10 attempts to download it says wrong Reg. code Then 12 hours later another attempt and it registers !! why is the GOTD application so difficult?

Went thru the hoops and still wants serial #......UGH

Over the years, I have achieved a b+w look to photos using just my garden-variety photo editing programs. I just played with the color scales until there was "no" color - just b+w. What am I missing here about the need for this product? Thanks for any info!

I click on Setup_Win.exe.
I say Yes to "Do you want this program to make changes to your computer?"

Then ... absolutely nothing. I have repeated this several times. Same thing.

I'm running 64-bit Windows.

Jumped thru an unusual number of hoops to install and validate and program still asks for a serial # . Not ready for prime time! Uninstalling. Life's too short.

BAH!

If you want to see what is updated since version 4 then go to the homepage for this product.
Good to see plenty of choices then choosing a suitable Black&White format.
Also good to have the manual included with the download.

I already had created an account with publisher when I picked up the previous version (ver 4) of this software. As such registration was no big deal and went smooth and fast. This version installed just fine on my Win 7 64 bit system..

I put the ID and registration code into the appropriate boxes, clicked on register, the box disappeared and then - nothing. I've tried twice with the same non result. Oh, well, must have been too good to be true and life is too short.

I don't know where the registration code is going, but it isn't arriving at my inbox. Tried for longer than the software is worth.

B&W film had [has] different characteristics than color that can distinguish the right shots as more artistic. The way our brains work also comes into play -- a B&W version of an originally color photo can have quite a bit more drama. Much is lost if/when you simply open a photo in whatever image editing app & do a simple conversion to B&W, where extra data is just tossed out, & whatever you're left with, that's it. Importantly, Black & White Projects tries to use All the data from your color shots.

Black & White Projects works similarly to the B&W conversion tools in Photoshop / Lightroom and other, more capable editing software [including The GIMP], but its presets can make life [sometimes much] easier. You're controlling how different parts of the color spectrum get mapped to the shades of gray, and how much influence each of those parts has in the overall picture. As you might guess, without presets showing the basic results, that can involve a lot of trial & error.

Black&White projects 5 elements also lets you mimic the characteristic looks [e.g. grain] of several B&W films. What's missing from B&W Projects [including the top of the line B&W Projects 6 Pro] is the rest of an image editing app -- that means your work is limited by the characteristics of your original shot. If you were to do a similar B&W conversion in a full editing app, you could for example edit the curves to change the original beforehand -- while not everyone is going to go to that amount of work / bother, that can make a sometimes very big difference in the final result. While it won't be quite as interactive as using the editing app's conversion engine, using B&W Projects as a plug-in should still get you there.

It's nice that Franzis is [finally] coming out with newer versions of its giveaways -- I feared that we'd be forever seeing the same older versions. If you find yourself really liking any of the Franzis giveaways, it can take a while, but sooner or later Franzis will run a sale on the current pro version upgrade that takes away a lot of the pain moving to their current, most capable versions. I've never seen any Franzis software rated best-in-class by pros, but it's generally in the top 5. The most common complaint I've seen is that their software can be harder to use than their competition.

Their software is also easy to deal with practically speaking, not sending its roots deep into Windows like some competing software -- B&W Projects 5 Elements is something you should grab while it's on GOTD if you do any image editing at all, even if you're unsure whether you'll really use it, because there's really little reason not to. And FWIW, when I installed a new version of win10 on a new drive in this PC, I simply copied the Franzis folder, re-registering all the individual apps using the GOTD keys I'd gotten.

totally can't figure out how to register this thing. I read the readme and followed directions, got an email... clicked the link, filled out the info, hit send, even logged into my created account... I think.. lol .. where's the registration code? worked on this for like 30 min this morning and again now for like 30 min. Call it user error. I'll just grayscale my photos instead of black and white them

I found it best to open a new directory, and place the photos I want to convert into it. It takes the program ages to scan in a directory with lots of pictures, It also adds the B&W version (if you give it a different filename), and a "projects" file, as well as a directory for each photo converted with the photo's data. I don't know if it would overright the colour version if you don't save it under a different name
It does work wonders!

Entered the registration code where it says serial no a dozen times and just get a message telling me its the wrong serial no. Am I wasting my time

Franzis software is world class.

The first time you download software from them, the registration process might seem a little convoluted, but it really isn´t.

1. Double click the setup file

2. You will get a popup screen asking for your license Nº. ALWAYS click on the "internet" button. This will open your browser and take you to the franzis website.

3. If it´s your first time downloading software from them you will have to register. This is a onetime process and from now on you can always use the same email and password to log into their website.

4. Once you are registered, they will send you your user ID and registration code for the software you just downloaded.

5. Copy / Paste that info into the very first screen you got from the setup file. The one with the internet button.

6. Follow the prompts to finish the set up.

7. Run the program, it will ask you for your registration code again. Paste it and you´re done.
I have a collection of franzis software which I have downloaded thanks to giveaway of the day:

Analog projects

black and white projects

Color projects

Cut out

Focus projects

HDR projects

If you are a photography enthusiast or even a professional, franzis software will always deliver world class results. They keep improving their software with each release. Not like other software companies which just slap a different number on the box just to sell more copies of the same stuff.

Enjoy!

convoluted registration

read prior comments, so decided to download anyways
read setup and decided to pass on the activation

Managed the Product code copied and paste the personal user I/D copied and paste the Registration code which you have kindly sent me 8 times told that it is the wrong registration !!!!

