How to make a photo black and white in Photoshop. Monochrome image

With the advent of numerous graphic editors, active users of computer technology have an excellent opportunity to modify photographs, add visual effects to them, correct the picture, etc. So, in Photoshop you can transform an image, change colors and shades, and make pictures black and white.

How to take a black and white photo in Photoshop

Photoshop is perhaps the most optimal graphics program that helps you quickly change the color of a photo, make it monochrome while maintaining the volume, depth and shades of the image, and also make the picture clearer and more contrasty. This is achieved by several methods.

Bleaching

This is the easiest way to make a photo black and white in Photoshop. To achieve the desired result, first go to Photoshop, then click “ Image", click on " Correction", we see the item " Discolor", with which we can desaturate the drawing with one click. You can also perform this operation using the hotkey combination “ Shift + Ctrl + U" The function is automatic and by clicking on desaturate, all colors will disappear from the edited image.

Another automatic photo processing method is to use the parameters saturation and brightness. We go to the point “ Image» — « Correction" and in the drop-down menu select item 9 from the top " Hue/Saturation"or open these settings using the hot keys " Ctrl+U" Use the cursor to move the saturation adjustment lever to the left and the photo will lose its color.

The next way to make an image black and white in Photoshop is to duplicate the original image and desaturate it. We open the program, through the menu we get to image correction, after which we select – “ Black and white" Thanks to these actions, Photoshop will automatically desaturate the photo and make it monochrome.

These bleaching methods considered to be of low quality, since they do not allow you to change the depth of tones, edit areas of the image, etc. Conversion methods using an adjustment layer, mixer, and grayscale have more effective and advanced properties.

Overlaying an adjustment layer

A popular option among designers to change the color is to use an adjustment layer. When you use it, the program makes changes to a different layer than the original image, allowing you to control visibility, opacity, etc. To apply an adjustment layer you need to:

Mixing color channels

The "" function transforms the target color channel using a mixture of the original color channels of the image. To make a black and white photograph through mixing, first select the required layer (when you have only one layer, there is no need to check). Click on the button again to create new adjustment layer, then click - channel mixing. Another window appears in which we see sliders on the lines with descriptions of colors. To get the effect of a black and white photograph, in the window that opens, place the icon opposite “ Monochrome" Slowly we begin to move the visible color sliders, thus choosing the appropriate saturation of the picture. Additionally, you can notice the word “ Constant" This button will allow you to change the contrast of the entire photo, rather than a separate fragment.

Convert to grayscale

In this case, just go to the image tab, then to “ Mode", and we can see a field that allows you to convert the photo into grayscale. Just click and the color of the picture used will change, which will allow you to turn a color photo into black and white.

Desaturate part of the photo

When you need to desaturate only a small part of the image, without changing the color parameters of the picture as a whole, use the instructions described below. First, desaturate the photo completely. Then click on “ Archive brush" or " Y» on the keyboard, set tool rigidity about 60%, and pressure should be 40%. Having done this, you can create your own parameters, depending on the diameter of the brush, which you need to adjust using the square bracket keys, and then restore specific places in the photo (those that need to be left in color).

Changing shades (for tinting a black and white photo)

To create the effect of tinting certain elements in a black and white photo, you can use the settings of the target channels. To do this, you need to set on the channel panel composite color channel and notice the mixing correction. Next on the panel “ Properties"set, and then uncheck the value " Monochrome" Next, select the function “ Target channel” and manually adjust the source channel sliders. This allows you to change the desired shade.

You can also watch the instructions on the video.

How to make a color photo from black and white

The reverse action is to turn a black and white photo into a color one in Photoshop. There are several options for this procedure:

Using these instructions, you can achieve the result in any described way - convert a color photo from black and white or vice versa!

If you want to dramatically change a photo with just one simple step, there's nothing here that compares to converting it to black and white. Converting to grayscale can also save an image that would not benefit from color correction, or make a person more beautiful who needs to seriously whiten their teeth or take care of their skin. These problems almost disappear when you enter the black and white kingdom.

