Load your image into the photo editor, in this case Photoshop, and choose Image->Mode->Grayscale. This will remove all color from the image, leaving it Grayscale as opposed to RGB or CMYK. Photoshop even pops up a warning message asking if you want to remove all color information. In Figure E, you can see a screenshot of the procedure.

FIGURE E

Convert your image to Grayscale. Click picture for a larger image.

After your image is converted, you'll want to tweak it a little. One of the easiest methods to tweak an image in Photoshop is with the automatic level adjust. Choose Image->Adjust->Auto Levels, like in Figure F.

FIGURE F

Auto Level adjust can automatically touch up the exposure of most images. Click picture for a larger image.

Sometimes the Auto Adjust will actually make the image worse. If so, Undo that action and choose Image->Adjust->Brightness/Contrast and use the sliders shown in Figure G to adjust your image.

FIGURE G

Adjust the Brightness and Contrast to fine tune the image. Click picture for a larger image.

When it's all said and done, your rather mediocre color image should be a much better looking artistic/vintage image, like in Figure H.

FIGURE H

The final product. Click picture for a larger image.

This method isn't just for bad color images either. You can also turn decent images into a more artistic presentation by converting them to black and white. In Figure I, you can see a before and after example.

FIGURE I

Black and white conversion can make a good image into an artistic image. Click picture for a larger image.

Shooting in black and white can be extremely difficult. Converting your color images to black and white is a much easier method to achieve those beautiful, artistic, black and white images. Using the techniques I've outlined above, you can take some of those rather mediocre color images and convert them into black and white art. In a future article, I'll teach you how to achieve that neat, hand-colored effect like in the popular Kim Anderson photos. Good luck and good shooting.

For more than 20 years, David Gewirtz, the author of Where Have All The Emails Gone? and The Flexible Enterprise, has analyzed current, historical, and emerging issues relating to technology, competitiveness, and policy. David is the Editor-in-Chief of the ZATZ magazines, is the Cyberterrorism Advisor for the International Association for Counterterrorism and Security Professionals, and is a member of the instructional faculty at the University of California, Berkeley extension. He can be reached at david@zatz.com.