How to get a silver metallic look to B&W photo

[JimB630]

I have seen B&W photos that have a look that is sort of a silver or metallic (probably more silver). Is this achievable with a PS action, or is it something that must be accomplished using a metallic paper? I use Silver Efex, but I have not been able to achieve what I want. Maybe it is just a learning curve. Anyway, just wondering if anyone has any helpful ideas, hints or actions. (It is a difficult topic to search as using "silver" to search brings up lots of references to Silver Efex!)

Thanks.
--
Jim B in Indiana

 

[ocean76]

Hi, if what you have ment with "silver metallic look" is sth similar to the ones from the link below, I really want to learn the formula too.

http://soulfire909.photium.com/

this silver tone is what I admire and I have been trying to get this tone for a while but couldnt manage to get it.

Last week , I sent an email to the owner of these wonderful bw photos (above linked site) , Rob Cherry, and asked him to give some hints in order to get these metallic silver tone...

He replied me back and told me that, he uses silver efex pro to convert his photos to bw and some photoshop.

I believe there's more than sep pro and photoshop bec I also use psp + silver efex pro and I have lots of long exposure shots with dull skies and sea and I have done hundreds of trials but couldnt even get closer to that silver metallic look of his photos.

He said there is no formula and gave a tutorial site of one of his friends but that didnt help either.
http://www.bwvision.com

So I really really appreciate if someone knows the secret behind this silver metallic tone.

I hope this is also what you are looking for.

Thx in advance

 

[ffnikclif]

I am not sure I have the right answer but I can tell you my work flow in Silver Efex ProII.

First I select an image that I believe to be a good cannidate for a B&W conversion. Then convert it. I try it out in all the canned conversions to see which one (or ones) that work best with the selected image. Then I go through all the sliders & things that allow you to alter the image & try them out until I get the look I want.

This is trial & error, but after a short time you get the feel of it & it goes pretty fast.. I think the most important step is the first step. And most of the good B&W pictures are the ones I intended to be B&W when I took the photo. Using the canned presets is very helpful & often the image works well with one of the presets I least expect.

Now if you really like the silver/metallic look & you really want it to pop I suggest you send it to Bay Photo & have it printed on aluminum at High Gloss.

Hope this helps.

Fred

 

[JimB630]

The "Sunday" tutorial is somewhat helpful. It appears to me that some heads-down serious time spent in SEP2 is required. I do get frustrated with myself, however, trying to get the look I want. No substitute for hard work!

Anyone with any additional pointers would be much appreciated.

Thanks.
--
Jim B in Indiana

 

[Mark_McD]

I think a lot of it comes down to the equipment you use for how the rendering turns out.

Here's a shot I did a bit ago, that I think has the "silver" you're looking for, it's also shot from a very much older, thoriated (and single-coated) Canon FD 35/f2:



A lot of modern lenses will not get the same sort of rendering.

I'd dare say that even my old Pentax SMC Takumar 35/f2 (which is also thoriated) won't render the same way, due to the more modern coating.

--
-mark

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mark_mcd/

 

[jonnie burtoft]

A lot of images I see have had the highlight and shadow rang pushed to the max and the midtone contrast boosted giving an almost hdr look to them, this can be achieved in both fx2 and lr4 easily in a few clicks, the key is making it look natural and not overcooked. Cheers jonnie

 

[RHWeber]

I also use silver efex pro. However, for very high quality black and white prints I send the image to digital silver imaging for printing. http://www.digitalsilverimaging.com/ . The use old style black and white chemistry and the prints look like the came from an old fashioned silver darkroom. For an extra fee they will also work on your images before they print them. The will also mat and frame the picture if you like.
--
bweberphotography.com

 

[Paul Roark]

The metallic inkjet papers printed with dyes make amazing looking prints. Pigments tend to put a veil over the surface and compromise the effects such papers are capable of. I formulated a B&W inkset based on Epson Claria (or Epson-Noritsu bulk) dyes for the Epson 1400 and describe it at http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1400-Claria-Noritsu-2K2LK.pdf . I've also made some profiles using QuadToneRip that optimize the OEM 1400 inkset for B&W. See http://www.paulroark.com/BW-Info/1400-Claria-BW.pdf

At any rate, particularly for hand held, smaller photos, the dyes plus a paper like Red River Polar Pearl Metallic have to be seen to be appreciated.

Paul
--
http://www.PaulRoark.com

 

[JimB630]

Thanks to everyone for your thoughts and tips.
--
Jim B in Indiana

 

[Rainybeet]

This is an old post, but still showing up at the top of searches so I wanted to add my 2 cents about how to get that look without using a $200 plugin.

There is no such thing as a metallic color, what makes something look metallic is how reflective it is. To mimic this digitally you need to punch up the contrast so that you have deep blacks and "shiny" whites and grays.