But does this mean that you need to set your digital camera to black and white shooting mode? No no and one more time no! It is much better to shoot in color and then desaturate the images in Photoshop. In this case, you get a huge number of possible creative solutions, for example, the effect of partial desaturation, achieved by desaturating not the entire picture. And while I'm on the topic of color, Photoshop has several tools that let you change the color of everything from your car to the hair on your head. You can also give new life to old photos by adding color to them.

You've probably heard the expression “How we get paid is how we work!” In Photoshop, this expression is converted to "The fastest way is not always the best". In other words, for some techniques - these include converting a color image to black and white- you will have to spend a little extra time, but the result is worth it.

Let me explain with an example. Open a color image. I'll take Daska's photo.

Select the menu command Image => Correction => Desaturate (Image => Adjustments => Desaturate).

Desaturation means removing all colors from an image.

Photoshop has no problem converting an image to black and white, but the result is unlikely to inspire you.

2. Create a “Black and White” adjustment layer.

Open the palette Correction, selecting the menu item Window => Correction (Window => Adjustments), and click on the Black & White layer icon (looks like a rectangle, diagonally divided into black and white halves).

Photoshop will turn the image into black and white and display several sliders and other controls in the palette that you can use to fine-tune the created layer.

3. Move the sliders until you get a high-contrast black and white image.

Although the program has desaturated the image, there is still room for improvement. Move the different color sliders to make the items in your image look even better. Moving to the right colors areas that were previously colored with the slider's color a lighter shade of gray; moving to the left colors areas a darker shade of gray.

There's also a ton of preset settings in the drop-down list at the top of the palette—select items from the list one at a time to see how they affect your photo. If you click the Auto button, Photoshop will show you what it thinks your grayscale image should look like.

4. Save your photo in PSD format if you want to edit it later.

Lightning touch up

You probably already noticed the Tint checkbox at the top of the Adjustments palette when you created the Black and White adjustment layer. If you check this box, the program will add a brown tint (called a sepia tone) to the entire image. If you want to use a different color, click on the colored square to the right of the checkbox to open the color selection dialog box. This technique allows you to create so-called false two-tone images.

Channel Mixer adjustment layers

Using Black and White adjustment layers is the fastest and easiest way to desaturate images, but layers can also be used for this purpose. They have no advantages over adjustment layers.

First, make sure the Background layer (or the image layer you want to work with) is selected in the Layers palette, then click the half-black, half-white circle button at the bottom of the palette and select team Channel Mixer. When the Adjustments palette opens, select the checkbox Monochrome at the top of the palette, and then move the sliders Red, Green and Blue, as you like, or choose one of the ready-made presets from the drop-down list at the top of the palette.

If you want to darken or lighten the entire image, move the Constant slider at the bottom of the palette left or right.

Channel "Brightness"

As noted in the article about, Lab mode got its name from the names of three channels. The letter "L" stands for the Lightness channel, in which the program stores all the light values ​​and thus all the visible edges and details of the image. (The letters “A” and “B” stand for channels a and b, which store color information.) This means that the Brightness channel, taken separately from the rest, is a black-and-white version of the image.

To see what the channel looks like, open the image and select Image => Mode => Lab from the menu. In the Channels palette, highlight Brightness. If you like the resulting image, select Image => Mode => Grayscale from the menu and click OK when Photoshop asks for permission to remove the color information.

In my case it turned out too bright and pale. This option is not suitable, but you need to know about it. It will look different in different photographs.

Converting to grayscale in the Camera Raw plug-in

If you take pictures in Raw, then you can also use an external module to convert them to grayscale. This module is easy to use and also performs conversions well. To open an image in this format, double-click its file icon and it will automatically open in Camera Raw.

