Gimp black and white conversions

[edgon]

Hi,

I hope I can find the help of Gimp experts in this forum (I'm writing from Monterrey, Mexico so please excuse my English). As a Linux OS user my only real option for photo post processing software is Gimp, which I've been studying for about a year. Lately my interest has shifted towards black and white digital photography. The basic color to black conversions ( greyscale, desaturate, decomposing RGB, LAB or HSV channels and channel mixer filter) are now easy enough for me.

There's a very interesting site explaining several advanced methods for black and white conversions, http://www.blackandwhitedigital.com/index.html. Unfortunately all of the lessons are for Photoshop and it's been impossible for me to duplicate some of those tutorials using Gimp. I would like to replicate the following conversion methods with Gimp:

1)Gorman-Holbert Conversion Method:
http://www.blackandwhitedigital.com/...al/gorman.html

2)Hue/Staturation Layer Method:
http://www.blackandwhitedigital.com/...anual/hue.html

Both of these black and white conversions seem easy enough using Photoshop but I lack the knowledge to transport them to Gimp. Apparently with them you can get better results than using other conversion methods. You can see the incredible results possible using the Gorman-Holbert method at http://www.gormanphotography.com/.

I will truly appreciate if someone in this forum has the knowledge and time to decipher both tutorials and transport them to Gimp. I'm sure is no easy task but that information will be invaluable.

Best Regards,

Eduardo Gonzalez

[unimatrix001]

Dont use gimp as a rule i have photoshop but i did read your question here is a link or two to converting color to black and white in gimp
http://news.softpedia.com/news/Learn...te-52109.shtml
http://nathanculpepper.wordpress.com...ite-in-gimp-2/
hope this helps you.

[edgon]

Thank you very much for your reply. I'm familiar with the conversion methods explained in both links. The Gorman-Holbert conversion method involves the LAB luminosity channel and manipulation of layers and masks. I've never worked with Photoshop so I cannot understand those tutorials in order to translate them. Gimp lacks adjustment layers so maybe it is impossible to duplicate those conversions.

I've also posted this question at the www.dpreview.com and several forums with no luck.

Gimp is great and it is free! But sometimes I wonder If I made the correct decision studying it instead of Photshop.

[unimatrix001]

the gimp version i have installed on my computer has adjustments layers same as photoshop.... just named different... it also has lab mode under decompose. i have version 2.2 on my computer

[PixFixGuy]

Just tripped over this but this could help. There is a plug-in created by a Danish artist (a genius) called Power Retouche ( http://www.powerretouche.com/ ) and in it is a color to BW converter that is interactive called BW Studio. You can buy that at a very reasonable price and there is a very through tutorial with it. You make the BW you want in the preview window. It's the best thing I have seen. More than that, can't help you.

[lkroll]

Many ways to convert to b/w in GIMP. I will preclude that I use the Windows version of GIMP, but even so, you still have Channel Mixer under color menu to get b/ws. Also, there a couple of cool GEGL operators that can give more dramatic results to your b/ws. Below's another cool site that has some cool info concerning this subject including adding grain.

http://www.prime-junta.net/pont/How_...and_White.html