Learnings
The Magic of
Monochrome
Psomewhere around the year 1839 – about 178 years ago. hotography was commercially introduced to the world
In those days there was only black & white photography. Colour photography came about 96 years later,
somewhere in 1935. Back then, during the B&W era, photographers made
amazingly beautiful photos in spite of the fact that camera lenses and films were of very
poor quality as compared to what was available in the later years before the onset of
digital photography.But not everyone likes to
work in black and white. Ask a group of photographers whether they love colour or
B&W, and you could actually start a war of words. Here’s what a few well-known
names have to say:“We don’t live in a world
that’s black and white” Shannon Elizabeth“Kids today don’t watch a –
black and white movie” Robert Englund –
“To see in colour is a delight for the eyebut to see in black and white is a delightfor the soul” – Andri Cauldwell
“Colour is descriptive. Black and white is interpretive” – Elliott Erwitt
There will always be those for andagainst black and white photography.I read somewhere that more than30 different black & white films areavailable worldwide. Unfortunately formost of us, especially in india, films (aswell as processing chemicals) are a rare
comodity today and hence it becomeseven more imperative to learn howcolour images can be converted to B&W.
But first things first. Almost all digitalcameras today offer a black & whitemode in the Shooting Menu. If we use
this feature, we don’t have to converta colour image to B&W in post-processing. That cool, isn’t it? Not really.While shooting in B&W mode doeshave an advantage (of simplicity), thismethod does not give us the results that
could be had if we first shoot in colourand then convert the images to B&W.
In this tutorial we will see few methods (some not so good and some excellent) to create black & white images in
Photoshop. But wait. Why should you know about the ‘not so good’ methods? You should know about them because they are incredibly easy and quick.- DESATURATEImage > Adjustment > Desaturate.As the name suggests, you are de-
saturating (reducing) the colours but the effect is dull.2. GRAYSCALE
Image > Mode > Grayscale. be asked if you want to discard colour information. Say ‘Discard’ and you are You will
done. 3. Hue/Saturation
Open the Layers panel (F7 key on the keyboard). Create an adjustment layer for Hue/Saturation (Click on
the half-black half white circle at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Hue/Saturation). Move the Saturation
slider all the way to the left.4. Gradient Map
Open the the keyboard). Create an adjustment layer for Gradient Map Layers panel (F7 key on (Click on
the half-black half white circle at the bottom of the Layers panel and select Gradient Map). The coloured image
will turn into a B&W image with rather stronger contrast. Though this method is superior to the Desaturate, Grayscale and Hue/Saturation
method, it still does not offer the control that we’ll see in the later methods.
Rohinton Mehta
Original image Desaturate
GrayscaleHue SaturationGradient MapLEARNING90 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017www.smartphotography.in http://www.smartphotography.in 91 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017Last month we saw how we could select the sky that isoften seen through the trees and darken it. This month we
will see how to replace a dull, boring sky.Image Editing
- PART 8
Rohinton Mehta Replacing Dull Skies
WSometimes the sky is just plain bald (like in the rainy season) and sometimes cloudless blue. Though e often come across scenes that we love except for boring dull skies.
a cloudless blue sky is better than a boring toneless white sky, all the same, it too can be boring. Hence we2) a copy of the Background by draggingthe Background layer to ‘Create a newSelect the bad sky image and make
layer’ icon at the bottom of the Layersshould always create an image bank of good skies. As soon as you see a good sky, photograph it and place it
in your sky bank. This bank should have vertical as well as horizontally shot sky images taken at different
times of the day. Remember too that the donor sky and the recipient image, both must have lighting fromthe same direction or else eagle-eyed viewers will know that something is amiss.
1) the bad sky image and the good sky image. Ensure that the Layers panel Open both images in Photoshop-
is open (Press the F7 key on the keyboard)
Bad skyGood skypanel. This will be seen as BackgroundCopy (Printscreen 1).
3) Now select and copy (Ctrl + A, Ctrl +C) the bad sky image (Ctrl + V). The Layers panel will show this as the good sky image and place it on
Layer 1 (Printscreen 2).Printscreen 1 Printscreen 2LEARNING94 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017www.smartphotography.in http://www.smartphotography.in 95 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017Exposure ModesM(A), Shutter priority (S), Program (P) and Manual (M). On Canon ost cameras allow us to shoot using different exposure modes – Aperture priority
cameras, Aperture priority is known as Aperture value (Av) and Shutter priority is known as Time value (Tv).
