Dave,

If you search the Shutterbug website for "b&w conversion" you will find about 7 or 8 article, one of which may be the one you are looking for. In Photoshop there are 2 ways to convert a color image into b&w. One is to use desaturate which gives equal weight to all three RGB color channels. The second is channel mixer which allows you to give more weight to one color channel.

Frans Waterlander
frans2001@netzero.net

Don't forget the third method: Image>Mode>Grayscale. I know, Frans, it's not necessarily the best method, but it is there....

Bill,

I didn't mention the grayscale option because, in general, it is a bad choice. Many color printers print grayscale images with a terrible color cast. Of course you could do Grayscale and then RGB Color, but why use two steps and run the risk of forgetting to do step 2 and end up with a terrible print?

Frans Waterlander
frans2001@netzero.net

Frans,

You're right, of course. My first choice is usually Channel Mixer>Monochrome and then adjust the relative channel levels for the best image (100% total). Sometimes I'll use Desaturate, if I've already tweaked the color image to what looks like optimum. On the very rare occasion when I use Grayscale, it's only after I've already done the above work and the image is already B&W. Keeping the image as an RGB file results in much better prints from my Epson 1280, which is now a dedicated B&W printer.

I've noticed that there are generally lots of different ways to accomplish a task on the computer. When it comes right down to it, all of this is aesthetics anyhow - it's "right" if it looks right to me.

I checked out the Channels tab of the Navigation window in PS7 and simply picked the Blue channel because... well, because it looked good to me:

http://ChipDoc.com/images/Cemetary-Solitude-colored.jpg