Photoshop CS2 B&W conversion

Each RGB channel (Red,Green,Blue) offers a B&W interpretation that can be used to adjust the color.

1. Create layers from all RGB channels Just copy the individual channels, reselect the RGB composite in the channels palette, and paste them into the same document. Rename the new layers as Red, Green and Blue. Remember to turn off the visibility of the pasted layers before selecting and copying the other channels or you won't copy the true colors.
2. Luminosity layer Explore adding a fourth Lightness layer by duplicating the image and converting to Lab color. Its different tonal structure might be useful. Paste it just above the background layer, below the rest of the RGB layers.
3. Layer masks Create a layer mask for all the layers above the background layer. Adjust the mask by painting in black or white.
4. Opacity tinkering Play with the opacity of the layer as a whole, and also with the density of the mask (the latter is a local change in opacity).
5. Final touches Finally, experiment with a Hue/Saturation adjustment layer as the top layer and the colorize setting.

Subjects with a variety of saturated colors offer greater possibilities.

Action file for CS2/CS3

Double-click this action file to load it into your Action palette. Open an RGB file, and then click the Play button to set up the B&W conversion automatically.

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