How do I Create a Black and White Photo?

Q: I'm sure this is the most basic of things but I can't seem to make it happen and then successfully save the changes.

I've got a coloured pic that I would like to make black and white so your tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!


A: It depends which version of Photoshop Elements you're using.

If you have a more recent version you can go up to the Enhance menu and choose Convert to Black and White…

That brings up a dialog box with a before and after showing a preview of the black and white conversion. You can choose from the list of preset conversions in a list at the bottom of the dialog box. The preview will show how each one will look.

You can also move the sliders in the dialog box to further tweak the conversion if you want. Once your happy with how it looks click OK to complete the conversion.

If you have an older version of Elements you can go up to the Image menu and choose Mode > Grayscale. A dialog box will appear asking if you want to discard the color information. Click OK.

This technique can produce a rather flat looking image so you may want to further adjust it with curves or levels.

When you're all done you should probably do a Save As from the File menu. Give it a different name than the original so you don't overwrite your color version.

Good luck,
Rick