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Any benefit to setting camera to monochrome when shooting in raw?
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Dec 2, 2016 09:03:41   #
photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA
 
Marionsho wrote:
You do get the benefit of seeing the image in B and W on the screen.
Marion


You stole my answer! LOL

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Dec 2, 2016 09:41:31   #
Toment Loc: FL, IL
 
My cameras don't let me shoot in B+W when shooting in RAW/jpeg...

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Dec 2, 2016 11:00:13   #
burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC
 
Toment wrote:
My cameras don't let me shoot in B+W when shooting in RAW/jpeg...


Weird. Most do. The raw is always color but the JPEG processed in camera depends on all the menu settings. Usually, those menu settings are stored in the EXIF of a preview image stuffed inside the raw file wrapper, but only certain software (usually from the camera manufacturer... Canon DPP is one) can read and use that to open the raw file with default processing to B&W.

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Dec 2, 2016 11:06:51   #
Marionsho Loc: Kansas
 
Toment wrote:
My cameras don't let me shoot in B+W when shooting in RAW/jpeg...


Is that just a Sony thing? Strange. Maybe included in a firmware update?

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Dec 2, 2016 11:16:50   #
CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
 
Nikon D5300 shoots raw in B&W - shot shows B&W in camera, shows B&W in Win10 file display window BUT comes up in color in PCR and Photoshop. The jpg just stays B&W throughout. Test Complete.

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Dec 2, 2016 12:05:18   #
speters Loc: Grangeville/Idaho
 
Marionsho wrote:
You do get the benefit of seeing the image in B and W on the screen.
Marion




A good point, as mentioned before, it is better to convert after the fact, but seeing your screen in B&W can be very beneficial, especially for composing your shot, while having an B&W image on your mind!!

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Dec 2, 2016 12:41:41   #
mwsilvers Loc: Central New Jersey
 
speters wrote:
A good point, as mentioned before, it is better to convert after the fact, but seeing your screen in B&W can be very beneficial, especially for composing your shot, while having an B&W image on your mind!!

As already stated most software will default to open the raw file in full color and will ignore most in-camera settings including any picture styles you set while shooting. As a result conversions will still take place in pp.

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Dec 2, 2016 13:23:58   #
jimmya Loc: Phoenix
 
edwdickinson wrote:
Does anyone know of any benefit to setting camera to monochrome when shooting in raw?


To me the downside is that should you ever want that particular photo in color... oops. If I do want B/W, which is almost never, I do that in my editor and not in the camera. Then I always save the edited photo under a different name to preserve the original color version. Good Luck

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Dec 2, 2016 13:25:34   #
PhotosBySteve
 
If shooting in RAW and format set to B&W, the resultant image will not differ in part from one shot in color. There are benefits to some for shooting in B&W. One of which is, it allows your eyes to discern the changes in light throughout the image much easier because there is no color there to distract from the light. Another way is, it might allow for more ear in composing the image in camera, again because there is no color to distract from the composure.

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Dec 2, 2016 16:02:53   #
pecohen Loc: Central Maine
 
RichieC wrote:
Your camera sensor is sensitive to color on channels of RGB…. so all it is s doing is dropping saturation levels to zero… yeah it could give you sort of a preview… but a well exposed image is all you really need- even if you want a final product of B&W.

PP can adjust the ratios of these individual channels and drastically adjust how the different colors relate to each other in B&W…

i.e. Red and GReen colors in real life appear as the exact same shade or "value" of grey… ( these two colors are often what colors color-blind people have difficulty in distinguishing between- a affliction I find fascinating as color is such an important part of my professional life. ASLO- put a red and green item next to each other in low light and you too will have difficulty.) ANYWAYS, you open file in Photoshop and adjust the color of green to yellow, and they are no longer the same value of grey, but widely different shades…. the reds will look much darker.

Here, do this.

Open a color image of your choice in photoshop.

In layers palate;

1) Create an adjustment layer of "Hue & saturation" and set JUST saturation slider to left to Zero… Your image will appear just as it would in your camera if set to monotone- it is now B&W…

Return to image layer and select it.

2) Now create another "Hue & Saturation" adjustment layer (in-between the adjustment layer and image layer) and set it from where it says "Normal" ( NOrmal is default setting in the drop down box at top of layers palate) and drag down to select "COLOR" , this new adjustment layer has to be below the first adjustment layer that made your image B&W in step one. Double click on icon of this layer to open dialog box "Properties"…. now grab a hold of the "HUE" slider and move it back and forth and watch your B&W image "dance".

You will see the tones of your RGB image change drastically as you are screwing with the colors when you change the hue slider, but these adjustments are changed in real time to B&W in top layer set to Saturation to zero!!

3) Stop where you like your image best. Save as a second file in Tiff (RGB) for output- save this layered file for future adjustments or if you ever want to return to the color version.


For giggles, turn off top adjustment layer than makes everything B&W, and see what your color image looks like from the remaining adjustment layer set to "color " it will look like it might to someone on LSD! This should be an ephiany on how you can adjust a B&W image till it pops….

Note that this is an example of a non-destructive work flow as the original image layer is never touched except by the adjustment layers above! You can always go back and re-adjust!

A pearl of wisdom here in converting a color image to B&W for a quick solution to achieve best reproduction contrast in a single color "monotone" print world as in newspapers ads….etc.

:)
Your camera sensor is sensitive to color on channe... (show quote)

Without doubt, the adjusting needs to be done in some image editor, not in the camera. However, I was talking about putting the camera in monochrome mode so that you can see the image that might be just a solid red blur otherwise. This can help considerable in case you want to make sure the camera is pointed where you want it.

While the shooting is in monochrome mode, if the camera is capturing RAW then all of the color data is still there even though what you see in the viewfinder or back panel is in monochrome. Your editor will likely not know or care whether the camera was in monochrome mode.

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Dec 3, 2016 02:26:18   #
photon56 Loc: North America
 
No benefit, just a preference depending on how and what you are shooting. For me, I review in post processing and decide if color or B&W would look best based on the subject matter.

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