Black and white to color

As with anything in photoshop there are many ways of doing something and converting to monochrome is no exception. It can be as easy as the click of a button or precisely crafted with multiple layers affecting everything from luminosity to contrast. Learning how to convert your images to monochrome can help your photography in a number of ways. One being composition, it can really help refine the images and make the graphic design elements stand out. Another being color, understanding the relationship between tonal values and color can ultimately help you understand things like luminosity in your image. 

Here are a few images I thought would represent what I'm talking about pretty well. The original is fairly flat with the highlights really taking away from the image. After working with it in monochrome for a while I then converted it back to color and what an incredible difference it made. My greens were no longer flat and boring; they now had wonderful luminosity and coupled with a boost of yellow really came alive.