The Art of Black and White Photography

Learn how to create dramatic and compelling black and white images using a range of powerful Photoshop techniques.

What you'll learn
How to create technically optimal and aesthetically stunning black and white images with Photoshop.
How to develop an effective, powerful, and efficient black and white workflow.
How to use a range of black and white conversion techniques to maximise the impact of your images.
How to evaluate the tonal range and tonal balance of an image in order to work out the changes that need to be made during subsequent post-production.
How to use the histogram effectively.
How to create and use adjustment layers.
How to use masks to seamlessly blend two or more adjustment layers.
How to use the Curves tool, Photoshop's most powerful tool, to apply both global and selective changes to the tonal range and tonal balance of your images.
How to blend two or more conversion techniques within the same image.
How to smooth skin tones, a technique that's especially useful for portraits of women and children.
How to lighten your subject's eyes.
How to maximise the detail in your subject's face: especially suitable for male portraiture.
How to add unique and compelling tones to your images to really bring them to life.

Requirements
Ideally, Photoshop CS3 or above.
If you're using an earlier version of Photoshop (CS2 or below) you'll be able to work with most of the tools and techniques covered in this course other than the Black and White tool which was introduced in Photoshop CS3.
No prior knowledge of Photoshop. You'll be learning some powerful and sometimes complex techniques, but we'll work through each of these step-by-step.
Description
Many of the most powerful, memorable and effective photographs are black and white images. With digital photography though you can no longer take a great black and white photograph. but you can create one using the black and white photography techniques taught in this course. So if you're confused about which black and white conversion techniques to use, unsure about how to adjust the tonal range and balance of your black and white photos using curves and masks want to make more of your black and white portraits and you want to learn how to tone your black and white images this course is for you. What black and white photography techniques are you going to learn:
* You're going to learn how to use a range of powerful flexible and non-destructive black and white conversion techniques. You're will learn which are the most useful and powerful e.g. the Channel Mixer and Black and White tool when to use one technique rather than another and which techniques to avoid (and why).

* You will learn how to evaluate the tonal range and tonal balance of an image and then how to make global and selective changes using adjustment layers selections masks and the Curves tool: four of the most powerful tools and techniques within Photoshop.

* You'll then learn how to use these tools and techniques to overcome some of the unique problems you'll face when converting your portraits to black and white including how to delineate your subject from the background how to work with skin tones to maximise detail or smooth your subject's skin and how to enhance your subject's eyes.

* You'll learn how to add unique and complex tones that will really bring your black and white images to life.

* You're going to learn how to embed all of these tools and techniques into a flexible powerful and repeatable
workflow.

* But this isn't just a course about post-production and Photoshop: each video will also enable you to develop the skills and give you black and white photography tips you need to create not only technically optimal black and white photographs but ones that are aesthetically striking too.

* When you create a black and white image pressing the shutter is just the start. Sign up for The Art of Black and White Photography and take the next step now. Downloads are ENABLED for this course!
Who this course is for:
Anyone who wants to learn how to create technically optimal and aesthetically stunning black and white images.

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