Black & White Pipeline: Converting Digital Color into Striking Grayscale Images [Book Review]
It just doesn’t go away! Dating from the very earliest days of photography, capturing an image in black and white, call it what you will, for many the monochrome image was and is photography.
Many digicams have a B&W mode for original capture and there’s much software offering sophisticated techniques to transform, convert and maximise an original colour image.
Author Dillard makes the point that colour images are often described as “lifelike, true and real”, while B&W photography steps around these labels and delivers a representation rather than a mirror.
Almost right from the book’s opening chapters there is heavy emphasis on RAW capture and post treatment in Photoshop; I could find no reference in the book to Apple’s Aperture nor Adobe’s Lightroom applications.
Dillard comments that most people using Photoshop take the Image>Mode>Greyscale route, allowing the software to create a single grey channel. He adds “That’s great — its’ very easy …” but that path offers no control over colour mapping and any benefits gained from individual hue control.
Photoshop in its CS4 iteration does, in fact, do a fine job of B&W conversion, but study of the book will take you much further and explain how you can take increased control of the outcome. Later chapters deal with camera versus software filters, dodging and burning, B&W printing and the use of RIPs.
The book offers many levels of tuition, from beginner to pro. Recommended.
Author: T Dillard.
Publisher: Lark Books.
Distributor: Capricorn Link.
Length: 240 pages.
ISBN 13 978 1 60059 400 7.
Price: Grab a Copy of Black & White Pipeline: Converting Digital Color into Striking Grayscale Images for $21.56 USD (28% off).
10 Responses to “Black & White Pipeline: Converting Digital Color into Striking Grayscale Images [Book Review]” - Add Yours
December 14th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Black and white photography or processing is considerably more than just removing the colour. Most people dont realize this. It can take quite a bit of work to get a good, proper black and white image.
December 14th, 2009 at 3:21 pm
I suggest anyone interested in making great black & white images save the $21.56 you’d spend on this book and put it toward the purchase of Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro and make outstanding black & white images of all varieties with a single click.
December 14th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
Eh, when I saw this in my RSS feed I got my hopes up that there’d be a decent tutorial about making B&W images. Any chance you could put the [BOOK REVIEW] in front of the title? ^^
December 14th, 2009 at 10:51 pm
Excellent!
I loved this blog post. Thank you! I am going to read the other pages of your blog.
December 15th, 2009 at 5:39 am
@Jason
I completely agree. Nik Software is the way to go. I’ve tried Lightroom and Photoshop for performing transfers to B&W and I have to say Nik Software is leaps and bounds above all the other options. You are able to choose film types and speeds to make your image look like it was taken with film from 20 years ago. Impressive stuff.
And as far as the premise of this book, I also believe in shooting in Raw and converting later. If you decide to convert in camera you are dong a disservice to yourself and your images, It may provide an immediate view, but your images are not as adjustable in post and this is where an ordinary B&W digital capture turns into an extraordinary image.
December 15th, 2009 at 6:20 am
You can shoot in raw, but set the JPG settings to B&W and have both advantages
December 16th, 2009 at 5:04 am
Nik software is easy but sometimes I like to do things manually, does anybody know any good tutorials for getting some good b&w results?
This book sounds perfect but I have no spare money to buy it.
January 14th, 2010 at 7:55 am
@Jason and Ron:
I just got this book, and he does cover Nik Software. Perhaps listing the table of contents along with this “review” might be helpful?
I personally found the grayscale step wedge to be one of the most helpful tools from the book. Definitely worth it for high-quality b+w imaging.
July 3rd, 2011 at 8:22 am
I borrowed this book from my local library. I found the examples in the book confusing. I wish the layout of the book was better and with more contrasting examples, such as before and after, colour vs b&w. I agree with most of you, save the money and get the Nik software. The steps demonstrated in this book are long and laborious.
July 25th, 2011 at 12:03 am
A blog worth reading in order to relish your photography skills .
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