An excellent new option for black and white conversion is the new Topaz Labs B&W Effects! This black and white converter allows you to create beautiful creative effects with your color and infrared photos. Topaz Labs built the converter to include the detail and exposure enhancing ability of Adjust, and Simplify's painterly look. One of my favorite presets is Diffusion with Color. This allows you to create a soft glow with a touch of color as with the infrared image above.
Here's a look at the interface, which will be very familiar if you use Adjust. The effects and presets are on the left, controls are on the right. Each effect collection has 10 - 20 presets, and each preset can be modified and fine tuned, allowing you to create your own individualized presets to suit your style of photography.
The Effects Collection includes Traditional, Toned, Stylized, Cyanotype, Albumen, VanDyke Brown, and Opalotype. Below is an HDR image with some of the color removed using Stylized Diffusion with Color. The transparency slider allows you to choose just how much color, if any, for an image. This is one of my favorite presets within the Stylized collection, creating wonderful softness and color with a vintage look!
Traditional type black and white imagery can be easily attained by the converter. Effects like toning, diffusion, film grain can be created along with antique and vintage looks. Vignettes, edge treatments and borders can added under Finishing Touches. You'll enjoy all the creative options in B&W Effects! The release date is tentatively scheduled for August 30th. You can use promotional code deborahsandidge for Topaz Labs.
