Method 1: Converting to Grayscale
1: At the top navigation menu, go to Image > Mode > Grayscale. A dialog box appears asking, “Discard color information?” Click OK or press Enter. Your color image will be turned into a black-and-white one.
2: The drawback to this method is that it performs the operation with no other variations or options, and the results are usually kind of dull. This might be the fastest way to create a monochrome image, and it sometimes works very well, but it is also the least flexible. This is not the method to use for the photographer who wants control.
Method 2: Using the Channel Mixer
1: The Channel Mixer is a better approach. This is a method with more control, and includes a way to approximate the effects of using color filters with black-and-white film. On the top menu bar, go to Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer.
2: At this point, the Channel Mixer dialog box appears. First, check the box marked Monochrome to switch your image to black-and-white mode. Next, there are three sliders inside the box marked red, green, and blue. On the right end of each slider is a percentage indicator. When you adjust the sliders, you have to maintain a total percentage for all three sliders of 100 percent, although you can set different amounts for each one, as long as they all add up to 100 percent.
Simulated Filter Effect Channel Mixer Setting
Red (High Contrast) 100% Red
Yellow 50% Red, 50% Green
Orange (Medium Contrast) 75% Red, 25% Green
Cyan 50% Blue, 50% Green
3: Yellow and Red are great for landscapes with blue skies. The last setting, Cyan, is especially effective for images of foliage. Once you have decided on the combination that works, click OK.
Method 3: The Hue/Saturation Method
1: Open an image in Photoshop
2: Make a duplicate layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. This will create a layer. Label it Hue/Saturation 1 and click OK.
3: Make another duplicate layer. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Hue/Saturation. For this layer, set the Saturation slider to –100 percent, which turns the image to black-and-white. Label this layer Hue/Saturation 2 and click OK.
4: Click on and highlight Hue/Saturation 1 in the Layers Palette.
5: In the drop down menu in the upper left-hand corner of the Layers Palette, change the mode from Normal to Color.
6: Double-click on the Layer Thumbnail to bring up the Hue/Saturation dialog box. Move the Hue slider back and forth to see the image change in tonal value, and stop when you see what you like.
7: Adjust the Saturation slider to make further changes to the image. Click OK when you are finished. Proceed with normal image processing.
