Toned black & white

[PhillyPhotographer]

Over the last couple of years of printing neutral black and white photos I start to use PhotoKit's platinum filter and am loving it. Anybody toning their digital B&W prints ?

[JDClements]

I use the split toning feature in Lightroom to tone certain black & white prints with what I call "subtle chocolate." It is very subtle (saturation sliders are set at 5 or 6) and I like it on certain images.

[Geoff Wittig]

When I was printing on an Epson 7600, I used Photoshop's duotone mode to produce something looking like a selenium toned darkroom print, with curves for three colors plus black. My starting point was actually Michael's tutorial on the subject
 (http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/duotone.shtml),
but I tweaked the curves to get it a bit more neutral. At least for me, this was the only way to get a decent black & white print out of the 7600, until I started using QuadTone RIP.

Now that I'm using an HP Z3100, the black & white mode in the driver is so good and flexible I don't need to monkey around with toning in Photoshop unless I'm aiming for something really different. I have been playing around with blue toned prints looking something like cyanotypes; for some landscapes it has a very interesting look.

[dalethorn]

I've been doing some the hard way - splitting into RGB and making different types of changes to each layer (mainly red and blue). Some of the PS features may automate what I'm doing, but I'll stick with the primitive method as long as I don't have to do too many at one time.

[Harris]

Great shot - like what you did with it - something different from the routine shots of the waterworks and museum.  Where were you standing when you took the shot?  Did you ever notice the lower portions of the old waterworks where it there appear to be faces in the stone?  

Harris

[Neil Hunt]

Sort of yes and no is my opinion. The thing about toning is that it works on some subjects more than others, whereas straightforward B & W has a simplicity which is ultimately more applicable to more subjects. Again, purely personal opinion though, but Lightzone styles is nicer and a lot easier to use than Duotones, Tritones etc in Photoshop. On the subject of which converts better film or digital - to be honest not that much in it under ideal conditions but I still think film has the edge. Anyway example 1 converted from a Provia scan, tone mapped and converted to Platinum in Lightzone, example 2 straight conversion from digital using channel mixer in PS.

Sorry they open at different sizes, laziness on my part.

Neil.

[PhillyPhotographer]

Great shot - like what you did with it - something different from the routine shots of the waterworks and museum.  Where were you standing when you took the shot?  Did you ever notice the lower portions of the old waterworks where it there appear to be faces in the stone? 

Harris
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I was at the very end to left above the lower portion. I haven't been on the lower portion since I was chased out by the rats.

[mnoble]

Great shot of the Museum!

I use toning techniques depending on the mood I am striving for. I love shooting for B&W images and most times pure b&W suffices. However, I  if the subject warrants or mood dictates, I may try for a warmer or cooler looking image. Two samples are below. I use a variety of techniques including duotones and tritones, or using the Colorize option in the Hue & Saturation tool. All work well.

Here are links to the samples:

http://www.pbase.com/mnoble/image/95333902

http://www.pbase.com/mnoble/image/90746286   (A Philadelphia Museum of Art interior)

 

[BlasR]

I use photoshop cs3



BlasR

[wolfnowl]

I think toning can work to change a mood in a B&W image... like any tool it can also be overused.

Mike.

Perspective (father and son)
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Old Friend
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Seahorse
[attachment=6714:attachment]

[KeithR]

Over the last couple of years of printing neutral black and white photos I start to use PhotoKit's platinum filter and am loving it. Anybody toning their digital B&W prints ?

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Was this done with PhotoKit or PhotoKit Color?

[peteh]

Was this done with PhotoKit or PhotoKit Color?
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Photokit

[PhillyPhotographer]

Was this done with PhotoKit or PhotoKit Color?
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The Platinum toning was

[PhillyPhotographer]

So were these

[KeithR]

Photokit
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Thank you! I downloaded a trial, but before I load it, I tried to read the read me file, but it said that it couldn't be read. I have Adobe reader 8.1.2(the current version). I'm not sure where this should be placed. Anyone else have this problem?

[CynthiaM]

I use the split toning feature in Lightroom to tone certain black & white prints with what I call "subtle chocolate." It is very subtle (saturation sliders are set at 5 or 6) and I like it on certain images.
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Picking up on this a bit after the fact, but could you share where are the Hue sliders set for this chocolate tone and are you applying it to both shadows and highlights?

[JDClements]

Picking up on this a bit after the fact, but could you share where are the Hue sliders set for this chocolate tone and are you applying it to both shadows and highlights?
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Highlights hue = 21, Shadows hue = 42. Saturation = 6 for both.

[CynthiaM]

Highlights hue = 21, Shadows hue = 42. Saturation = 6 for both.
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Thanks!

[Stephen G]

I've also been playing around with toning for some time. I tend to like a very subtle tone; slight warmth, a little brownish. My main problem has been that as I'm working on an image my brain tends to stop seeing the tone and I end up adding too much tone. I then return the next day, open the file and eeeuuuw, it looks all muddy!

So now I leave the toning to last and tend to do it as quickly and decisively as possible. I also sometimes make a few test prints with tone variations.

I've recently been printing through ImagePrint and have found a very nice tone that (so far) suits me down to the ground.

For any of you that are IP 7 users here are my settings:

Shadow: 67,58
Highlight: 67,53
no tone split.

Anyone else have favourite IP tone settings?