Introducing
the BW Workflow Pro
Plugin.
Taking
black and white conversion to the next level
 |
This
workflow is not like any other plugin available.
There are tons
of options, features, and
endless
possibilities for creating your masterpiece. In
addition to manual modes, and custom tweak options,
I have
packed this plugin full of carefully designed preset
options to help you get the best image quality
out of your files. You have 9 preset filter selections,
32 duotone presets, 18 tritone presets, 6 quadtone
presets, 3 film grain presets and 4 dynamic range
presets. Everything you do, can be easily previewed
as you work on your image. High quality B&W
has never been easier to achieve. Let the BW workflow
Pro give you the control you need to get the best
B&W look from your image.
Several
changes and were made to v1.5. To start, the plugin
layout was improved and redesigned in order to keep
the interface as small as possible. We made the plugin
sliders more accurate and added the ability to save
your custom settings. A new plugin preset was also
added: It's called Digital Infrared and mimics an infrared
filter.
*16-bit
color depth available with Photoshop CS or higher.
FM Plugins will work with both 8-bit and 16-bit
files. However
when using Photoshop 5.5, 6, or 7 this plugin will
only work in 8-bit mode.
Note: Mac
version illustrations will be shown throughout this
page. Identical features are available for PC and
Mac users. The new interface functionality and concept
is based on the feedback from many professional photographers
looking for the highest quality black and white output.
Launching
the BW Workflow Pro Plugin
If
Photoshop was open during the BW Workflow Pro plugin
installation, close it.
Re-open
Photoshop and open a new Image. You are ready to
load the Plugin.
Go to: Menu / Automate / BW Workflow
Pro
See
the illustration below: When clicking on 'BW Workflow
Pro', the plugin interface will launch.
BW
Workflow Pro settings:
The
BW Workflow Pro plugin is packed with features and
options. Every setting has been designed to ease
your workflow when converting RGB color images to
black & white.
There
are 3 main options to choose from: Preset Mode, Smart
Mix or Manual Mode.
Preset
Mode:
Although
this mode is fully automated, it provides options
to tweak
the filter preset selections in
order to achieve custom and unique results. From
the drop down menu, you can choose from
8 presets that have been carefully calculated for
optimal conversion results. They are:
-
B&W
(no filter)
-
B&W
+ Red Filter
-
B&W
+ Orange Filter
-
B&W
+ Yellow Filter
-
B&W
+ Green Filter
-
B&W
+ Blue Filter
-
B&W
High Contrast
-
B&W
Very High Contrast
-
B&W
Digital Infrared
The
default option is B&W (no filter). This preset
mimics the look of black and white film without any
filter
attached to the lens. The other options were designed
to mimic the look of black and white film with red,
orange, yellow, green and blue filters attached to
the lens
respectively.
The
Preview button (Located on the right side of the plugin
interface) is very helpful when choosing between the
Filter Selection options. Whenever
the "Preview" button
is checked, you will preview the changes on your original
file.
Within
the Preset Mode, you will find 2 extra settings:
Tweak
Filter: The Tweak Filter feature
provides you with numerous possibilities to tweak
chosen filter selections.
It can be used with any preset, except for the "High
Contrast" and "Very High Contrast".
You will have a range of (-150% to 150%) to tweak
the look of the
desired filter selection. This can be done by either
adjusting the slider or entering a number from -150
up to 150 in the percentage field.
Intensity:
The Intensity slider accentuates and enhances the results
from the preset filter selections. The available range
is from 0% to 50% and it can either be adjusted from
the slider or by
entering a number up to 50 in the percentage field.
Smart
Mix Mode:
BW
Workflow Pro works with RGB (color) files and because
of that, it bases its algorithms on three channels:
Red, Green and Blue. The Smart Mix mode, provides
a very effective way to isolate one of the color
channels and then tweak the remaining two without
overexposing or underexposing your images. It's
smart because whichever setting you choose, your
file will retain your original exposure.
For
example, if you have a landscape image that you wish
to convert to black and white and would like to make
the blue sky as dark as possible while maintaining
a "healthy" exposure, you could select
the "Red" channel and give it a max of
200 percentage setting. (The Master channel range
is -200 to 200%)
Then
you could tweak the Green and Blue channels to obtain
the look you desire. If more Green is desired, move
the slider towards the Green side and if more Blue
is desired, move the slider towards the blue side.
The settings will auto-adjust in between an amazing
range of -300 to 300%. Possibilities are infinite!
Manual
Mode:
This
mode is similar in concept to the Smart Mix mode,
except that it will not correct exposure by default.
In Manual mode, you have the option to use settings
for any color channel individually and therefore
you can create custom and creative looks for your
black and white images. Again, by default, exposure
will not be balanced and images could end up severely
overexposed or underexposed. However, when checking
on the "Calculate Average" option, the
plugin algorithms will maintain the intended black
and white look while balancing exposure to perfection.
Add
Effects:
Add
Effects offers
a multitude of looks for your black and white images.
It can be used with any of the Plugin modes like:
Preset Mode, Smart Mix Mode or Manual Mode.
You
can choose
from 32 Duotone presets, 18 Tritone presets and 6
Quadtone presets. You can also tweak "Tone" and "Intensity" from
any Effect preset to achieve a custom look for your
black and white work. Tone Tweak will range from
(-150 to 150) and Intensity from (-50 to 50). With
all of these Effects, you could really create a unique
look for your black and white work when deciding
to go beyond the provided preset options.
Add
Grain:
The
Add Grain feature will emulate the look of film grain.
You can choose from ASA 100, 200 or 400. It can be
used with any of the plugin modes: Preset Mode, Smart
Mix Mode or Manual mode.
Add
Dynamic Range:
The
Add Dynamic Range feature opens up the shadows and
rescues as much highlight detail as possible. You
can choose from Level 1, 2, 3 or 4 (4 = strongest
level). It can be used with any of the plugin modes:
Preset Mode, Smart Mix Mode or Manual mode.
Image
Zoom and Reset:
The
Image
zoom feature provides the following optional views
for your preview file: Zoom in, Zoom out, Fit on
Screen, Actual Pixels and Print size. *Before using
this "View" option, make sure you have
the Preview button checked.
The
Reset button will return the image to the initial
default setting of the plugin. (Which is Preset mode
with Filter selection B&W - no filter.)
Shortcut
to access BW Workflow Pro:
There
is a great way to use your BW Workflow Pro Plugin
faster and easier. All you need to do is create a
simple action in Photoshop to open the BW Workflow
Pro plugin automatically, instead of having to go
through using the Automate menu every time. More details
included in the User Manual.
Batching
BW Workflow Pro:
Normally,
plugins are not compatible with Photoshop's batch
mode. However, BW Workflow Pro has an internal
batch capability that has been added (Scripting support).
More details included in the User Manual.
Original
RGB file
