Converting Color to Black and White - Photography - NX2
I love black and white photography. Especially the work of Ansel Adams. Ansel Adams was a photographer and an environmentalist, and is most famous for his photographs of the American West. In 1941, he contracted with the US Government to take photographs of the National Parks, and by 1946, he had photographed each and every one in existence at that time. His photographs remain as a testament to what the Parks were before the onslaught of tourism, and are reknowned for the sharp, contrast-y style he popularized.
He was a master at darkroom post processing. By the standards of the day, his "soft focus" technique and use of colored filters for effect were not considered acceptable.
The highest price paid for a single Ansel Adams print reached $609,600 at Sotheby's New York auction in 2006. So....he must have done something right.
I have always been disappointed in the black and white conversions I've made in Photoshop. While occasionally I've come close to satisfaction, after much manipulation and experiment, it's never turned out exactly like I'd envisioned. Enter Capture NX2. Nx2 is full featured, non destructive software from Nikon that gives the 'photographer powerful tools to quickly and easily edit their photographs'.
When it comes to black and white conversion - between Photoshop and NX2, NX2 is by far and away the best. (IMHO)
This is an example, using only the conversion tools in each, and before any other processing:
Original color digital image
Basic Photoshop Black and White Conversion Using Camera Raw (left) - And using NX2 (right)
The effect I was looking for starts with a sharper, richer, and more defined conversion. Nx2 provides that. Finally, just a touch more tweaking, then sharpen the photograph.
Nik software also has a nifty little program called Silver Efex - But for now, that remains on my wish list... :)
For more on Ansel Adams, click here.
Comments(32)