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Expansion on an article originally published at 99 Bloggers

Simply opening a photo and changing the color mode to grayscale might be the most efficient way to get from Point A to Point B, though it’s not always the best. The shades are more gray and washed-out, often resulting in a flat and uninteresting image. The kicker is that once you’ve removed the color information, it’s gone for good, along with any color adjustment options. While this works and is an acceptable way to make a black-and-white image, it can be done better.

To start off, I’ll be opening an image in Adobe Photoshop®. Duplicate the master layer and then set visibility to the copy. Instead of going straight for the Mode->Grayscale menu option, try going to Adjustments->Desaturate. The image turns into what appears to be a grayscale image, yet the color mode (RGB) is retained. More data means better quality, which is obvious in a side-by-side comparison. The Mode->Grayscale conversion method results in a lighter image as seen on the left, while the desaturated photo on the right holds on to more of the darker tones.

grayscale-desaturation comparison
Grayscale method Desaturation method

If you’re using Picasa2, simply open the image, select the “Effects” tab and then “Saturation.” Move the slider all the way to the left to desaturate the image. If this isn’t to your liking later on, no worries - Picasa2 saves a backup of the original in case you ever want to go back.

For GIMP 2 users: After duplicating the original image layer, go to Colors->Desaturate, and then select “Lightness,” “Luminosity” or “Average” based on what result you prefer. Apply this to the copied layer only and the color layer will remain untouched.

Personally, I like to keep one working version of an image if possible. Using the desaturation method accommodates this preference nicely by keeping the color image intact, allowing me the luxury of having a color layer and a grayscale layer. Since there’s color information still in the photo, I can apply photo filters, adjust hue/saturation, select color or any number of things that would not be available had I used the Mode->Grayscale option. This way, I can always go back and change something in the color layer if the first try doesn’t work, without having to search for a copy of the master source file or start over from scratch.

You could also use adjustment layers, but that’s another post.

If you need to print and the job doesn’t call for 4-color, simply open the desaturated image, change the mode to grayscale, then save as another file. The gray levels are nearly untouched, resulting in a better black-and-white image.

Increasing efficiency and usability in your imaging workflow is important and this is only ONE way to accomplish this task. Do you have a preferred method?

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