Color to b/w conversion
Today I’ll show you a very simple technique to convert color images into a realistic looking black and white photograph. Forget about “convert to grayscale” or “desaturate”. The channel mixer offers much more control over the tonal range and one can simulate the look of a specific film. The values shown mimic Kodak Tri-X pretty accurately.
I simply saved the values in a channel mixer file and load it every time I need it. No way I can manage to remember phone numbers. download the channel mixer file (.zip) here.
These values are a good starting point, play around with different values for a different look.
In the second step, you’ll need to adjust the contrast curve as shown here for a good looking b/w photo.
Download curve files that mimic Tri-X 400, Tri-X pushed to 800 and Tri-X pushed to 1600.
These curves are a good starting point, but the image still needs some adjustments.
For an even more realistic “film like look” overlay some real film grain in a separate layer.
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