Black and white conversion techniques are like politicians making election promises. Every one of them claims to be the penultimate solution to your needs. Regardless of their claims, usually, you find yourself still needing a solution that creates images that look like photographs and not like something the viewer sees as “something you did in Photoshop”.

The reality is that there is not just one way to convert an image from many colors to hues of gray. Every black and white conversion approach has some images on which it will work, and many others on which it will not.< o:p>

• Some of the topics covered in this tutorial DVD are:
   
  
• When and why you should and should not use global de-saturation.
  
• When and why you should and should not use LAB conversions.
   
  
• Split Channel conversions -  what they are good for and a way to get the same effect with a file two thirds the size.
   
  
• When to use the Black and White adjustment layer to bring out and separate the tones in a color image.
  
• The only soup to nuts overview of the Silver Efex Plug-in. How to use it and when.
   
  
• Multiple Channel mixer black and white conversions that replicate the physics of film.
   
  
• What is “Faux-infrared” and a look at how to convert files to black and white from digital cameras that have been modified to shoot Infrared.
   
  
• When and how to most efficiently use the Gradient tool for black and white conversion.
   
  
• Mid-tone Contouring
   
  
• Combining multiple conversion techniques to get the optimum black and white image.
  

These are some of the areas covered in the CD, but most importantly, every technique has already been made into an action for both CS3 and CS4 .... AND if you are using CS4, the actions have been made into a Configurator panel that will help to speed up your image  production workflow. In addition to the actions and Configurator, you also get a full resolution file to work on as well as a 100ppi version of the actual file that was created during the filming of the DVD. Add to this a computer resolution Quicktime of both DVD 1 and DVD2 to download to your computer’s hard drive to watch as you work in Photoshop and you have a lot of information packed into one CD.