Preserved Topic: Don't know how to work with B&W, it doesn't work!!!

Forgive my ignorance, since I'm trying to learn through trial and error, how to work with photoshop. So far I've experimented with color pictures with interesting results (for a neophyte), but now I'm trying to work with B&W and it doesn't budge!!! I'm sure it's an idiotic detail that I just can't see or understand. Normally I take a picture from my files and cut and paste to a new file in photoshop, then proceed to whatever I feel like trying. But now with a B&W picture it doesn't even want to cut and paste. Any advice would be welcome.

Goto Image>Mode make sure you have RGB color selected. I'm guessing that you've greyscale or something else selected.

F1_Error?
Thanks, you guessed right!
Another question? What tool can U use to modify the light and shadows on the picture? For example the shadows are too dark and you're barely making out the details in the shadow, also can you re-work only part of the picture or it's a package deal (meaning the whole picture or nothing)?
Thanks for the advice.

image>adjust>Brightness/contrast might work, this works on a selection.
Or you can use the sharpen/dodge/burn tools...

freya - image/adjust/curves is where you wanna go to adjust the light and shadows. You canspecify the hue you want to adjust by first, opening the curves dialog by following the path (image/adjust/curves) and with the box open move your cursor into the image area and it will turn into an eyedropper, hover over the hue you want to lighten or darken then hold down your mouse button and look at the diagonal line in the curves box to see where it marks this hue on the line. When you release the mouse button you can grab that point on the line and drag it to adjust.

check out the wicked work: http://www.gurusnetwork.com/tutorials/photoshop/curves1.html

Sharpen & dodge seems to be the tool I'm looking for!
Another question?
I've tried using the rectangular marquee tool to create the outline for a pair of gates that are partially opened, but I need to create something like a frame (a thin one) then draw the bars of the gate inside the frame, but when I'm finished with the rectangle and try to proceed with the rest the first rectangle disappears, is the only way to do it is by using layers upon layers for each bars? Or is there a tool that makes a frame to begin with?

Well actually, I use Image>Adjust>LEVELS for doing quick fixes on shadows like this. Curves give you more control, but unless you really know what you're doing curves can do strange things to your photo. With levels, you'll see a "bell curve" distirbution of where your light and dark values are. If the curve starts too early or end too late, you need to grab the outside sliders and bracket the curve. Play with it, good tool!

Your pal, -doc-

Go to select/modify/border and specify a number for the width of the "frame". Maybe this is what you're talking about? To add to a selection hold down shift while making selection and to subtract from a selection hold down alt while selecting. Hope that's what you were talking about.

For the gates, you said partly open, which makes me picture this in my mind...

Like Doc says, Levels are excellent for fixing shadows. There is something called "Auto Levels" that I often try first. It works well sometimes, and you can always undo, of course. Curves are hard to use, for me anyway, but can give really cool effects sometimes.

Thanks everybody for the advice, I'm practicing plenty, very much, oh yeah! I've been re-reading the guru's network tut on weathered metal to give my gates a forged iron look to them (though the color on the gates is going to be a pretty dark grey or charcoal). Now all I have to do for the other part of my project is to find a place that can scan the picture I made on my trip to Scotland last year (it's a gothick archway to the ruins of a 14th century cathedral with a tower looming high right beside it, in the archway is an evergreen in sharp contrast with a very light grey-white background) I found a place but they can only put it on a disk and not on a CD like I want it. Anyway when I get the picture scanned, I'll have to rework the contrast at the bottom cause it's too dark and you can barely make out the details of the stones, when it's finished it's going to be the background and on the foreground the GATES with a Medusa head to click on . So I have a lot of work on my hands, as you can see!
I'll keep you posted on the progress!

I'm still trying to do the gates and have managed to do the frame. 1st, could someone tell me how to change the color of the grid right now it's pale yellow and I'm wrenching my eyes out trying to fit the rectangular marquee tool (for the bars of the gate!) also is there a way for the program to calculate for me the width of the bars in the gate (i.e.: like a window asking you how many pixels you want for the bar to measure, pretty much like the window in Edit/Stroke)
How can you ajust the scale of the grid?

Any methods will be appreciated!

HEEEEEEEEEEEEEELLP!!!
I've managed to do the bars, by clicking on the Help thing!!! My apologies everyone, it should be the first thing I should do! However I did the frame and the bars and after I tried aplying Perspective it wouldn't budge once the frame and bars are finished. If I try to do the rectangular marquee for the frame the Perspective will work however I can't seem to make the bars parallel to the frame! Catch my drift?
Can anybody offer a suggestion? PLEEEEEEASE!

Anyone around here?
Would somebody help me?

Ok, first off I don't know how you have your image set up, but I can tell you what I would do.
First how I would set up the image.
Layer 1 Background (In this case your photo)
Layer 2 The frame
Layer 3 The bars
Once I have all shading, shadows, highlights, etc worked into the bars, I would then merger Layer 2 and Layer 3 together. You should now have a two layer document.
Next I would go to Edit>Transform>Scale. And I would do tiny adjustments to the gate to insure that they are the proper size to fill the whole. Once I am satisfied with that, I'll set the transformation.
Next goto Edit>Transform>Perspective. This will take tons of playing around to get it 'just right'. You can always undo the transformation until you get it the way you want it.
If it is made up of two gates (ie, [_][_] vs. [_]) I would place each gate on separate layers so your document is three layers. I would then 'open' each gate individually.

Yet another way to open the gates, and a much more artisitic way. Open your photo, and make a new blank layer above it. take your line tool, and set it to a hot blue, or something. Find your horizon line and draw the line across there. Now using the building as reference, find your vanishing points and draw those in. These will give you a better idea of how the gate will fit, they are not the guide to drawing the gate. Now make a new blank layer above your guides. Sketch the gate in place, if your photo is straight on, you'll be able to draw all vertical lines straight up and down. Don't worry about the sketch being perfect, just get the idea in there. Once you think you have the gate sketched in the way you'd like it to lay, Make yet another layer, and do the final drawing above the sketch. This will take much more time, but if you take the time, I can assure you that you'll like these results better.

I hope that helps you out.

Thanks so much F1_Error!
I'll probably have to wait to get the background picture scanned, I was hoping until I get it scanned, that I could practice over and over again the basics of: textures, shadow, highlights,etc.. Then when I have a better understanding of all those things you mentionned (shadow, highlights, etc... which I haven't even learned yet!) then I will be able to do the gates for the Web Site.
Thank you for making me reach the conclusion that I should follow several tuts on different subjects so that I can reach UNDERSTANDING of what tool does what!
I'm not abandonning the project, just slowing down and take a hard look at what are the basic requirements I need to reach the goal of the gates.
Would you recommend a couple of tuts for NEOPHYTES!!!

There are tutes every where. They seem to breed like rabbits or rats. Hands-On is a good place to start, and the Gurus Network has a few things (links to both are at the bottom of this page). The best advice I can give as far as tutes, is go hunting for them, when you find one that does an effect you like, give it a shot. Some are very poorly written so making the tute work in the first place can be an education in itself. Just keep playing and exploring, there really isn't much more to it than that. But above all have fun, when it starts to become a chore, take a few days away from Photoshop, go outside smell some flowers, take a walk, or walk some flowers whatever floats your boat. The thing is don't let it frustrate you, a few days away will imporve your perspecive.