GIMP tutorial - Create a high-contrast grayscale image

This tutorial attempts to create a high-contrast grayscale image. Below are two methods to go about doing it, the first is quick and easy, while the second offers you more control over the distribution of gray values.

Method 1

1. Open an existing image. On the menubar, File>>Open. I’ve chosen an image of the beautiful Kyoko Fukada.
   


2. On the menubar, Layer>>Duplicate layer. Select the new copy of the image.


3. On the menubar, Layer>>Colors>> Layers>>Colors>>Brightness-Contrast. Adjust brightness and contrast until you see desired results. Try and aim for an image with 3 or 4 strong colours.
   


4. On the menubar, Layer>>Colors>> Desaturate.
   

Method 2

1. Open an existing image. On the menubar, File>>Open. I’ve chosen an image of the beautiful Kyoko Fukada.


2. On the menubar, Layer>>Duplicate layer. Select the new copy of the image.


3. On the menubar, Layer>>Colors>>Levels. Extend the dynamic range of colors of the image.


4. On the menubar, Layer>>Colors>>Curves. Once again, try and aim for an image with 3 or 4 strong colours. Experiment til you find the spread of colors you like.


5. On the menubar, Layer>>Colors>> Desaturate.

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That's the end of the tutorial.High-contrast greyscale images are useful for generating images that look like the are cel-shaded or duotone images.

This is created by changing the mode of the top layer to "overlay".

This is created using Layers>>Colors>>Color Balance and setting the Midtones and Shadows to red.Some books on GIMP.