1. In the Camera Raw window, open the HSL/Grayscale panel.

To open this panel, click on the button of the same name. Then in this panel, check the box Convert to Grayscale. A group of sliders appears on the right side of the Camera Raw window. To add contrast to an image, you can lighten a color by moving its slider to the right, or darken it by moving the slider to the left.

2. Open the Basic panel and move the Exposure slider to adjust the black and white image. Also move the sliders with various other settings in this tab and you will be pleasantly surprised at how your black and white photo will sparkle!

Even dandelions began to look like dandelions!

If you notice an error in the text, select it and press Ctrl + Enter. Thank you!

Monochrome is now very popular in both decoupage and scrapbooking. Monochrome pictures are used for transferring to both fabric and wood. But it’s not always possible to find a suitable picture, and you want the work to be truly unique. But almost any picture can be made monochrome with the most basic skills in Photoshop. In this lesson I will tell you how to make a monochrome image from this color picture.

1.Open the image in Photoshop. It’s better to open it not with the background, but with a new layer.

2.First of all, let's decolorize it. Image-Correction-Desaturate.

3. Having completed this operation, we get the following picture. Looks like it's already monochrome. But I don’t think that anyone would like such a picture. Therefore, we continue to work on it. We perform the following operations:

1-turn off the background.

2- Using the left mouse button, double-click on the image in the layers palette. The Layer Styles sign will appear.

3- in the Layer styles tab, start moving the slider to the left on the This layer scale. Move the slider until the white and gray areas become transparent.

4. At approximately this position of the slider, the desired result is obtained. Sometimes you just need to move the slider just a little to get the desired result.

5.Add a new transparent layer above the image layer.

6.Merge the transparent layer with the layer with the picture. To do this, standing on the transparent layer, press the key combination Ctrl-E. Turn on the background, filled with white.

7. If desired, add a border to the picture and get a unique picture, one that no one else will have.

Creative success to all! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.

You can simply convert to grayscale: Image - Mode - Grayscale. Another simple way is to desaturate, go to Image - Adjustments - Desaturate (Shift+Ctrl+U). You can also tint with the Hue/Saturation tool by removing the color. There is a more “correct” option, use the tool Image – Correction – Black and White (Alt+Shift+Ctrl+B). There is already a set of ready-made parameters, by searching through which you can achieve the optimal halftone ratio.
These are just some of the most visible options, but to create a certain effect, for example, “hi-key”, we will work a little with layers in Photoshop.

Image 1: Processing wedding photographs, and especially the portrait of the bride, by converting them to black and white in the “high key” style, is very popular with the newlyweds.

Pseudo "high key"

A “high key” photograph is an image in a light tone in soft gray shades with a slight gradation of halftones.

However, I like the increased black contrast a little more than hi-key requires, which, however, can be adjusted during the image creation process. Let's look at how to make a creative black and white photograph using Photoshop CS5 as an example.

• Channel Mixer – Mixing Channels. To convert a color photo to black and white, I use channel mixing. Let's create a new layer “Channel Mixing”. Turn on the “monochrome” mode (check the box) to convert the image to monochrome.

• Editing channels. The result was a regular black and white image. To achieve the “High Key” effect, let's edit the channels. To do this, you need to reduce the influence of the blue channel, for example, to -60%, and increase the values ​​of the red and green channels. The sum of the three values ​​must be 100 percent or more, depending on the result.

• Whitening the background. To remove unnecessary details and lighten the background, create a new empty layer. You need to take a soft white brush, adjusting the transparency from 10 to 40%, and paint over unnecessary areas. Pay special attention to edges and corners.

Tip: For more precise processing, you can select the areas that we will hide and save them in a separate channel. Let's use, for example, the magic wand + lasso, then go to the Selection Menu - Save selected area. A new channel has been formed. Let's deselect for now. To subsequently activate it, you need to Ctrl-click on this channel in the Channels tab.

• Enhancing Contrast. Let's use the Selective Color Correction tool on a separate layer. From the drop-down list, select neutral, black and white colors in turn. There are four sliders here - correction of 4 colors. For overall lightening, you need to reduce the proportion of black in neutral colors. Let’s also reduce the proportion of black to white.

