24 DIGITAL CAMERA^
3 Trial and error
Now find some of your photos with cloudy skies, and
have a go yourself. Using the Black & White Mix Panel in
Camera Raw might change the way you view monochrome
landscapes, and mono photography in general. Consider
perspective and the rule of thirds
in your compositions to create
even more dynamic shots.1 Switch the Profile
Open your image in Camera Raw, and start by
making any adjustments you like to Shadows
or Highlights. I reduced Highlights and
boosted Shadows slightly to bring out a little
more detail. To convert to black and white,
click on the Profile dropdown menu and
switch Adobe Color to Adobe Monochrome.2 Reduce the blues
You can easily change the impact of the sky by
using the Black & White Mix Panel. The key is
remembering the original colour palette in your
photo and working with that. Here I reduced
Blues to -59, which darkens the sky tone and
gives you a really moody look. I also reduced
Yellows, seen primarily in the bridge, to bring
out a bit more tone in the image.hen you have an
opportunity to shoot
some clouds against
a blue sky, it is worth
taking some photos.
I have been taking street shots on my
daily walks during lockdown, as the
opportunity to have fewer people in
your shots is greater during these
strange times. These skies can be
transformed in Camera Raw, which is
a good program to process images in.
This quick tutorial shows how to use
the Black & White Mix Panel to enhance
your blues, so you can create moody
images with plenty of impact. Using
compositional guidelines like leading
lines and perspective, you can create
images that draw your eye into the
moody skies. Have a go: you might
become a black-and-white convert!W
The magic
of mono
Roddy Llewellyn
shows how to transform
your colour shots into
mono masterpieces4 | PHOTOSHOPBeforeAfterCreate a monochrome masterpiece
24 DIGITAL CAMERA^ MARCH 2021
Sky before Sky after