HOW TO CONVERT COLOR FILES TO BLACK & WHITE

There are many methods to convert a color image to black and white, and they offer a wide range of control over the look of the final image. Choose a method that you are most comfortable with.

To produce a quality B&W print from a digital file that meets your expectations, the black and white image file should be submitted in the following specifications:

• RGB mode (preferably in the sRGB colorspace)
• 8 bit JPEG file type
• Resolution of 300 ppi at your print size
• Correctly sized (aspect ratio) to avoid cropping

Do not submit color images. If you convert the file to grayscale in the process, please convert it back to RGB before submitting the file. Files submitted that do not follow these specs may not produce acceptable results and/or may incur additional charges.

EASY B&W CONVERSION METHODS

These only offer limited control over the tonal range of the final image.

• In Photoshop: Change to grayscale, adjust contrast and density,
      and convert back to RGB.
  
• Use the free browser based Picnik on the web at http://www.picnik.com
  
• Use iPhoto, Google’s Picasa (free at http://picasa.google.com ), Photoshop Elements or other simple image editing program.
  

• Set your digital camera setting to black and white (no control options).

ADVANCED B&W CONVERSION METHODS

These offer nearly unlimited control over your image.

You can search the web for additional options under
“Black & White Conversion” or “Black and White plugins”, etc.
 

• Purchasing a stand alone B&W Conversion program like Power Retouche
      at http://www.powerretouche.com/
  
• By adding a B&W Conversion Plugin to your existing Photoshop program.
  Some free ones are available at http://www.photo-plugins.com/
  
• Another excellent educational article and demo by Cambridge in Colour, U.K.: “Converting a color photo into black and white.” At
       http://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tutorials/color-black-white.htm
  
• Using Photoshop. Various advanced methods include using the Channel Mixer, LabColor, Gradient Map or Desaturation. All of these are explained free online at the Digital Photography School: “How to convert color digital images into black and white” at
  
  http://digital-photography-school.com/digital-black-and-white
    
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• For B&W digital photographers: Just click on the "UPLOAD YOUR PHOTOS" button to go to our Black & White online ordering instruction page to upload your images direct to our servers. It's fast and easy. Most orders are ready for pick-up or shipped from our lab within 24 hours. (If you want to order color prints along with your B&W prints, click here to go to our Fromex Photo & Digital online X-Wire order page).