Black and White Conversion
I often use black and white conversions as a way to reduce the color in my pictures. In this example, I’ll show you how I applied it to a physique photograph that I shot of UK-based natural bodybuilder Nigel St. Lewis.
With the image that you want to convert to black and white open in Photoshop, press D to set the foreground and background colors to their default of black and white. Then click the Gradient Map adjustment layer icon (Figure 4.41).
We can now make adjustments to get exactly the look we’re after. Click the gradient bar in the Gradient Map properties (Figure 4.42).
Figure 4.42
Drag the Gradient Editor to one side so that you can see your picture. Drag the Black Output Levels marker and the White Output Levels marker (Figure 4.43) to make adjustments to the black and white conversion.
A new icon appears under the gradient (Figure 4.44). This controls the transition from black to white.
Drag the new icon left or right until you get the look that you’re after (Figure 4.45 on the following page).