How to Make a Video Black and White (or Sepia)
Turn a colour video black and white, sepia or vintage, and fine-tune brightness and contrast with a live preview. Free, in your browser, no upload.
3 min read ·
To make a video black and white, open Video Effects, add the video, and keep Black & white selected — the preview turns grey straight away. Raise the Contrast a little for a dramatic look, then press Apply to video and download the MP4. Sepia, vintage and high-contrast looks are one click away too.
Make a video black and white step by step
- Open Video Effects.
- Add the video — MP4, MOV, WebM or MKV — or paste a direct link to one.
- Choose Black & white under Effect.
- Fine-tune with the sliders while you watch the preview:
- Contrast — 120–140% gives classic punchy monochrome.
- Brightness — lift dark footage slightly.
- Press Apply to video, check the result, and download the MP4.
Choosing a look
| Effect | Feel | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Black & white | Timeless, serious, artistic | Portraits, street scenes, dramatic moments, music videos |
| Sepia | Warm, old-photograph brown | Memories, family history, throwbacks |
| Vintage | Faded, slightly warm film | Travel montages, nostalgic edits |
| High contrast | Punchy, bold | Sports, action, social clips |
| Invert | A negative image | Eye-catching intros and transitions |
Choose None to keep the colours and just adjust brightness, contrast and Colour (saturation): turn Colour up for vivid travel clips, or down to about 70% for a muted, cinematic feel.
Why black and white works
- It hides problems. Mixed lighting, ugly colour casts from indoor bulbs and noisy footage from dim rooms all look better in monochrome.
- It focuses attention on expressions, shapes and light rather than colour.
- It unifies clips filmed on different phones or at different times of day.
Tips for great monochrome
- Add contrast. Straight greyscale can look flat; a little extra contrast brings back depth.
- Watch the skies. Bright skies can become plain white — lowering Brightness a touch keeps some detail.
- Mind the subject. Footage with strong light and shadow (side light, window light) converts best.
Mixing colour and black and white
A popular technique is to switch to black and white for one part of a video — a flashback, a dramatic pause, the "before" in a before-and-after. Split the video at the right moments with the Video Splitter, apply the effect to the part you want, and join the pieces with the Video Merger. The change of colour itself becomes a storytelling device.
A note on the preview
The live preview uses your browser's own filters, which are a very close approximation. The saved video is processed with ffmpeg, frame by frame; tiny differences in tone are possible. The result plays on every phone and computer — it's saved as a standard colour MP4 (H.264), so even black-and-white output plays everywhere.
Do more with the clip
- Slow it down for drama with Change Video Speed.
- Add a title with Add Text to Video.
- Doing the same to photos? Image to Black and White converts pictures.
Privacy
Everything runs in your browser; your video isn't uploaded, and there's no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
Can I make only part of a video black and white?
Cut the part out with the Video Cutter, apply the effect, and join the pieces back with the Video Merger.
Is the sound kept?
Yes — the sound is kept and saved as AAC.
How long does it take?
The whole video is re-encoded, so roughly its own length for HD clips on a laptop, more for 4K or on phones.