B&W vs Color - when to use them

[Darcy Baldwin]

It was brought up in the digi-mag discussion...and it's one that I'm curious about.

When SHOULD you use a B&W as opposed to a color photo? I know personal preference plays a lot in it, but is there a design basic that I should know about?

[Kazadoodle]

I don't really know - I use B&W when I've got a lot of coloured paper, so the focus is on the photo but not always - I tend to colour wash a lot of my photos too, on thinking it over - I rarely use full colour photos

[aneal]

Two things to consider -- the mood/message of the layout you are creating, and the color scheme that you are using as opposed to the one in the photo.

First of all, color is one of the most obvious ways to communicate the mood of a layout. If you are creating a layout about the loss of a loved one, naturally you aren't going to use neon pink and green for your color scheme. If you are creating a page about your little girl's bubbly personality, you aren't going to use a nuetral palette (most likely). Black and white versus color photos can do the same thing. In most cases, I think that black and white photos are considered classic and sometimes formal; they work extremely well for portraits and really get down to the essence of the photo's subject. Black and white photos are excellent for newborn shots because that new-baby redness and blotchiness isn't evident. I think they also do an amazing job of allowing texture to show through, so they make a good choice for architecture shots. Color photos, on the other hand, convey energy and movement. They're great for everyday shots or shots where you want to make sure you've captured color (landscapes or sunsets, for example).

Another thing to think about is the color scheme you plan to use on your layout. Sometimes it's easy to draw colors from the actual photograph, in which case you'd want to use the color version. But sometimes those colors will detract from the point we want to make via color scheme, so it's better to convert. Sometimes, too, a color version of a photo will reveal just how busy or cluttered it is (think everyday shots, here), so it's better to convert.

But like you said, in so many cases, it's a matter of personal taste as well. I like to mix both black and white and color photos on a page sometimes -- lets my focal point photo really stand out.

HTH!

[Darcy Baldwin]

I don't really know - I use B&W when I've got a lot of coloured paper, so the focus is on the photo but not always - I tend to colour wash a lot of my photos too, on thinking it over - I rarely use full colour photos

Okay, Karin....you're going to have to get me hooked up to what a color wash is :)

[flowergirl_jess]

I use B&W images alot or a soft sepia .. I do this for many reasons..

But the main reason is .. my kids have some awful loud, bright obnoxious clothes and they don't match, they look like hidious creatons!!!

so if i can "tone down" there terrible since of style then i will to get a page that i like.

I don't think that anyone makes a neon green, bold blue, shocking red, dirt colored kit. so intel someone does.. i will have help out!

Jess

[mrs2a50]

If I've got a lot of clashing colors in the photo, I'll change it to B/W. Sometimes I just feel like it should be B/W, or sepia

[Lauren]

Aud - perfectly said! I use B&W mainly for mood. An example would be my almost infamous Ben at Big Ben (http://www.twopeasinabucket.com/pg.asp?cmd=display&layout_id=798344) shot. Completely loses the mood in colour.

Other times are if I really want to use a certain set of papers but the photo clashes with them or if I'm doing multi-photo layouts and want one photo to pop, I'll often leave it in colour and make the rest B&W.

[CheleOh]

YepYepYep.

I *love* B&W so I have to be careful to not OVERuse it. The most recent LO that I did when I chose to go B&W was one of a friend's little girl on the 4th of July. Obviously, I wanted to use red/white/blue, but Quinn was wearing a fluffy purple bathing suit. I desaturated the photo, and YAY!

http://www.digishoptalk.com/gallery/data/528/Quinn.jpg

Chele :)

[4PeasInMyPod]

When I'm ready tp scrap a few pics, I always try them out as B&W to compare to the color ones. Whichever makes a stronger impact on me is the one I'll go with. I also like the look of mixing both b&w and color photos on the same layout. Lee

[photojenic]

Cathy Z mentions in her book that she likes B&W because the focus is on the subject, and that you don't have to worry about matching colors to the photo.

I made calendars last year as Xmas gifts using DDE's and Heather Ann's calender kit and I tweaked all my photos so they were B&W with a slight "chocolate" tint. It came out *great* and none of the photos clashed with the calendar colors.

[Darcy Baldwin]

Cathy Z mentions in her book that she likes B&W because the focus is on the subject, and that you don't have to worry about matching colors to the photo.

I made calendars last year as Xmas gifts using DDE's and Heather Ann's calender kit and I tweaked all my photos so they were B&W with a slight "chocolate" tint. It came out *great* and none of the photos clashed with the calendar colors.


Thanks everyone!!


<<<<Waving wildly at Jen...HI!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>. (psst..it's Darcy from SHS!)

[photojenic]

<<<<Waving wildly at Jen...HI!!!!!!!>>>>>>>>>>. (psst..it's Darcy from SHS!)

LOL! I never would have realized it if you hadn't said something. LOLOLOLOL!