Converting to B and W using Lab Color

I have just read an article in "Pentax User" magazine explaining how to convert a colour file to black and white, using a technique which I, for one, hadn't seen before. As I doubt if many other club members are members of the Pentax Club, I thought I'd repeat it here.

First open an image in Photoshop : and click on Image>Mode>Lab colour.

Then use F7 to bring up the Layers palate, click on the Channels Tab and then Lightness Channel which will convert to black and white.

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The picture may be a bit flat, so go to Image>Adjustments>Curves (or Levels if you prefer) and make the necessary adjustments.

NOTE, while you are using the Lightness Channel you won't be able to use the Adjustment layers.

If you have Elements 3 or 4 or CS or CS2 you'll find under Image>Adjustments>Shadow/Highlights to get the right balance between the bright and dark areas of the picture.

This picture needed straightening so I went to Image>Rotate Canvas>Arbitrary and turned it 1degree counter clockwise and then cropped it.

¥ou can continue with whatever other tweaks you feel are necessary (adding sky, transforming...etc) and when you're happy you can Save it. However, if you go to File>Save you'll revert to an RGB file so when you open it again it will be necessary to go to Image>Mode>Lab Color then Lightness in the Channels Palate to restore the black and white image. So when you're happy you won't want to change it anymore, the other way is to go to Image>Mode>Greyscale to discard the other Channels, then File>Save and it will be saved as a black and white image.

-- ChrisPooley - 22 Jan 2006