B&W In Camera?

I was wondering if it's best to select black and white in camera when wanting to take a b&w picture or just go ahead and shoot in color and convert it to b&w in post processing? Which would give the best b&w picture? I'm guessing it doesn't matter but thought I'd check just to be sure.

mnphotos wrote in post #16720054
I was wondering if it's best to select black and white in camera when wanting to take a b&w picture or just go ahead and shoot in color and convert it to b&w in post processing? Which would give the best b&w picture? I'm guessing it doesn't matter but thought I'd check just to be sure.

shoot in raw and convert to black and white in post.

steelbluesleepr wrote in post #16720074
shoot in raw and convert to black and white in post.

I already shoot in raw but does converting in post processing give better results than using the in camera b&w setting?

Shoot RAW (which is always in colour, even if you use the B&W picture style) and convert in post. Also use a conversion tool that allows you to mix the colour channels during the conversion, it will give much better results than a simple desaturation.

Alan

Always better to convert post. There are many applications that can convert color images to B/W using much more sophisticated methods than de-saturation. Also, once converted in camera, there is little you can do to modify the image whereas if you have the color original, you can use several methods to convert choosing the one best suited to the image.

If like you say you shoot Raw, then the only Raw processor that will "read" the in-camera setting is the Canon Raw processing software Digital Photo Professional (DPP). Other Raw software will treat it as a normal Raw file and will by default render it in RGB color. But the Raw data is the same no matter what your in-camera settings are, so you can do the conversion in your Raw software and other tweaking...

One advantage to setting the camera for a Monochrome exposure could be in using the LCD preview to get a glimpse of whether the shot really "delivers" an image that makes good use and is well-served by B&W, although still with Raw you have a lot of latitude to "tweak" things...it's your call!

There is a cool thing about DPP in that you can open the Raw file in any Picture Style, and the DPP default preview will show that Picture Style, but then in the DPP Raw tab you can not only change the Picture Style (so, for example, to the Monochrome Picture Style) but you can also tweak other settings that if you were shooting jpeg you would be well-advised to set the camera to your "best result for B&W" vision. That's one scenario where DPP can be worth downloading and playing with!

That being said, I'm a long-time Lightroom user, and like some of the LR tools (shared with Camera Raw as found in Photoshop) as they can be applied to a b&W image. But I really can't go into depth there because B&W isn't my "style"...

When I want B/W I shoot in Monochrome and RAW. I can also revert to colour again using DPP. I can also see the effect instantly on the camera's screen.

During film days, I shot and processed more B/W than colour. In those days I actually learnt how to 'look' B/W. Now setting my camera to B/W puts me into B/W mode, like loading a roll of TriX. I instinctively look for texture, tonality and shape instead of being influenced by colour.

mnphotos wrote in post #16720134
I already shoot in raw but does converting in post processing give better results than using the in camera b&w setting?

using the in-camera black and white setting won't affect your raw file at all. It will be a fair preview of what you can make the finished picture look like in post.

mnphotos wrote in post #16720134
I already shoot in raw but does converting in post processing give better results than using the in camera b&w setting?

define "better". In camera processing is easy but your creative control is limited. If ease of use is what is important then that would be the "better" option. Post processing gives you greater creative freedom and allows for a wider range of B&W processing styles. - Obviously this assumes that you don't simple post process by reducing the saturation to zero, but instead adjust colour channels and probably do local adjustments like dodging and burning.

mnphotos wrote in post #16720134
I already shoot in raw but does converting in post processing give better results than using the in camera b&w setting?

I think so. You have more control when converted to B/W in post.

To the OP, you say you shoot Raw, have you ever tested this out for yourself? Take your camera and set it to shoot monochrome/B&W, take a shot(s), what do you get?

If you look at the LCD preview, you will see the B&W image. This is because the camera creates and stores a jpeg in the Raw file, using the in-camera settings, so that it and the histogram can be viewed and evaluated.

Then download and open the Raw file in your Raw processor. What do you see?

If you use the Canon Raw processor DPP, you will see virtually the same B&W rendering that you saw in the camera LCD, as a "starting point" in your Raw processing (all those settings can be changed with Raw in DPP).

If you use another Raw processor then you will not see a B&W/monochrome image, except for the very start of when the image first shows up in your software. In that case your software may show the embedded jpeg while it is rendering the Raw data into an RGB image. Then, quickly, the Raw/RGB rendering should show, and lo, it will be the "standard" rendering that your software applies to all your Raw images, full color but ready and waiting for your creative efforts!

Please try it out and get back to us with your results and if you have any questions...otherwise we are wasting bandwidth by repeating the same stuff over and over again!

Check out the NIK's Silver Efex Pro 2 software thread on here:

https://photography-on-the.net …/showthread.php​?t=1147384

It'll give you an idea on what can be done in post work, as opposed to what you could do in camera.

Always shoot in colour then convert during PP. Silver Efex is very good but a little pricey. Topaz B&W Effects is very good and less expensive which I just purchased last week but I think you get more stuff in Silver.

I've been using this for about 8 years and still do so today. This was in the day when there were limited converters and everyone was using PS techniques.

http://powerretouche.c​om …hite_plugin_tut​orial.html

True, NIK's software package can be steep for some, but I was giving the idea of what could be done with post work.

With a fair amount of time, you could recreate what could be done with Silver Efex with Photoshop, Gimp, etc. The algorithms within silver efex pro just speeds things up a little.

Where's Elie to tell us that raw images are actually all in B&W anyway