Some cameras also offer Scene modes but in this write-up, we shall not be discussing them. Let’s see how the A, S,
P and M modes work and when should we use them.
An exposure is basically a product of ISO sensitivity, aperture and shutter speed. You first set the ISO sensitivity
depending on the brightness of the available light.
Aperture priority mode (A or Av)Apertures control the quantity of light
entering the lens. They also control the depth of field (the zone of acceptable sharpness in the picture). When
using Aperture priority, you select the aperture of your choice depending on the depth of field that you desire and
the camera will automatically selectthe appropriate shutter speed.Note: Even though the camera
automatically selects the shutter speed to match the set aperture, you need to keep an eye on the selected
shutter speed; too slow a shutter speed will cause camera movement during the exposure, resulting in a
blurry image. If that happens – if the indicated shutter speed is too slow for comfortable
hand-holding – you can do one of the three
following things:a) Use a wider
aperture (but your depth of field will reduce)
b) the camera on a suitable Support
platform (use a tripod; but remember,
that will not stop subject movement)c) image could be noisier)Increase the ISO sensitivity (your
Shutter priority mode (S or Tv)The shutter speed controls the
duration or for how long the shutter remains open (this in turn will depend on the ISO as well as the aperture that
you have set). So in a way, the shutterspeed also controls the exposure.The shutter speed does something
else too; depending on what shutter speed is used, it can freeze movement or create an impression of movement in our still images. Fast shutter speeds
will arrest movement; slower shutter speeds will create an impression of movement.
Should you use Aperture priority or Shutter priority?The choice is yours. If control over
depth of field is more important to you, consider Aperture priority. If freezing action or creating a feeling ofManualOf all the exposure modes, I feel that the Manual exposure mode is least
understood. And then there are those who feel that the Manual exposure mode is the only correct mode to use!
Please allow me to explain.Here is the top LCD screen on a Nikon
D-SLR set to manual exposure mode. The exposure is set to increase/decrease in 1/3rd stops.Notice that the cursor is at ‘0’ (zero). This means that the exposure shown is correct for whatever subject the
meter is reading (we are assuming that the subject is mid-tone). If the cursor was pointing to the minus side,
it would mean underexposure; if the cursor was pointing to the plus side, it would mean overexposure.
How do you adjust the exposure using the Manual exposure mode?Rohinton Mehtamovement is more important, consider Shutter priority. Do keep in mind though, that there are more available
shutter speeds than apertures (on most D-SLRs, there are 19 shutter speeds with one-stop difference between them
but even on a fast f/1.4 lens, there are generally only 8 full-stops) and hence when using Shutter priority, you could run out of the corresponding aperture.
When shooting in Shutter priority mode, if you see the aperture number in the viewfinder/LCD blinking, it
means that the camera is unable to provide you with a matching aperture for the shutter speed that you have set.
In that case, you should opt for a slower shutter speed or try a higher ISO.
Program (P)The Program exposure mode is for those situations where you do not
want to be troubled with technicalities. When you choose Program mode, the camera selects the aperture as well
as the shutter speed depending on the algorithms (set of instructions) programmed into the camera; you give
up the control to the camera.Some users do not like the idea of
handing over total exposure control to the camnera. If you happen to be one of them, you can set your camera to P* (also known as Flexible Program),
provided your camera has that facility. Let’s take an example:
You notice that in ‘P’ mode, your camera has opted for an aperture off/5.6 and a shutter speed of say 1/60sec at the ISO
that you had set. You feel that your hand will shake if
you use 1/60sec as your shutter speed. You also feel that you would
be comfortable shooting at 1/125sec. If your
camera did offer P* mode (the Flexible Program), you could
alter the exposure to 1/125sec at f/4 (Note that as far
as exposures go, 1/60sec at f/5.6 is the same as 1/125sec at f/4; at
1/125sec the chances of hand-shake is reduced (since the shutter speed is 1-stop faster) but your depth of field
will also reduce (since you would be using an aperture that is 1-stop wider).
