B&W Effects was considered by many as one of the best black‑and‑white conversion systems available at the time. Version 2.1.0 went far beyond simple desaturation, offering a 5‑in‑1 selective adjustment brush (dodge, burn, color, detail, smooth), adaptive exposure, quad toning (the ability to colorize four tonal ranges independently), and a Zone System view that let users see exactly which tone zone (0‑3 shadows, 4‑7 midtones, 8‑10 highlights) any part of the image fell into. It also included historically accurate film grain libraries (e.g., Kodak TMaxPro 100, Fuji Neopan Presto 400) developed from scanning real film, as well as darkroom collections such as Cyanotype, Albumen, Van Dyke Brown, and Platinum.
An advanced masking tool for complex cutouts (like hair or fur).
A specialized tool for enhancing light sources, allowed users to add customized star filters to lights in night scenes, landscapes, and portraits. 10. Topaz ReStyle