I don't own Photoshop. And although I downloaded Gimp a long time ago I don't use it.
I do all my editing (mostly prefer to try and keep it to a minimum) using Picasa/Picnik. However, I've not uploaded many monochrome photos because I find they become "flat" (there must be a more technological, geeky word for it, but that's the only way I can describe it!). I'll sometimes take a photo, and decide that it'd probably look good in B&W, but then when I click the button, I get very disappointed because there's no depth(?) there.
Can anyone explain to me why/how this happens and what I can do to improve this "flattened" effect?
theres loads of stuff you can do to bring depth to black and white as well as contrast clarity and highlights there are also curves,Levels and dodge and burn tools in gimp and I am sure there are tutorials on using these on Youtube if you are unsure. if you set the burn tool to burn shadows and the dodge tool for highlights you will be surprised at the depth you can get but outside of post processing the emphasis when taking black and white shots should be on lighting texture and pattern. there are also a few scripts for gimp that you can plug in for implementing various black and white conversions.
or if you want an easy option you can also download virtual studio http://www.optikvervelabs.com/virtualstudio.asp
which has a pretty large number of black and white as well as colour settings and best of all its free :D
Generic advice, take that which applies.
The first thing one must do, is learn to see shots differently. Colour can hide lack of dynamic range and it can change the balance of a photo's composition.
See the blacks and the highlights, getting an image with proper contrast is the first step.
Processing is important as well. In the days of film, one could choose a film type to help obtain the desired look. And do not get hung up on SOOC. Most of the iconic images from the days of film were NOT SOOC. Burning, dodging, filters, overlays, etc., were used by many respected photographers.
As @asrai mentioned, curves and levels. IMO, these are the most important.
i always up the shadow slider in picasa, and then sometimes had film grain and color tone to the right just a tad. Also always do auto contrast instead of auto fix
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Contrast and clarity (under sharpen) in picnik will help. Applying and adjusting infrared may help also.
which has a pretty large number of black and white as well as colour settings and best of all its free :D
The first thing one must do, is learn to see shots differently. Colour can hide lack of dynamic range and it can change the balance of a photo's composition.
See the blacks and the highlights, getting an image with proper contrast is the first step.
Processing is important as well. In the days of film, one could choose a film type to help obtain the desired look. And do not get hung up on SOOC. Most of the iconic images from the days of film were NOT SOOC. Burning, dodging, filters, overlays, etc., were used by many respected photographers.
As @asrai mentioned, curves and levels. IMO, these are the most important.
Your giant pebbles should make a good B&W image.