Black and White Photos

Black and white photos can bring out detail, structure, and form that is lost by distracting color in a photo. It can make a more dramatic photo, or one that is softer and more "old-fashioned". Many digital cameras allow shooting in black and white mode, but it is easy to convert a color photo into black and white and doing so lets the photographer decide which final image is preferable.

There are several ways to convert a color digital photo into black and white. Four different methods are given below. The best method to use depends on the contents of the photo and the intent of the photographer. The examples below are given for Photoshop Elements, but most software packages will have similar methods. The image at the right is the original image used in these examples.

Conversion Methods

The first method is simply to desaturate the image. In Photoshop Elements this is done by choosing "Enhance > Adjust Color > Remove Color". An equivalent method is to choose "Enhance > Adjust Color > Adjust Hue/Saturation" and move the "Saturation" slider all the way to the left. This method often has the softest looking result of all the methods. The leftmost image below was made with this method.

The second method is to convert the image to grayscale. In Photoshop Elements this is done by choosing "Image > Mode > Grayscale". This method generally results in a somewhat harder looking image than the previous one. The middle image below was made with this method.

The third method is to use a gradient map. In Photoshop Elements this is done by setting the foreground color to black and the background color to white, choosing "Filter > Adjustments > Gradient Map". This method usually results in a more dramatic looking image than the previous ones. The rightmost image below was made with this method.

Desaturate	Grayscale	Gradient Map

Channel Extraction

The final method is to extract one of the channels and convert it to black and white using one of the previous methods. In Photoshop Elements this is done in Levels by choosing "Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels".

To extract the green channel (which often has the most information in a digital photo), select "Red" from the channel menu and set the second box after "Output Levels" to 0. Select "Blue" from the channel menu and repeat, then click OK. Now use one of the previous methods to convert the image to black and white. Usually the image will be fairly dark, so it helps to adjust the contrast. Often "Enhance > Auto Contrast" is sufficient.

The results of extracting different channels can show a dramatic difference. The following examples use "Remove Color" followed by "Auto Contrast" to finish the conversion. The red channel extraction is on the left, the green in the middle, and the blue on the right.

Red Channel	Green Channel	Blue Channel