Black/White option Greyed Out

[Guest]

I have a jpeg image that I would like to apply a Black/White adjustment layer to and then ideally fade it by about 50% in order to use it as a background image.  However, when I attempt to apply the Black/White adjustment layer the option is greyed out.  Does anyone know why this is and also how I can work around this?  This is not a copyrighted image or anything.  It is an image of our building that a previous employee took years ago.

Thanks in advance for any help!

Mel

[Ozzwoman9 · Accepted solution]

Switch to RGB 8 bit.

[Guest]

Well, there you go.  Now I feel silly!  Thanks!

[alari73512]

Hello! im running the cc 2019 version and it isnt working for some reason

[AdofromAustralia]

I'm having the exact same issue! It's in RGB colour, check. 8 Bit, check. Black and white layer is stil grayed out! Nothing visible is happening. I'm following a Youtube tutorial and this step is killing me!

[shivam_wadhawan]

HI,

Try to do these steps

-Go to image >mode and change it to RGB color.

Issue resolved

Cheers

Shivam

[tondaj14561180]

What if I want to keep in CMYK?

[justaddorangejuice]

Switch to RGB, apply Black/White layer, then switch back to CMYK.

[Stephen_A_Marsh]

As there are more than one CMYK space/profile, take note of the original (for what that may be worth). I'd suggest converting to a smart object layer, then open the smart object .psb file, then convert to RGB and apply the B&W adjustment layer, save and close. The results will then be translated back into the original CMYK space (if the profile was embedded, otherwise working CMYK would be used).

That being said, a B&W image in CMYK mode is better off having a higher ratio of K to CMY than a regular photo is in order to maintain a neutral appearance... Which means using a CMYK with a higher GCR component or channel mixing more CMY into the K while maintaining the same look/feel, being sure to stay under total ink limits. The B&W CMYK image usually only needs higher values of CMY in the darkest areas, the midtones and lighter areas need more K than CMY if you wish to play it safe.

Ah, the joys of CMYK!

[rjkennedy]

I like this answer

[Riya326146448anw]

Thank you.

it really worked.

[MystiMac]

I started out with a photo that is black and white, and RGB originally. I clicked on the b&w icon, didn't see any visible changes. Image looks great onscreen, like the photo I originally started with. But when I print it out, it prints out in kind of a sepia tone. I tried regular paper, glossy photo paper. Same thing happens if I convert the photo to grayscale. Any explanations or help?

[rjkennedy]

IMO Black and white is not as straight forward as most would like it to be.

For instance, why wouldn't you convert the image to greyscale and be done with it - or are you talking about the adjustment layer only being 50% so it's kind of a blend between the original colour and b&w?

Depending on the colour of the image, Hue/Saturation can be used, as can Channel Mixer - both give a different result, so it's fundamental to have a good idea of how haltones work and what they're going to actually produce and look like when output.

For me though, I copy the CMYK original, then delete that layer to white. Next I go to channels, select the black channel and paste it there. Then turn all the channels back on and go back to your layers. This produces a CMYK image where only black is present. I use this all the time when doing product images of white products - so when they print they cannot have a colour shift in the printing as there is no colour present. If it is a white product with some colour - like timber inserts on a fan, I do the same steps as mentioned for the white/neutral product, but have a second layer containing the  colour component with the neutral part masked out.

[MystiMac]

Thanks. I will refer to this down the road, if and when the issue comes up
again.--
*Karen McChrystal, MA*
Publisher/Editor-in-Chief
Hidden Springs Press
Santa Monica, CA
www.hiddenspringspress.com
https://mcchrystalmedia.wordpress.com/
www.sustainablelivinginstitute.org
Karen McChrystal | Facebook
www.amazon.com/author/karenmcchrystal

[tobymikle]

Switching to RGB seems to be a polular answer but you cannot print in RGB so your image will be degraded just to use the black and white option. Why is it disabled in CMYK print mode?

[Hải32615080jewj]

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