Convert photo to black and white

How to convert a photo to black and white online

1. 1

   Choose photos

   Drag photos onto the page or pick them with the button, on a phone straight from your gallery. The tool accepts JPG, PNG, WebP and HEIC from an iPhone.

2. 2

   Look at the preview

   Above the slider, the first photo appears in black and white right away, so you see how it will look. The same setting is used for all selected photos.

3. 3

   Set the contrast

   At 0%, the photo has the same brightness as the original. Higher contrast makes dark areas darker and light areas lighter, and the preview changes as you drag. The page remembers your setting for next time.

4. 4

   Download the photos

   Click Save black and white photos. One photo downloads on its own, several come in one ZIP file. The file name gets grayscale added, for example holiday-grayscale.jpg.

Want to turn a black and white photo into color?

This tool only removes color. It cannot colorize an old black and white photo, which needs a different program or service that guesses the colors. The original colors can never be brought back exactly.

Grayscale or black and white: what is the difference?

In everyday use, a black and white photo means a grayscale one: every pixel becomes a shade of gray between black and white, depending on how bright its color was. That is what this tool makes.

Pure black and white, with only black and white pixels and no gray, is used for stencils, laser engraving and line art. This tool does not make that. Even at 100% contrast, gray tones remain, and only the brightest and darkest areas turn fully white and black.

Black and white photo for printing

A black and white laser printer prints a color photo in shades of gray anyway. If you convert it first, the preview shows roughly how the print will look, and if it looks flat, you add contrast. Then put the black and white version into your document.

On a color inkjet printer, choose the black ink only or grayscale option in the print settings if your printer has one, to save color ink. Some printers mix gray from color inks, even for a black and white photo.

Black and white portraits and a matching series

Without color, expression, light and shapes stand out more, which is why portraits, profile photos, concert and street shots look good in black and white. For a portrait, start low, around 10 to 20%, so skin stays soft. 60% and more gives a dramatic look.

Photos from different phones or in different light all have slightly different colors. Converted with the same contrast, a series looks more consistent, for example in an album, on a team page or in a yearbook. Select all the photos at once and download them in one ZIP file, and your color originals stay unchanged.

Black and white photo for a form or application

If a form asks for a black and white photo, convert it here and leave the contrast at 0%. The photo keeps the brightness of the original and the face looks natural.

When the form also sets a pixel size or a file size, continue with Crop image, Resize image or Compress image. Converting does not change the dimensions, except that photos over 16 MP are scaled down.

Privacy

Images are processed in your browser and never uploaded to a server. Some tools remember your settings on this device, and the files you download stay on it.

FAQ