Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #35624 in Books
• Published on: 2005-09-19
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

Synopsis
Black and white occupies a special place in the development of photography, and the sharp revival of interest in it testifies to its enduring appeal. Above all, this is a medium for the fine print, to which digital photography and multi-ink desktop printers bring spectacular new benefits. The simplicity of a monochrome image, recorded in the modulation of just tones, makes it an elegant visual medium in which to work. The economy of the palette focuses the attention on certain essentials, such as shape, form, the quality of light, as well as texture, and subtle tonal gradations. Now, with digital photography and all its tools and possibilities for editing images, there is a new era of the hand-crafted print. Black and white represents for many people the epitome of this. It was, after all, the great master Ansel Adams who claimed that, "The negative is comparable to the composer's score and the print to its performance. Each performance differs in subtle ways." Black & White is an essential guide that will teach enthusiasts and professionals alike how the digital workflow can create stunning monochrome images.

Customer Reviews

Great Reference, For Existing Photoshop Users
This book is great, but make assumptions that you already know how to use Photoshop CS2. A good understanding of photography in general is going to be helpful as well.

Covers the different methods of converting images from colour to black and white and how to get different effects.

What I liked is that it doesn't hold your hand just explains the method and then it's up to you. If you prefer a book to give you lots of pre-canned ways of doing something this isn't the book for you.

Excellent Clear and Comprehensive Guide - Great Value
This is one of the few photoshop based books I've bought that have lived up to their promise. As another review has said, it assumes you understand the basics of using the software. It covers the basic principles of colour channels and converting into black and white, then moving on to cover various more complex alternative techniques for adjusting and perfecting results. The book is clear and thoughfully written with heaps of well chosen examples and diagrams. I found this really useful in teaching me to think about the principles behind the processes - improving my understanding of colour images and my 'thinking' in black and white. This book is well worth working through.

Awsome
This is on of the best books on B/W photography that I have ever seen. I used to work as a photographer back in the bad old days when you had to load a camera with film and not a memory card. Since going digital I have not done much in respect to B/W, but this book, which is a very comprehensive technical guide, has really opened my eyes to B/W again. Most guides are referring to PhotoShop, but using Linux I have found that most every method has it equivalent in GIMP, Krita and Showfoto. I can't recommend this book enough to anyone interested in B/W photography.