Digital BW, The Print

The question is a fairly simple one and relates to the physics of the 
situtation. It is - "is all the energy of the visible spectrum reflected 
off a scene contained in three discrete colors (Red, Green and Blue)?"  
If the answer is yes then one can reproduce any image with three 
discrete channels - red, green and blue. If there is energy that is 
attuniated but in the visible spectrum by only capturing three discrete 
frequency bands, then there are images that can not be produced.

Another way to put it is can one generate a camalflodge where the 
appreance is significantly attenuated in a scene captured using three 
discrete frequency channels but is visible to an energy intensity filter?

The answer to these questions will settle the technical argument. 
However, the argument aesthetics will probaobably go on forever.

Truman

Paul D. DeRocco wrote:

> > From: cirkutguy [mailto:cirkut@...]
> >
> > I'm curious as to what information is missing from the color image
> > that would be in the black and white. I too find that I often can't
> > match the look of black and white film with a color conversion, but
> > have always assumed that some amount of messing around would do it.
>
> A B&W image obviously doesn't contain more information than an RGB image,
> but the color light coming in the front of the lens certainly contains 
> a lot
> more information than what's finally represented on color film in RGB. If
> you have a good assortment of filters, you can get spectral responses that
> you can't get after the image has been reduced to RGB.
>
> However, there are also dramatic things that can be done on RGB 
> images, such
> as subtracting the blue channel in order to make skies even darker, which
> you can't possibly do once you've reduced the image to B&W. So in my view,
> you get a wider range of effects from shooting color and converting to B&W
> in PS, compared to shooting B&W with filters in front of the lens. 
> Also, the
> convenience and opportunity for experimentation are self-evidently better
> with post-processing. Finally, there's no law that says you can't put
> filters over the lens, AND shoot color and convert to B&W afterwards, if
> there's some magic spectral response that you can't get without the 
> filter.
>
> --
>
> Ciao,               Paul D. DeRocco
> Paul                mailto:pderocco@...
>

-- 

We imitate our masters only because we are not yet masters ourselves, 
and only

because in doing so we learn the truth about what cannot be imitated.

 



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