RetroGrade
RetroGrade is an advanced Photoshop plugin that turns a color image into a black-and-white one with the classic look of film. To do this it offers 11 slider controls, a large dialog and preview area, reset buttons, percentage buttons for fast zoom, and 70 preset files "to help get you started." It normally comes as part of the Colour Studio package, but you can buy it separately.
With RetroGrade you can lighten the trees, darken the sky, and mix any combination of red, green and blue to achieve a desired effect. There are controls for brightness and contrast, film grain, color response, and tone and tint. It has a 16-bit mode for 48-bit color images.
Comment
Reviewers have found RetroGrade to be highly effective on landscapes but equally applicable to other photographs. It costs very little, but developer Steve Upham has packed more features into it than are available in many other B&W converters.
Tech info
- Plugs into: Photoshop and compatible editors
- OS: Windows 95 onward
- Price level: Approx. $8
Cybia Software
Based in the UK, Cybia Software combines an interest in 2D illustration, 3D graphics, and photographic manipulation. Its photographic plugins include many examples of FREEware.
From the same vendor:
- Fotomatic Plug-Ins
- Plug-In Switch
- Colour Studio
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