Clyde Butcher's Photo Shop DVD

[Kirk Gittings]

MRIVEL, While I generally prefer to shoot B&W for scanning purposes for b&w prints, shooting in color has its uses. For example I can get separation of some colors better by how I process the color file in PS BEFORE I convert it to B&W. For example this image (not a finished image). The background rock is a yellow while the rock art is a pale red wash-hard to find a filter to separate those IME. The fine edges get lost as the the colors merge at the edges. So I shot it on color negative film. In the scan I over saturated the reds, which gave me more control of the tones and achieve better separation in the conversion.

http://sitemanager.sitewelder.com/us...2359674334.jpg

[sanking]

I find it something of a toss-up between B&W film and color negative film when the film is being scanned and the final goal is a monochrome print. For the same ASA you get slightly better grain and more dynamic range with B&W film, but the use of filters in PS with RGB scans of color negative film to control contrast overall, and in select areas of the print, is a very powerful tool as Kirk mentioned.

I often resolve this in favor of color film when traveling with MF equipment as it is much more convenient to use 220 film, which is not available in B&W any longer. For sheet film I stay with B&W if for no other reason there is no place in town that develops 5X7 color negative film, and I have no interest in doing this myself.

Sandy King

[mrivel]

Thanks for both your answers (enjoyed looking at your website Kirk).
I might be slow here, but I'm trying to understand what are the advantages of using BW film, if the negative will end up scanned anyway (not talking on a wet darkroom option). Of course we can use filters while shooting, but still it seems to me that we give up on an important tool, to control the channels in post processing. I believe that today we can find low grain low iso color films.

Thanks,
Moshe Rivel
www.mosherivel.com

[John NYC]

Basically, as I remember it, he just created layers from his original image, then applies dodging and/or burning to individual layers (just like a wet darkroom), and finally flattens the image before making other corrections and printing it.

I am no Clyde Butcher, but that workflow is not unique to him. I would say it is pretty standard practice for anyone who uses a fairly recent version of Photoshop.

[Kirk Gittings]

Thanks for both your answers (enjoyed looking at your website Kirk).
I might be slow here, but I'm trying to understand what are the advantages of using BW film, if the negative will end up scanned anyway (not talking on a wet darkroom option). Of course we can use filters while shooting, but still it seems to me that we give up on an important tool, to control the channels in post processing. I believe that today we can find low grain low iso color films.

Thanks,
Moshe Rivel
www.mosherivel.com

I may be dreaming, but to me there is a "look" and a discipline to b&w film that cannot quite be matched by other methods and materials of capture.

[sanking]

Thanks for both your answers (enjoyed looking at your website Kirk).
I might be slow here, but I'm trying to understand what are the advantages of using BW film, if the negative will end up scanned anyway (not talking on a wet darkroom option). Of course we can use filters while shooting, but still it seems to me that we give up on an important tool, to control the channels in post processing. I believe that today we can find low grain low iso color films.

Thanks,
Moshe Rivel
www.mosherivel.com

The main advantage of B&W film is that if exposed and developed appropriately it has much greater dynamic range than color negative film. So if you are exposing a scene of very high subject brightness range color negative film may not be able to handle it as well as B&W film. On the other hand, to handle a scene of very great SBR requires special technique even with B&W.

Sandy King

[Kirk Gittings]

I am no Clyde Butcher, but that workflow is not unique to him. I would say it is pretty standard practice for anyone who uses a fairly recent version of Photoshop.

I have a review copy and IMO, it could be very useful to a PS/LF newbie, but not to anyone with many miles under their belt.