In Photoshop CC, and most previous versions, do a high pass sharpen layer to bring out detail (duplicate your layer, then Filter>Other>High Pass, adjust so that edges are more clear, then change blend mode to Overlay). Create a Black and White adjustment layer (optional) to set the contrast where you want it, lightening trees or skin tones, darkening the sky, or whatever makes the image look best to you. Next create a Gradient Map adjustment layer, and set it for a simple black and white gradient (black on one side, white on the other, nothing in between). Pull the black clipping slider (the bottom black slider on the gradient) towards the center until you are satisfied that your blacks are dark enough. Next, Pull the white clipping slider towards the center until you are satisfied that your whites are "shiny" enough. Finally, move your neutrals (the dot in the middle) to adjust your mid-tones. Usually you will want to move it towards the white slider so that you make your grays more "shiny."

As a final step, you can add tinting by making your image a duotone or tritone. A little sepia, copper, or gold (dark yellow) tinting can warm up the image, and shades of blue will cool it down. Most metals are not color neutral, so just try to picture what kind of metal you want to mimic.

For printing, you do not need to do anything to get a metallic effect except for have your print made on metallic paper. Metallic paper and printing processes make the surface reflective, so you have no need to mimic it in Photoshop. Just remember that a true metallic print looks best when made from a high contrast file (in my opinion), so getting your file as close to the desired end result as possible will most likely result in the print looking how you want it. I would at least advise making sure that you do a black and white adjustment layer, levels layer, and curves to punch the contrast a bit.

Good luck.

 

[JimB630]

Even though quite old, thanks for the update to this thread. I did find a nice tutorial using SEP2. I can play with it and achieve what I was seeking. A lot depends on the photo itself. Some photos just do not lend themselves to this type of processing.

 

[PhaedraSamantha]

Hi, would you be able to put a link t the tutorial on please? Thank you

 

[JimB630]

As you can tell from the thread, this was some time ago. I cannot find the link to the tutorial anymore. But, here is a copy of some notes I made for myself on how to accomplish what the tutorial showed.

Create a Silvery Photgraphic Image in Post Processing

1. Open the file in Lightroom

2. Adjust as needed:

a. Blacks/Whites

b. Exposure

c. Contrast

3. Increase Saturation: 15 to 60

4. Darken sky as appropriate

5. Over sharpen (Detail):

Amount: 50 to 100

Radius: 1.0

Detail: 25

6. Increase Clarity: 20 to 100

7. Denoise (Detail) as needed

8. Edit in Silver Efex Pro (Photo/Edit In/Silver Efex Pro):

a. Start with Neutral setting (000)

b. Contrast: 10% to 100%

c. Soft Contrast: -10% to -15%

d. Overall Structure: 20% to 30%

e. Midtone Brightness: 10% to 15%

f. Tone if desired

g. Save and return to Lightroom

9. Adjust as needed:

a. Blacks/Whites

b. Exposure

c. Curves

As you can see, there are some wide ranges on some of the settings. It depends on the photo you are working with. And, this does not work well on all photos.

Good luck.

 

[ez2233]

I doubt any of these answers are correct here.

I know exactly what this person is talking about. I love that look too. I just saw some photos that have it and I hesitate to ask the author of them who is on FB, because I doubt he will share it.

But, I am sure he is not having them printed and then copying them for the internet. I am attaching a photo that shows what is meant by the silvery effect. I'm sure it doesn't come tons of work and Silver Effex Pro. there has to be a plugin similar to Lucis Pro 6 or something.

 

[itsallBb2me]

The excellent example shots above remind me of a technique that I've been having some fun with lately. I've found it to be an interesting approach to getting dramatic silver–like black-and-white output on an iPad. It's virtually free and absurdly easy so I'm sure the purists will be horrified. Here's the simple recipe:

Start with an appropriate color photograph and process it for an "extreme" HDR look. There are any number of software platforms to accomplish this. I prefer Snapseed. Go for detail and dramatic contrast, and don't worry about the saturation because you will be losing the colors in the next step.

(As an alternative to the above, many digital cameras offer a baked-in filter that gives a similar rough result. (As I write this, I can just feel the lynch mobs forming.) My FZ 1000 calls it Impressive Art. My TG – 4 calls it Dramatic Tone. I know, I know – just try it.)

Now convert the tweaked image to black and white. Snapseed is fine for accomplishing this, but I prefer Nova… formerly Ansel… for its excellent controls, particularly the color channel mixer. Then adjust exposure, contrast, sharpness, black and white levels, and grain to achieve the desired effect. In my experience, that generally means boosting everything.

True silver halide? Not. Fun? You decide.

 

[JimB630]

I finally got around to producing the look I have been searching for. I had a couple photos printed on metallic paper, and WOW! I had been thinking of having some metal prints done, but prints on metal are not cheap. So, for the heck of it, I had a couple of samples done on metallic paper. They look incredible. They are way better than what I was expecting. The depth in the black and whites is really something in the proper light.

Using some of the techniques mentioned in this thread to get a photo looking the way you like it is enhanced tremendously by the metallic paper. I don't know why it took me so long to try this, but I am quite impressed.

I printed from my SmugMug site, and it appears that EZ Print is used for non-commerce printing. According to EZ Print, they use Kodak Professional Endura Premier Metallic Paper.