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Black & White Studio - a powerful Photoshop tool.
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FLUID MASK


 
Black & White Studio Tutorial

If you have ever tried to convert color photos to b&w you know your options are limited. You can convert to greyscale, desaturate, tweek with channel mixer, curves and a few other controls. Black and White Studio by Powerretouche gives you the ultimate control with a huge array of options to perfect your new b&w photo. This plug-in is amazinginly powerful that simulates your favorite b&w films and gives you printing controls as if you were in a darkroom. If you want to use this plug-in to it's full complexity you can employ the Zone panel.

This plug-in will work with all Photoshop programs and most Adobe programs as well as Corel, Macromedia, Jasc and many others. Check the website for your software. UPDATE! I have included a second example. Check out the photos of Bryce Canyon at the bottom of this page.

Below is the before and after photo (structure at Bodie National Park that has seen better days.) and followed by an overview of how I achieved these results
 
 

Below is the screenshot of the Film Mode.The first settings are the various filters you would use with b&w film. Included are orange, yellow, green, blue, magenta, cyan and red. Plus there is a slider so you can use a different hue of each of these filters. Below are the filters where you choose your film type. Choices include Ilford HP5, Delta 400 and Pan F. Agfa APX 100. Kodak T400CN, Tri X and Tmax 100 Two other choices are Panchromatic, Orthochromatic and Perceptual Luminance. All of these settings simulate the light sensitivity spectrum of each of these professional films. After you choose your film there are a number of sliders so you can adjust the wavelength.
After we are satisfied with the film settings we can move on the the print settings. As you can see by the sliders there are multiple options like you would find in a print lab. Not only can you choose a starting point with a 'paper' grade but can adjust the contrast exposure and much more. There are extensive instructions included with the plug-in filter.  
         

Below is the Zone panel. The Zone mode allows a user an alternative to the Film mode. I have not used the mode yet but it appears to take this filter to another level for the user who wants to get the best tonal range in their photo.

One of the fun things you can do is produce a photo with a nice tone to it. To do this first convert your photo from RGB to CYMK before you employ the Black & White Studio filter. The photo on the right is an example which I tweaked even more in Photoshop to create a nice split tone. A splt toned print is one that has been toned and then introduced briefly back into the developer to wash the tone out of the highlights. I will be placing a tutorial on this process in the future so if this look is appealing to you then bookmark us and check back later.

For more info on Black & White Studio filter and a downloadable demo click here. Black & White Studio-Mac

Black & White Studio-PC

note: demo does not include all features.