To improve your colour images convert them to monochrome

03rd September 2011
This processing tip for photographers is not as daft as it first sounds, read on and then try it yourself, it works.

OK you are going to get quite a lot of pictures this time, in each case I shall show you;

The original RAW file - as shot
The processed RAW file in colour
The processed monochrome
The final colour version


Jerusalem - Ibstock Brick brass band

Original RAW


Processed RAW


Monochrome conversion using Katrin Eismann method followed by
Gorman-Holbert process.



Finished version with Luminosity blended monochrome over the previous version.


The key to all this is to put the monochrome version over the colour version and to change the blending mode to Luminosity, how this is done is shown in the following screen shots.

Screen shot from Adobe Photoshop CS4


Detail from screen shot


Reeds and pads

Unprocessed RAW file


Processed RAW


Monochrome conversion using Katrin Eismann method


Finished version with Luminosity blended monochrome over the previous version.


OK, two obvious questions.

Q) Isn't this a lot of work to go to to process a colour image?
A) No, if you are doing a monochrome version you will do everything that is required anyway except the final blend of the two

Q) What are the Katrin Eismann and Gorman-Holbert processes?
A) I am in the process of writing these up and they will be the subject of a further entry in the blog and made available as PDF notes, and hopefully downloadable actions from this website soon.