Presque Isle Beach in Monochrome

[pasusan]

As was suggested in my last posting I had to try my hand at a couple conversions. Using my Nik Silver Efex Pro software I came up with ones I like.

I'd be happy to hear if they are pleasing to you, or if you would have done something different...

1. This one is using a High Key preset with an added brightness control point at the picnic table:



2. This one is using a High Structure preset with an added brightness control point at the picnic table:

[Mike Buckley]

The first one is especially delicate. It reminds me more of a pencil sketch than a photograph in the small presentation but appears to be a photo in both larger versions.

The second one has too much structure and contrast to my taste, but you may have been going for that look. At the very least, consider eliminating the detailed spots in the sky.

A rendition that is somewhere between these two versions would be well worth considering before deciding upon a final monochrome.

One last thought: Considering the time you put into the color version and the marvelous results that you achieved, you might want to avoid the monochrome presets and instead custom post-process it to produce the ideal version to your liking.

[Brownbear]

Hi Susan,

I adore the first image! I think I'm very fond of the high-key look and when I finish learning Lightroom and Elements, perhaps I will look into Nik. Thank you for sharing.

[Wavelength]

I like both of them, but more weighed to the second one.
Regards

[Kaye Leggett]

Hi Susan
I like the second one better - the first loses the sea so I don't really know it is the beach. I've been playing with B&W conversion of seascapes all day today, so I know how hard it is and would reiterate Mike's comments to try some of your own customisation

[Hui Song]

I prefer the second one better. The composition is great. I will keep the detail on the sand and make the left side tree and grass lighter.

[pasusan]

Mike - thanks for your comments... I did have a harder time with the second one because of the composition - not until I was heavy handed did I like the way it looked. But - I agree that the sky has definitely paid for that.

Christina - thanks, I really like that one too. I like the delicacy that Mike mentioned.

Nandakumar - thanks for your vote!

Kaye - the original of that first image didn't have much definition already. That's why I think a lot of us are leaning toward the second (which was the fifth in my earlier post). Thanks much for looking and responding.

Hui - thanks for your suggestions.

Mike and Kaye - I am working on a separate version using a red filter method - just haven't had time to get it where I want it.


Here is a new version of #2 with some noise reduction in the sky and lightening up of the far left bushes and grasses....

3.

[Mike Buckley]

Nice work, Susan.

a new version of #2 with some noise reduction in the sky

When I do that, I always apply it to the color version before converting to black-and-white. It doesn't matter that there is no noise; I use the noise reduction tool as a blur tool by setting the detail parameter to zero (don't know if you can do that in your software). Try it if you didn't already do it that way and see if that method doesn't improve it even more, depending primarily on the look you hope to achieve, of course.

[pasusan]

Thanks Mike. That's a good tip and also works when sending the image to the Nik programs. I noticed when I got rid of the vignette before going to B&W it looked better also.

I continued work on the one using the red filter. I can see there is more definition to the differing colors in the leaves of the trees, which I find a bit of a distraction in the leaves that had turned. I did do a little localized burning to tone them down a bit.

Here it is. If there are any suggestions to make it better, I am open...

4.

[Mike Buckley]

That process really cleaned up the dark part of the sky, Susan. It's perfectly smooth now. Well done!

I assume that you can selectively filter one part of the image through one filter and another part of the image through another filter. I don't do that often but, as an example, it worked marvelously once when a particular filter worked perfectly on a landscape scene but horribly on the barn that was a small though primary element of the scene. I mention this because the last two images converted through different filters have completely different looks and you may (or may not) want a combination of the two.

The last one is my favorite because it brings out the lightness, detail and tranquility of the scene. However, this is the kind of scene that all of us are going to envision differently and you can only go with the style that you have in mind.

Now that I see how good you are at this stuff, I highly recommend my favorite book and Donald's favorite book about making monochromes:

Mine: From Oz to Kansas: Almost every black and white conversion technique known to man by Vincent Versace
Donald's: The Complete Guide to Black-and-White Photography by Michael Freeman