Given that digital cameras actually shoot in color, what’s the best way to convert these color images into black and white? If you set your camera to one of its black and white photo styles and shoot only JPEGs and not RAW files, then the camera itself will do the conversion and you are left with a black and white only image – though you may have some control over the contrast, clarity and even color filter settings. If you do as I do, though, and shoot RAW files, then when you process them on the computer you can choose the conversion method.
Photography explained
Want to know more about photography theory and jargon? Here's a selection of articles that explains some key terms and concepts in what is hopefully plain language.
What are the best cameras for black and white photography?
So here’s the question. Should you use a regular digital camera for black and white photography, or would it be better to get one of the few dedicated monochrome cameras with a black and white sensor? These are relatively uncommon and highly specialized cameras that do offer some advantages for high end monochromatic photography, but a mono camera is far from essential. So what else should you look for?
How to shoot in black and white: camera modes, tones and visualisation
Is there a particular skill in shooting black and white images? There is, but it’s quite elusive and not immediately instinctive. After all, our eyes see in color, and there’s not a whole lot we can do about that. We can learn to ‘see’ black and white eventually, but it’s here that modern digital cameras can offer an invaluable head start.
Why photograph in black and white?
That’s a good question. I had a friend at school who couldn’t see the point in watching a black and white movie because the world was in color. I tried to explain that black and white made things look different, it changed the mood, it brought lighting and drama to the fore… and so on. He wouldn’t have it. To his mind, black and white contains less information than color and that made it, by definition, inferior.
Is simple folder browsing software like Adobe Bridge all you need for organizing your photos?
In this article I want to explain the difference between what I’ll call ‘image browsers’ and ‘image cataloguers’. Image cataloguing tools like Adobe Lightroom import your photos into a database and offer very sophisticated, very adaptable organizing and search options. But they bring their own limitations and complications. What’s the alternative?
Selections and masks: what do they do, what’s the difference?
Selections and masks are subtly different, and the ‘parametric’ masks in non-destructive editors give more flexibility than ever.
Cataloguing software explained
Cataloguing software can organize your entire photo collection, but how does it work and what do you look for?
Image metadata explained
Metadata is image information stored alongside or within a photo. You don’t see it in the image, but it can be read by different software applications to help filter, sort, search or identify images.
Black and white photography basics
Black and white photography is as popular now as ever. Here are some key things to know about black and white photography with digital cameras, and how they change the way you see, shoot and edit black and white.
Local adjustments explained
‘Local adjustments’ is a bit of a catch-all term. It means picking out an area of an image for adjustment while leaving the rest unchanged. So how do local adjustments work and which software does them best?