Alternately, in our same example, if you wished that the selected aperture was f/11 instead of the f/5.6 that the
Program mode selected, then with the P* (Flexible Program), you could change the aperture to f/11 and the camera will automatically select
the corresponding shutter speed of 1/15sec. (Do keep in mind that using a tripod or any other firm support is
advisable when the shutter speed is low).LEARNING98 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017www.smartphotography.in http://www.smartphotography.in 99 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017Monochrome, Using
Silver Efex Pro 2
Pin the picture plus of course, shades (or different tones) of hotography started in monochrome, meaning that there was only one colour
it. This “colour” was essentially black and hence the alternate name for monochrome – Black
and White (B&W). Colour film as a photographic media came several decades later and slowly
dominated photography. However, monochrome photography has its own charm, elegance and beauty.
It is also worth remembering that some of the greatest practitioners of photographic art like Ansel
Adams (landscapes), Yousuf Karsh (portraits), Henri Cartier Bresson (street photography), etc. produced
their masterpieces predominantly in monochrome.
Processing colour film and printing in colour became relatively cheap due to the advent of mini-labs and consequently during the waning
days of film, photography was mostly done in colour. On the other hand, processing of monochrome
film and printing negatives commercially became progressively difficult. Due to these reasons,
monochrome photography slowly was relegated to a niche market practiced by a few enthusiasts whoLightroom will now prompt you with three choices. Here, choose with Lightroom Adjustments Edit a Copy and
then click on the You will now see the Silver Efex Pro Edit button.
2 screen (Picture 2). The image you have selected for conversion will now appear in monochrome and at the
bottom right of the image, you will see the new file name (Picture 2This will take the form <original �1).
filename>-Edit.TifWhat has happened is that Silver Efex
Pro 2 has converted the image into monochrome and then has given the original file name an extension to
differentiate it. The new file will be in Tiff format. This will be automaticallyPicture 1: The Main Menu of Lightroom. The yellow arrow points to the Photo Menu.Picture 2: The screen of Silver Efex Pro 2. The symbol Picture 2Picture 2�indicates arrow numbers.3 Thumbnails of presetsPicture 2�������������������2 Presets�
Picture 2�8 Selective Adjustments, Control PointsPicture 2�7 Shadows and HighlightsPicture 2Picture 2Picture 2�4 Brightness��6 Structure5 Contrast
Picture 2Picture 2Picture 2�10 Film Types (Simulation)�11 Finishing AdjustmentsPicture 2�12 Cancel and Save�9 Colour Filterhad the needed skills to develop film and print negatives.
While digital dealt a severe blow to film, it did wonders to resurrect monochrome photography by making
it very easy to digitally process (or convert) a colour image into monochrome with the help of post-
processing. For a while this process too, was a bit difficult. However, a monochrome conversion software called Silver Efex Pro 2 changed
all that and now it is easy to create beautiful monochrome images with very little effort. Equally important
were the advances in inks and inkjet printers which could produce monochrome prints with a great range
of tones and longevity. All these factors lead to the resurgence of monochrome photography in the digital age.
Initially Silver Efex Pro 2, which is a part of Nik Soft suite of products, was priced and hence was not within the reach of all. Later Google Inc. purchased
this suite and made it free. Hence, you can download this software without any charge now. It works with either
Lightroom or Photoshop but not standalone. In this article, we will see how we can use it with
Lightroom as a plugin to produce stunning monochrome images with minimal effort.added to your Lightroom Library and
will now appear as a part of the
Filmstrip.Global
look at the commands that have overall Adjustments: First let us
effect on the image. Presets: The most interesting feature
of Silver Efex Pro 2 is the Library’less than 38 of them available and each (Picture 2�2). There are no ‘Preset
processes the image in a particular way. These are also grouped as Modern, etc. but it is best to use the ClassicAll,
option which shows all the 38 presets.Below this (Picture 2�3) is the
thumbnail area. Here, you can see thumbnails each with a number and titles like Neutral, High Contrast, Fine
Art, Full Structure, etc. Each shows how your image will be rendered when that preset is applied. You can select anyone
of them as per your wish and therendered image will appear now in the central area. Since there are as many as 38 presets available, it is quite possible
that one of these will satisfy your needs without any further processing. Indeed, this is what happens in most cases.
