Photoshop gradient map uses...

As you can see, these examples were toned down, or "tinted" as we called it in the old days। The technique de-saturates color until the image is almost grayscale। Rather than desaturating using the Hue/Saturation functions, the Gradient Map has a much softer hand, and I think does a better job।

Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Gradient Map... You can simply hit 'okay' to dismiss the opening dialog, or play with the settings। The Mode should be set to normal, so if the image looks like a negative, then reset that pull-down. Leave it set to 100% and do nothing else.

Now, use the Opacity slider to adjust the effect of the Map। At 100% the image will be grayscale. I have found this to be the best method of converting color photos to grayscale for newsletters and other print projects that use a PDF to print to a Duotech or other "rapid" on-demand printing process.

Here's the final compare. I've also posted another comparison just to show flesh tones in a natural "green" setting... which looks almost like an old fashioned hand color tint photo.

Use Photoshop Match Color to match colors of two files

The Match color command in Photoshop is probably one of the more misleading and seldom used functions we see. It's actually quite simple, and can go a long way to changing images. Photoshop attempts to evaluate and then match the general color and contrast of one image, and then apply it to another. Actually, it's a very powerful function and can work on photos with a lot more difference than this one. It also has a lot of potential as an "artistic" tool, because changing the settings can result in some spectacular images.

Well, it's not always perfect. In fact, it's almost NEVER perfect. Adobe and the book authors make you think it's perfect so you'll buy the product. But it's been my experience that you really have to tweak it a bit to get it working properly.

You can help along by choosing sections of the image most representative and try again...
Well, the second try is not quite getting it either. We selected a good cross section of the image, but as you can see the little dress, as well as the ground area went way too much red -- while the sky STILL didn't make it to the intensity of the other shot.
We played with the settings and no matter what we tried, the color could not be matched. Why? This kind of shot is almost impossible to match. Both photographs are nearly perfect, but they're different because of the metering system in the camera. By taking a reading of the intense, close up subject, the shot was captured with a misleading richness. So, when trying to match it in the second shot, which is probably the more accurate of the two, Photoshop wants to enrich everything, where only the sky is necessary.

Yes, there must be an easier way.
Grab the Eyedropper, (tap "i") and sample the rich sky at the very top (1), and then hit "x" to reverse the foreground and background colors -- sample again at the very bottom (2). This 'loads' the color palette.
Now make a selection in your image to cover just the area which would be the "sky" ... you'll need to include some of the trees in this scenario -- or else create a good, accurate selection of those trees to mask only the sky with a selection. I used a regular rectangle marquee because a blending mode will knock out the rest...
Now set the Gradient tool (tap "g") and make sure the gradient settings are for "Foreground to Background colors" -- which you'll find in the Gradient tool options bar. Then drag from the top to the very bottom (#3 to #4) and presto, a great sky.

Here you see the photos are now very much matched. By setting the blending mode to "Darken" I avoided having to outline the trees. The layer was "darkening" only lighter colors -- which was the sky and not the trees. The child, dress, dirt and overall luminosity of the two are nearly identical. I did go in and lighten just a slight amount using Levels -- simply because I feared the richness of the sky would look artificial.

Creating Black & White from Color

Black-and-white photography is as powerful today as it was when color photography was just a distant dream. A different set of skills is required when working with black and white, as the absence of color means the interplay of shape and contrast must work harder to tell the story or set the mood, but when it works, it's very effective.
Some cameras have a dedicated black-and-white mode, but even if yours doesn't, you can still work in black and white. In fact, it often works better to shoot in color and convert later on. Photoshop offers a breathtaking array of techniques for converting color to black and white (or more correctly, grayscale), and these enable you to control the process with a degree of finesse that would be difficult to match in the field.


Method 1: Desaturation
This shot was taken early one winter's morning in New York. The sky had a dramatic quality and there was a fine haze rising to meet the colder air at higher altitudes. The image works well in color, but it also has potential for a striking black-and-white impression of the city.
The most obvious way of converting color to black and white is to convert the mode to grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale). This is okay, but there are better alternatives.
The first is desaturation -- removing the visible color information but maintaining the RGB status of the file. This means that if you wanted to add a tint later you could do so without having to change color mode again.
Go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate (or press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + U).

The problem with desaturation is that it often delivers a flat, uninspiring rendition. We can improve this, however. Analyzing the photo, we need to strengthen the texture in the sky by darkening the shadows and midtones, but the buildings below need a general increase in contrast to remove the haziness. It's best to treat the sky and the buildings as separate entities. Make a feathered selection of the sky, using the natural division of the rising dark haze as a guide

Press Ctrl/Cmd + J to copy and paste the selection to a new layer, and rename it "sky."
Add a Levels Adjustment Layer to it, making sure the two layers are combined as a clipping mask.
To bring out the sky texture, drag the Black and Gray point markers to the right as shown.
Here are the Before and After images, which will pop open in a new browser window.
Depending on the amount of feathering and the position of your selection, you may see a dividing line after the Levels adjustment has been made. This is easily removed by adding a layer mask to the sky layer (set to Reveal All) and painting on the mask in black until the edge disappears. Work carefully with a soft brush at a low opacity and the result should look something like this.

We could use a Levels adjustment layer to add contrast to the buildings, but there is an alternative route. Go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves to add a Curves adjustment layer to the background layer.
Applying the curve shown increases midtone contrast, at slight expense to the highlights and shadows. This diminishes the haziness in the area of the buildings.
The final image is far more striking, and much closer to what the photographer originally envisioned.