In the digital age, we shoot full-color photographs. Which is a good thing, because it means we can distill the perfect black-and-white shot in Photoshop.
Rather than just trashing color—the way the Grayscale command does (hey, it was once our only option!)—or performing a linear channel merge—as with the Channel Mixer—Photoshop’s Black & White blends the midpoints of six color ranges. This provides you with superb control and all but eliminates your chance of clipping highlights or shadows.
Here’s how to convert a full-color photograph into the best of all possible black-and-white images:
This article was last modified on January 5, 2023
This article was first published on October 2, 2009
Commenting is easier and faster when you're logged in!
Recommended for you
Photoshop for Beginners
Becoming a Photoshop expert is probably on a lot of folks’ bucket lists. W...
CreativePro Tip of the Week: Identifying Fonts in Photoshop
This CreativePro Tip of the Week on identifying fonts in Photoshop was sent to C...
Quick Solutions to 4 “Impossible” Adobe Problems
In my daily work (and as an Adobe Community Professional), I get asked a lot of...