How to Change a Color Photograph to Black and White in Photoshop

Chicago's skyline in color before using the Channel Mixer in Photoshop.


Chicago's skyline after using the Channel Mixer in Photoshop.

When there are too few colors in your photo and/or boring colors, switch it to black and white.

How do you do that?

You could just desaturate (Image>Adjustments>Desaturate). But a better way, I think, is to do this:

1. In Photoshop use Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Channel Mixer
2. Click okay in the New Layer dialog box.
3. Click on Monochrome in the Channel Mixer dialog box.
4. Tweak the slider bars till you get good contrast.
5. Use Layer>Flatten Image

See the video below that I made and it'll take you through the process of changing color photographs to black and white.

Woman of Butterflies

I really couldn't tell you why I like this subject. I took her picture in the butterfly refuge. Her whole looked interested me and I caught her just after I told her her hair was pretty (Su pelo es bonita...Puede tomar foto, por favor?)

She is an interesting photographic subject. At least to me anyway.