How do I make a photo black and white?

Open the photo and set the intensity to 100% for full black and white, or lower it for a desaturated look. This converter uses luminance weighting for natural-looking grayscale and works in your browser without uploading.

Can I add color back to a black and white photo?

Yes — AI colorization adds natural, historically plausible color to black-and-white photos automatically. It's the reverse of this tool and works especially well on old family photos.

Free Tool · No upload · Private

Photo to Black & White

Convert any color photo to black and white with adjustable intensity — right in your browser, never uploaded.

⚫Choose a photoConverted in your browser — never uploaded

Want to go the other way — add color to a B&W photo? Our AI photo colorizer → adds natural color automatically.

Black and white, done right

A good black-and-white conversion isn't just removing color — it weights the red, green, and blue channels by how the eye perceives brightness (luminance) so tones look natural rather than muddy. This tool uses that weighting, and the intensity slider lets you stop short of full grayscale for a faded, desaturated look.

Converting a photo to black and white is one-way — the original color information is discarded. Keep your color original, and if you ever want the opposite (adding color to an old black-and-white photo), AI colorization can do that.

Have a black & white photo to colorize?

AI adds natural color to old black-and-white photos automatically — and can repair damage in the same pass.

Try AI Photo Restoration →