B & W photo editing software

[djendro]

I have a large amount of old black and white photos and negatives that I want to edit and am looking for the best photo editing software for that purpose. It seems most software is designed mostly for color work. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there any freeware that would be good for this purpose?

[ukexpat]

I have a large amount of old black and white photos and negatives that I want to edit and am looking for the best photo editing software for that purpose. It seems most software is designed mostly for color work. Does anyone have any suggestions? Is there any freeware that would be good for this purpose?

For freeware search for GIMP, but all of the other packages I know of work equally well with b&w as for colour.

[road_runner]

You should be able to use any photo editing software that enables you to adjust brightness and contrast, and use photo or warming filters to tone your prints. I just rephotographed three original black and white prints using my Nikon D-70 and photoshop elements. I'm satisfied with the results, but you could no doubt do better with a little effort.

The shot of the barn. the inside of the barn and the two horses grazing will give you an idea of what I'm talking about. They are the last three photos in the set. Here is the link:
http://www.pbase.com/road_runner/black_and_white