How to Make a Photo Black and White (Grayscale)
Convert a colour photo to classic black and white in one click — plus when to choose grayscale, high-contrast black and white, sepia or the Noir filter.
3 min read ·
To turn a colour photo black and white, open Image to Grayscale, add the photo, click Convert to Grayscale!, and download. Every colour becomes a shade of grey, keeping all the tones of the original — the classic black-and-white photo look.
Convert a photo to black and white
- Open Image to Grayscale.
- Add a photo (or paste a direct link to one).
- Click Convert to Grayscale!.
- Download the black-and-white version.
Grayscale, black and white, sepia, noir — what's the difference?
| Effect | What you get | Tool |
|---|---|---|
| Grayscale | All the shades of grey — a normal "black and white photo" | Image to Grayscale |
| Pure black and white (threshold) | Only black and white, no greys — a graphic, stencil look | Black & White |
| Sepia | Warm brown tones like an old print | Image to Sepia |
| Noir | Moody, high-contrast black and white | Photo Filters |
For a normal monochrome photo, grayscale is what you want. "Black and white" in everyday speech almost always means grayscale.
When black and white works best
- Portraits: removing colour draws attention to expressions, light and texture.
- Strong light and shadow: architecture, street scenes and silhouettes.
- Photos with distracting colours: a bright red bin or a clashing shirt disappears.
- Bad colour: photos under mixed indoor lighting with a green or orange cast look clean in black and white.
- A consistent look for a set of photos taken in different conditions.
Make it punchier
Straight grayscale can look flat, especially from photos taken on overcast days. After converting:
- Increase the contrast with Brightness & Contrast for deeper blacks and brighter whites.
- Try the Noir filter in Photo Filters for a dramatic, cinematic look.
- Crop tighter — black-and-white photos benefit from simple, strong compositions.
On a phone
Phones have black-and-white filters built in, and they're handy for quick edits:
- iPhone: open the photo in Photos, tap Edit, then the filters button, and choose Mono, Silvertone or Noir.
- Android (Google Photos): tap Edit, then Filters, and pick one of the black-and-white looks.
The browser tool is useful when the photo isn't in your phone's gallery — an image from a website, a document scan, a file from a colleague — or when you're on a computer.
Converting a whole look, not just one photo
If you post a series — a photo essay, a set of portraits, a gallery on your website — convert every photo the same way so they sit together. Grayscale with the same contrast adjustment gives a consistent set; mixing grayscale, noir and sepia in one set looks accidental.
Printing black-and-white photos
Grayscale images save ink on colour printers when printed in "grayscale" mode, and they look good on matte paper. For documents and forms that require black-and-white scans, grayscale keeps them readable; for faxes or stencils, the pure black-and-white threshold version may be better.
Going back to colour?
Grayscale removes colour information permanently from the saved image — keep your original colour photo. To add colour to genuinely old black-and-white photos, the AI Photo Colorizer predicts natural colours.
Frequently asked questions
Is my photo uploaded?
No. The conversion happens in your browser.
Does grayscale make the file smaller?
Often a little, because there's less colour information, but not dramatically. For smaller files, use the Image Compressor.
Can I make several photos black and white at once?
Convert them one by one here, or apply the Noir filter in Photo Filters to each.