P.S: I like the so-called “pseudo hi-key” better, it has a higher contrast of tones. Therefore, I enhance black in black. This can be done on a separate layer and locally. That is, hide the result behind a mask and use a white brush to apply the mask to the desired areas - eyes, hair, etc.

• Increase sharpness. Black and white images look much better when sharpened.

We are already accustomed to seeing all photos in bright colors. Modern technology allows you to preserve a colorful picture of life as a memory. But sometimes it is a monochrome photo that creates the necessary ambience and conveys the atmosphere of feelings. In color photographs, brightness sometimes distracts attention from the important subject of the photo. The black and white version in some cases helps to make objects more expressive and attractive. Some fans are wondering how to make a picture black and white in Photoshop, how to decolorize it.

One of the ways to artistically process a photo is to make it monochrome

Adobe Photoshop allows you to change a color photo to black and white in several ways. With either method, you need to first create a copy of the Background layer. Then choose the option of how to make a black and white photo in Photoshop that is convenient for you.

1. Grayscale

With the image open in Adobe Photoshop, go to the Image section. There, click on Mode and select Grayscale from the list that appears. The image became black and white.

A very fast, easy way, but the quality will be low, the contrast is low.

2. Discoloration

You can use another simple technique in Photoshop. It is also quick and easy. In the same Image section, a little lower is the Adjustments function; select Desaturate from the list. You can perform this operation using the key combination Shift+Ctrl+U.

The image will be of low quality, with low contrast, flat, somewhat dull, but the main task - to make the picture black and white - will be completed.

3. Channel mixing

The methods described above are easy to implement, but still, a black and white image primarily attracts us with its high-level contrast and depth. How to make a black and white image in Photoshop so that it is of high quality? It’s not enough to simply desaturate; you need to use several color saturation adjustment layers. This option does not change the original image. Follow this algorithm:

• Open the Channels tab in Photoshop, located next to the Layers tab. Click on different channels in turn (red, blue, green), you will see the difference in the resulting images. The photo has become black and white, the saturation of a certain color you have chosen changes. You will see on which channel the image is blurred and contrast is lost;
• Open the Channel Mixer tool in Photoshop by following the path Image - Check the box in the Monochrome window to get a monochrome image. Move the sliders to select the desired color saturation. Leave the overall value at 100% if you do not want to change the brightness of the photo, or 110% for a lighter image;
• You can generally darken or lighten the image using the Contrast setting;
• Apply the selected settings by clicking OK.

So, you managed to create a deeper, richer image than when working with automatic conversion of color to black and white photos.

4. Using channels

You will get a high-quality photo with the following processing:

• Open the picture;
• Duplicate the layer by pressing Ctrl+J;
• In the Layers tab, change Normal Soft Light to soft light mode;
• Merge the layer with the bottom one, using the combination Ctrl+E;
• On the left toolbar, click on the small black and white squares next to the color settings (Default Foreground and Background Colors) or just press D;
• Create a gradient map;
• Follow the path Image - Adjustments - Gradient Map. Click OK;
• Go to the Channels tab. Select the Red channel there;
• In the menu, select everything (Select - All) or with the Ctrl + A keys;
• Copy the selection using the hot keys Ctrl+C;
• Select the RGB channel and paste into it what you copied from the red channel using Ctrl+V;
• Return to the Layers tab. Set the new layer to Soft Light mode and set the Opacity to 50%;
• Merge the layers using Ctrl+E.

It takes longer to edit a photo this way, but the quality and saturation are much better.

Leave part of the image in color in the black and white photo

The easiest way is to use an archival brush. You need to desaturate the photo using any of the above methods, usually using Shift+Ctrl+U. Then take the History Brush Tool (Historical Brush) or press Y, set the transparency, size - and return the color to the desired details. You can make any details colored; they will stand out brightly against the monochrome background of the image base.