The preset filters in Photoshop leave something to be desired. By using a few PS adjustments, you can make beautiful, dramatic black and white images.
Start by opening your image in Photoshop.
1.
Go to Image > Calculations. On the Calculations popup, we’re going to want to play with some of the fields and select according to how they affect the specific image. The specifics below work well for the tutorial image.
2.
From the popup, choose a blend mode. Multiply and overlay are commonly used here. Choose the one that achieves your desired look.
3.
Play with the Channel colors to find one that appeals to you.
4.
Make sure the result is saved under “New Channel” and hit OK.
5.
Go to channels and make select the new alpha channel you created. On the keyboard, hit command (Mac) or control (PC) + A. Then command (Mac) or control (PC) + C to select and copy the layer.
6.
Now return to the layers panel, and make a new layer. With the new layer selected, hit command (Mac) or control (PC) + V on the keyboard to paste the alpha channel into the new layer. You should now see the black and white image.
7.
You can stop here, or make it more dramatic with a curves adjustment layer. To do this, select the curves adjustment layer.
8.
On the curves panel, move the dots and/or drag the line until you achieve the desired look. That’s it! You now have a beautiful, black and white image.
