explore.
I share some from yesterdays shooting with the 15 Heliar + Frankenfinder.

"after the shock"

Find out about the title "after the shock" in my blog.
Either the finder or this tall laowai made the model of this shoot scream in shock ;-)

"oakley girl"

"taylor"

"…"

"…"


I updated my site with some photographs with the Voigtlander 15 f4.5 Heliar today. Have a visit, if you like ;-)