Filtered Black & White

The filtered B&W conversion is one of Picasa's greatest tools.
Essentially it allows you to convert a color image to black and white, simulating the use of a coloured filter in front of the lens.
The filters can be thought of in extremes:
  • Red - softens and lightens skin tones
  • Green - darkens skin tones, enhances skin pigmentation
The colours in between these two extremes will give you a more subtle effect.

To apply the Filtered B&W tool, simply click the "Effects" tab and choose "Filtered B&W". You can either use the preset colours available or use the colour box to select an individual colour.

Why choose this instead of the normal "B&W" tool?
Well, the standard B&W conversion can leave you with a flat, grayscale image - whereas the Filtered conversion can give you an image with more depth and clarity.

Here's one of my favourite images that I used the red filter for:
Handle With Care

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