Hello Nothing Fam, hope you all are doing great.
Today, let’s learn something about Color Filters and take your photography game to a whole new level.
Introduction
Color filters have been used in black and white cameras for decades to enhance contrast and create more dramatic images. But even with color cameras, color filters can be used in post processing to create even more stunning black and white photos.
Before we move further the app I use to edit my photographs is nothing other than Snapseed, a free app from Google. If you haven’t used it already, I highly recommend using it.
*[Disclaimer: Don’t think it’s paid promotion, this article is not sponsored 😂]
Ok, let’s learn about Colour Filters.
Color filters are used in black and white photography to control how colors are converted to shades of gray.
This can be used to:
Increase contrast: By darkening some colors and lightening others, color filters can help to create more contrast in a black and white image. This can be especially useful for scenes with a wide range of colors.
Emphasize certain colors: Color filters can also be used to emphasize certain colors in a scene. For example, a yellow filter will lighten yellow objects and darken blue objects. This can be used to make yellow flowers stand out in a landscape, or to make blue skies more dramatic.
Reduce glare: Color filters can also be used to reduce glare from water, snow, and other reflective surfaces. This can help to create a cleaner and more detailed image.
How to access the Colour Filter tool?
•Open Snapseed App, go to tools. Then select black and white.
•Press the Color Filter Button ( Check the arrow mark)
•You can now select various color options according to your photograph
Here are some examples of how different color filters can be used in black and white photography:
Yellow filter
This is the most common color filter used in black and white photography. It lightens yellow and green objects, darkens blue objects, and reduces glare. Yellow filters are often used to landscape photography to make the sky more dramatic and to emphasize the foliage of trees.
I selected yellow to give the landscape a dramatic look. Note the bright sunrays and sun lit trees
Orange filter
Orange filters are similar to yellow filters, but they have a stronger effect. Orange filters are often used to create more contrast in black and white images.
Orange helped me get the darker sky and lighter grass which I couldn’t get on any other filter.
Red filter
Red filters lighten red objects and darken blue and green objects. Red filters can be used to create a warm and romantic mood in black and white images.
I selected red here to make the clouds pop
Green filter
Green filters lighten green objects and darken red and blue objects. Green filters are often used to photograph foliage and to create a more somber and atmospheric mood in black and white images.
I selected green so that all the other colors are darkened and the leaves are lightened
Blue filter
Blue filters darken all colors except for blue. Blue filters are rarely used in black and white photography, but they can be used to create surreal and dreamlike images.
I selected blue here inorder to make the overall photograph dark and bring viewers attention to the leaf at the center.
“ In black and white photography, I recommend experimenting with different filters to see how they affect your images. There is no right or wrong way to use color filters, and the best way to learn is by experimenting ”
Thanks for reading this article. Hope you learnt something new. If you have any questions, do let me know in the comments. Waiting to see your beautiful black and white images.
Regards,
Dr Ramdas S Pai.
The above images are shot by Dr Ramdas S Pai (myself) and are subject to copyright ©️
