For an easy B&W conversion add a channel mix layer, select monochrome, put one of the channels (RGB) at 100% and the others at 0. Between the channel mix and the original layer ad a hue saturation layer, slide it around to get various tonal options.
This gives you huge flexibility, allows for easy editing, and if you want to convert a number of images in the same sequence yoou can just copy your layers to get a uniform appearance.
Just found this out from another thread here, and thought I'd pass it along. High Dynamic Range imaging can do wonders for high contrast photos. Check it out on the web for some tutorials. It's a bit complicated, but basically, you just shoot an image in RAW, take three exposures from that source file and combine them together using either photoshop or another piece of software and then do some tonal smoothing to adjust the image to suit. Really interesting technology that could add a boost to those clients that like cutting edge technology etc. http://img245.imageshack.us/img245/1104/fusselhdrlv3.jpg
Just note that Photomatix uses the EXIF data to find the shadows/highlight images so strip the EXIF if you processing from one RAW file.
Also be careful with ISOs higher than 400, Photomatix has a tendency to exagerate the noise.
Finally a pedantic point, these are not HDR images. These are tone mapped images (HDR is 32, 48 and 96Bit images, you tone map these down to 16 or 8 bit images).
My edits (photo 1) usually consists of slight desaturation (channel mixer) of the image, then adding a warm tone (color balance), then adding contrast (curves). pretty basic stuff you can drag and drop to the next image.
the second photo is contrast (curves) and saturation (hue/saturation) with masking to make the skin stay the same saturation.
Here are some steps I had someone give me on the People Photography thread a while back, concerning retouching skin.
Hope someone can use them. I sure do!
1. make a blank layer above the background document. Select the healing brush and make sure that the "use all layers" box is checked. On the blank layer start doing your spot healing of blemishes. Take your samples from a clear area of skin with similar tone. Make sure the brush is maximum soft (ie 0% hardness)
2. when you're done that, create another new layer above that. With that layer active press ctrl/alt/shift+E . This will merge the background and blemish layers together onto the new layer (note this keeps your original intact). This will be your new working layer.
3. In your approach you then add a new layer and blur it. The problem with that is that you introduce dark tones into the overall blur that can bleed into the skin that. Do this instead: go to menu item:Select/ Color Range/ Sampled Colors. set the "add to sample" option and with a low fuzziness setting (around 25) begin selecting the model's skin area. Play around with sampling and different fuzziness settings until you have the skin almost all selected and none of the dark areas around the skin. Choose OK and now you will have a pretty throrough selection of the skin tones.
4. copy this to its own layer (ctrl-C; ctrl-V)
5. Apply Gaussian Blur to this layer only. You have to choose the amount to use. Adjust it up until skin detail just disappears and then a bit more. At this point the picture will look hideous.
Monochromatic noise can be added by selecting your skin layer, go up to filters and choose noise, there is a check box for monochromatic, set a low number (should look a little like faint pores) and then apply/ok. If it is too much then you can go under Edit (if I remember right) and choose Fade to fade the last filtered effect.
6. Now ... add a layer mask while pressing the Alt key ... this will add a Black layer mask and everything will then return to "normal"
7. Here's the part when you retouch the skin: Using a soft-edged paintbrush and white paint selected, choose an opacity of 20% or less and a brush size that's workable, start painting white on the layer mask just in the areas of the skin gradually reducing it's opacity until the skin is the way you like it.
That's it.
If you're going really heavy on the glamour, you'll want to add some monochromatic noise into the blurred areas to add skin "pores" back into the picture.
Ok here is mine. My friends wedding photog did a suck tastic job on thier pics a year ago and I recently volunteered to help them restore some memories.
Original: http://www.cwphotos.net/Store/wedpic008-old.jpg
.jpg "2026 © JayDavis"){kind=small}
