1 Load up your image

First, drag the Mono FX Kit folder from the download to your computer. Open the photo you want to convert to black and white into Photoshop CC. (This barn photo is in the download if you want to try out the technique, but you can use any colour image.) Once your pic has loaded up, press Ctrl/Cmd+A to select it, then Ctrl/Cmd+C to copy it. Now press Ctrl/Cmd+W to close it down.

Go to File > Open and choose the Mono FX Kit file in the same orientation as your picture (horizontal or vertical) and the print size you want (A4 or A3). When it loads up, check in the Layers Panel that the bottom layer is active. Now press Ctrl/Cmd+V to paste your image above this layer. To resize your pic in the border, press Ctrl/Cmd+T and pull the corner handles, then press Return.

2 Try the different effects

Because there’s a plethora of different effects to choose from, it’s best to make the layers easier to see at a glance while you go through the various permutations. To do this, click on the four-line icon in the top-right of the Layers Panel, and select Panel Options. In the dialog box, select None in Thumbnail Size and click OK. This will give you a condensed view without thumbnails. Remember to go back to the thumbnail view when you’re finished, or you’ll wonder what’s happed to your layers!

The different effects are arranged in five groups: Border, B&W Mix, Contrast, Toning and Vignette. You can expand or contract these with the arrows alongside to show or hide the effects within the groups.

3 Go mono and tweak contrast

Using the visibility icons to the left of the layers, you can switch the border and keyline effects on or off, depending on whether you want a border around your image. Moving up, the B+W Mix group makes your mono conversion, so pick one of these options by clicking the visibility boxes to switch the ‘eye’ icons on and off. The mixes give different grey tones to the colours in the scene, so choose one that gives a good result for your pic.

Once you’re happy with the tonal mix, open the Contrast group and select one of the options with the eye icons, to increase or decrease contrast. This will give you the basic look of your shot, and you can then build the other effects on top.

4 Apply colour toning

If you want a neutral result you can ignore the toning options, but they’re worth exploring, as they change the mood of an image. To try them, just switch them on and see if you like what you see! There are six traditional single colour tones, plus four split-tones. To reduce the intensity, just adjust Opacity. The final group is Vignette: these three options allow you to darken the frame edges to focus attention on the centre.

Once you’re done, go to File > Save As, tick Save a Copy, and choose JPEG as Format. Type in a new name and click Save; afterwards you’ll be returned to the Mono FX layers, so you’re all ready to create another mono version with different effects.