Create Dramatic Black and White Images with iCorrect^® EditLab Pro Plug-in

 

More and more digital cameras now include modes and features that produce all types of effects that in the past could have been done only on the computer.  Among these is the ability to shoot in different types of filters including black and white and sepia tone. So, the question of the day is: "Should I shoot in black and white or convert later on the computer?" The general consensus among most digital photo experts seems to be: "Shoot in full color and convert on the computer". The main reason for this is that when you shoot in these modes, you are making all of your creative decisions when you take the shot. In most cases this means you are limiting your options down the road when compared to starting with a full colored shot. That said, many software programs have a standard black and white conversion feature which works well enough in certain cases. But a lot of times, we're trying to achieve a certain look or create a more dramatic expression. In these instances, it's better to use a specialized application that offers additional creative tools. One of the best programs for this is PictoColor Software's iCorrect EditLab Pro, a robust color correction and enhancement plug-in for Adobe Photoshop, Photoshop Elements, and Corel PaintShop Pro.  In addition to simply reducing the Saturation globally to -100 to convert to black and white, iCorrect EditLab Pro offers specialized tools that make it easy to create more dramatic effects.  After doing a basic black and white conversion  to see whether a particular photo is a good candidate for conversion, you will want to switch to the fourth adjustment tab of the control panel identified by the hue wheel.  This is where the HueSelect Control Point Technology is utilized.

Notice that when you first open the HueSelect controls each of the control points are uniformly positioned around the hue wheel.  The first step in making hue-selective changes is to click the SmartColor button within the HueSelect window of the control panel.  This will automatically set the control points of each of the hue handles to the most prominent colors in the photo.

Then, for each of the six hue handles, select the control point (on the inside of the hue ring) and reduce its Saturation to -50. Finally, visit each hue handle and adjust its Brightness to the desired level. You will see that as you change the Brightness for a particular hue handle, the gray shade for only that particular color changes in the image. This allows you to provide better discrimination among the tones in the final black and white conversion.  In this case, we begin with the blue hue of the man's tie, and work our way around clockwise until finishing with the magenta control point.

One of the most unique and useful capabilities of iCorrect EditLab Pro's HueSelect Control Point Technology is the way it allows you to selectively adjust colors and light with great precision without the need for complex masks or other cumbersome, less accurate selection tools. This is particularly useful for bringing back and adjusting the strength and brightness of the specific colors in an image on a very precise, hue-selective basis.  In this instance, the HueSelect Control Point in the upper left of the hue wheel that was positioned automatically with the SmartColor button corresponds directly to the skin tones.  In doing this, the man's face and, to a lesser degree, the saxophone, will be a bit more prominent after we apply the sepia tone globally at a reduced opacity.

Since we want to add a soft sepia tone, but still retain a mostly black and white look, let's go ahead and creat a second Photoshop layer of the original photo to which we can apply the sepia tone and then introduce it to the final image at roughly 50% opacity.

Toning controls are also found in the HueSelect Control tab of iCorrect EditLab Pro.  It provides a preset Sepia Tone, but also allows for user-defined Toning as well.  In this case we used the Color Picker to create a custom tone color based on the man's skin tone.

Pasting the Toning layer at 50% opacity gives the image that soft, subtle look of a duo tone while preserving the richness of the initial black and white conversion.

Next, we may to accentuate some of the fine details and add some texture with the Sharpening tool.  Also, by slightly exaggerating the Sharpening, we can also introduce some grain and give the image a more distressed, rugged look.

Finally, we may want to step back for a final look  to see if anything needs further refinement or adjustment.  Here, we may want to deepen the shadows or tweak the overall strength of the saturation to give the final image an even richer, yet softer look.  This is just one example of how iCorrect EditLab Pro can be used to create more dramatic images with greater impact so you can express and showcase your creative vision more easily.

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