Hi I have made this comment before. I do not think it is just me but although the GOTD looks amazing I am totally confused on how to get it, copy this, paste that add an I/d put in the password go here go there. Look if the gift is really a gift then please why make it so difficult to get more so when others provide just give a password and the jobs done. Love the chance just finding it to difficult.

Entered personal customer number, and registration code info, launched the program, now it asks for a serial number. Where might that be located?

this is a great program! Thank you Franzis and GAOTD for sharing!❤❤❤

Thanks for this giveaway.
Is there any advantage over photoshop's abilities?
Also, what is the diff between Elements and Regular version?

Thanks

I have a train to catch, but I do think the Pro version of B+W Projects 6 is the best B+W converter out there. I think Franzis have two stand-out tools, meaning I can't see better elsewhere - B+W and Sharpen, and some other really handy ones (e.g. HDR, Color). Anyway I wrote this for BWP4 and I'll repost (with a couple of quick tweaks) in case it's of help...

Okay, they are only giving away the Elements version, and it's an old version (6 is just about out), but it's free and I'd highly recommend it, hey I paid for it, well the Pro version. (Plus apologies in advance for what a pain it is to register - you can use a temp e-mail like 10minutemail.net for the download but I'd use a real one to register as it'll be a big help next time you get one of their giveaways. BTW I'm apologising as I'm suggesting you do this, I don't work for Franzis so not my fault.)

Note they will send you their newsletter, and they still forget from time-to-time and send English speakers e-mail in German. Don't stress about it. (They seem to be getting better though.)

Here's my getting-started instructions on using it:

Load a picture, play with the canned effects on the left side, play with the Film Type on the right side panel (which should start on the “Finalise” tab). At the top of that panel you can choose a colour filter to apply to the original (assuming it's a colour image, the same as putting a filter on the lens and using B+W film), either as a preset or use the sliders (the presets just move the sliders, e.g. Yellow -> 60/120). At the bottom of the panel you can select toning options (which would be a printing technique back in the day), which is the same theory of having a collection of presets which set sliders.

Changing to "Expert" in the right panel you can add filters from the list at the top, select them in the middle of the panel and tweak their effects at the bottom (may need scrolling down). (I'd ignore that until you are comfortable using it.) The boxes at the top of the left panel filter the effects that are listed in the panel, so ignore them initially (although using the favorites stars to select presets you like and then filtering on them is handy). On a faster computer you can use the Eye icon on the toolbar to disable the preview mode and show the final image in the main window, which IMHO is worth doing.

When saving the final image note that the first dialog, where it asks for the title, is going to write that over the image, it isn't the file name. That is the point you do cropping though.

The main disadvantage is the lack of full Undo operations.

Note that although they do add a Photoshop plugin it's under File->Export, not Filters, which IMHO doesn’t really count.

The thing to get your brain around is it a huge pile of image processing tools, which are gathered together into presets in the left pane. All those options do is select a bunch of processing tools and choose options for them, so they are infinitely tweakable in the right pane once you're up to speed (and if you want to).

BTW I bought a copy of BWP retail some time ago, but when they had a discount price - which they do quite often, so I'd say rather than paying the full price for Franzis' stuff sign-up for the newsletter and see if a deal appears. Basically 99% of the B+W images I post online came out of B+W Projects.

I suspect they haven't updated the installer and so only have an old version of the Raw file reader (for Raw files saved by digital cameras). To add raw support for more recent cameras download this (if you're running 64-bit Windows):
http://transfer.franzis.de/projects/RawImageDllprojects_Win64.zip
and replace C:\Program Files\Franzis\BLACK WHITE projects 4\FreeImage.dll (note I guessed the path, elements may go somewhere very slightly different) with the dll file it contains.
If you're not running the 64-bit version of Windows, i.e. your computer doesn't have a directory "C:\Program Files (x86)" then the file you want for upgraded raw support in 32-bit Windows is: http://transfer.franzis.de/projects/RawImageDll_projects_Win32.zip
If you have a Mac you'll need to get the OSX version of FreeImage from SourceForge and replace the existing one, wherever it might be.

Just installed the program.
And just loaded some pictures and save them with a filter, without any extra settings.
The original and results can be found in(click on Preview to see it in an easy way):
https://ootjegotd.stackstorage.com/s/L5EeYjiimKjNvAg
And from 2 years earlier:
https://ootjegotd.stackstorage.com/s/SPd8zImyOn33Y4o

Too many complicated hoops to jump through.
Why cant it be less time consuming and simple.
Thanks anyway.

Hi, it is always better to log in first (provided you already have Account with them) BEFORE entering Setup and pressing that 'Internet' button. Otherwise it can be a 'loopy' procedure.. Best to go here beforehand:

https://reg.franzis.de/en/account

If you haven't Account with FRANZIS yet and are creating one - keep taking snapshots as you fill that form, so you remember e-mail address and password you give them (these latter two best saved as text form in notebook), save e-mails you receive from them, and create Folder to keep it all for next time..It DOES save time (and nerves), trust me! On 'sunnier' side of it all:) - some great Software they keep making and offering for free too. And Black&White projects 5 is one them.

When I'm in a hurry and working in Corel PSP for instance - I tend to create b&w pics out of coloured ones by de-saturating them to zero, so I can apply other effects easier (they never turn out really great, so further adjustments needed..), but Software like this one that Specializes in turning colour to b&w is naturally far superior.

In a Loop,...... will not let me create an account without a Password.

don't miss this one guys, well worth the price, and an easy download if you read the read me file

What the Differents with Black&White projects 4 and this version?
This version have a B&W "standard" automatic optimalization pre-set for old B&W photos?