Recently I had the opportunity to try the Silver Efex Pro plugin for Photoshop. I first heard about it on the TWIP photography podcast when Scott Bourne stated that it had a dramatic impact on his photography.

My experience with the plugin was similar. It really changed the way my black and white photos turned out. While you can certainly convert images to black and white using Photoshop, the control points in Silver Efex allow you much more control over how and where you make your changes.