HOW TO PREPARE YOUR FILES FOR B&W PRINTING
HOW TO CONVERT COLOR FILES TO BLACK & WHITE
You can submit color files to us, and we will produce True Black and White prints. However, there are many methods to convert a color image to black and white yourself, and they offer a wide range of control over the look of the final image.
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:
- Convert grayscale files to RGB mode (preferably sRGB colorspace)
- 8 bit JPEG file type
- Resolution of 300 ppi at your print size
- Correctly sized (aspect ratio) to avoid cropping
If you convert the file to grayscale in the process, please convert it back to RGB before submitting the file.
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 any other simple image editing program that offers B&W image adjustments, then convert back to RGB.
- 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.
- By adding a B&W Conversion Plugin to your existing Photoshop program. Some free ones are available at www.photo-plugins.com.
- Another excellent educational article and demo by Cambridge in Colour, U.K.: “Converting a color photo into black and white”.
- 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”.