The right hand panel can be used if you are not satisfied with the results you get when you use the presets. If this is
the case, now you use the sliders from the right panel to tweak the settings. You have here Brightness (Picture(^2) which adjust overall exposure and contrast. Apart from this you have the �4) and Contrast (Picture 2�5) sliders
Structurecontrols the mid-tone contrast like the Clarity slider in Lightroom. After this (Picture 2�6) slider. The last
Smart Photography has been continually receiving requests to start a basic course for beginners. With this in mind, we have asked a very knowledgeable photographer from Chennai to take over writing these articles. We have also requested him to be as jargon-free as it is possible, so that newcomers to photography feel comfortable to pursue the
hobby. �������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������
engineer by profession and a photographer, he possesses a unique and deep insight into the technical aspects of digital photography and equipment. He has published several articles on photography and some of his writings have also been published in the well-known international magazine Popular Photography.
An avid collector of photographic books and vintage cameras, Ashok has a keen interest in the history of photography and a passion for sharing his knowledge on photography through teaching and writing. He is presently working as a Management and Engineering consultant. You can see his work at ���������������������������������������������. He
Ashok Kandimallacan be reached at [email protected]
Downloading and installing Silver Efex Pro 2:
Open your Internet browser and go to nikcollection/ and download Silver https://www.google.com/
Efex Pro 2sister products too in case you are interested but we will confine ourselves software. There are some
to this software alone. After you download this software, install it following the instructions
that appear on your computer screen. The process is pretty easy and straight forward. Reboot your system after the
installation. Also, there is no manual hardcopy
available. However, you can access online help at com/nikcollection/?hl=en#tophttps://support.google.
ic=2991541Starting up Silver Efex Pro 2:
Go to the and select the image that you want to convert to monochrome from the Develop module of Lightroom
Filmstrip at the bottom of the screen. First complete the processing of the image in colour itself to suit your taste.
To invoke Silver Efex Pro 2 go to the main menu of Lightroom and from there choose Photo > Edit In > Edit in
Silver Efex Pro 2.exe (Picture 1)
Understanding Photography LEARNING
102 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017www.smartphotography.in http://www.smartphotography.in 103 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017
Before the StormThis picture has been received fromSP reader Suvankar Das from Pune,
Maharashtra, via email. The picturewas taken at Pavna Dam. Suvankar hastried his hand at editing the image in
Lightroom (actually he had sent twoimages, but I have used only one). Thebeauty of post-processing is that you
Edited
Camera:Lens: Aperture: Shutter Speed: 55-250mm Canon EOS 700Df/5.61/200 sec
ISO: 400
Praying Mantisbecomes PreyThis picture of a bird (looks like
a Babbler to me) with a PrayingMantis comes to us from SaranshFattepuria via email. I like the fact
that Saransh has photographedhis subject from (more or less) thesubject’s eye level and not from his
own eye level. I also like the factthat he has used a wide aperture tothrow the background out of focus.
While the picture is nice, I feelthat due to the soft lighting alongwith the use of wide-open f/5.6
aperture, the image lacks contrast.In Photoshop, I have slightlyincreased the contrast and also
toned down the foreground. A bitof sharpening was applied alongwith some hue/saturation for the
mantis.
Camera:Focal length: Aperture: Shutter Speed: Nikon D7000f/818-105mm at 18mm1/2000 sec.
ISO: 400
can ‘create’ the image that’s in yourmind.
I like the framing – two-thirds for theforeground and one-third for the sky.The camera angle and the inclusion
of the foreground has created visualdepth. The people in the frame appearsmall (since they are far away), but
they stand out due to thelocal contrast in that areaof the scene. I am glad thatthe setting sun has not been
the frame – that would have ruinedthe beauty of the photo.placed in the dead center of
If I were youprocessing, got rid of the disturbingplastic wastes that some people have, I would have, in post-
carelessly thrown around. I mighthave brightened the mountains/skyarea a wee bit.
Original
Edited
Original
108 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017www.smartphotography.in http://www.smartphotography.in 109 Smart PhotographyJuly 2017
Technical Editor, Smart PhotographyRohinton Mehta,
Our Imaging ExpertNo one can take a picture that everyone likes. But,almost every picture can have scope of improvement.Often, we are not our best critics, while others can
If immediately point out the faults. In If I were you,our expert comments on how your pictures could betaken to another level.
I Were
You
E-mail your images at [email protected]
102
Monochrome, Using
Silver Efex Pro 2