Black & White Image Converter

No. All black and white conversion processing happens entirely in your browser using WebAssembly. Your files never leave your device, never touch a server, and are never stored anywhere except your local computer. This makes Creatoryn's converter completely private — no one can see your photos, and there's no risk of accidental sharing or data breaches. After the tool page loads once, it even works offline.

Each preset uses different luminance weights to convert color channels to grayscale. Standard uses BT.601 (0.299R, 0.587G, 0.114B) — the classic formula for balanced, natural-looking black and white. High Contrast uses BT.709 (0.2126R, 0.7152G, 0.0722B), which creates more perceived brightness differences — ideal for portraits where you want faces to pop against backgrounds. Film uses equal channel blending (0.333, 0.333, 0.334), giving skies and greenery the same natural tone as classic analog film. Newspaper emphasizes greens (0.25R, 0.5G, 0.25B) for high readability in print and scanned documents. Vintage (0.393R, 0.489G, 0.118B) applies warm desaturation similar to sepia, creating a nostalgic retro feel.

Yes. Select multiple files at once in the file picker, or package your entire photo shoot into a ZIP file and drop it onto the tool. Creatoryn automatically extracts and queues all images inside — JPG, PNG, WebP, AVIF, HEIC, and more. Every photo gets the same preset and settings, perfect for maintaining consistent tone across a wedding gallery, product shoot, or social media campaign. There's no file limit — process 10, 50, or 200+ images in one batch.

Yes. After converting, click 'Download All as ZIP' to get a single archive containing all your monochrome images. Each file is automatically named with a '-bw' suffix so you know which versions are processed. The ZIP is generated entirely in your browser and downloads immediately — no waiting for server compression. This makes it seamless to convert and deliver entire batches of black and white photos to clients or upload them in bulk to social media, print services, or cloud storage.

PNG if you need lossless quality (logos, icons, text-heavy images), you're printing large formats, or transparency is important. JPG if file size matters (web, email, social media), you're exporting hundreds of photos, or you want the smallest download — JPG at 85% quality is typically 15-25% smaller than the color original. WebP if you're optimizing for web performance — WebP produces files 25-35% smaller than JPG at equivalent quality, and all modern browsers support it. For batch conversion of photography, JPG at 85-90% quality is the most common choice.

Black and white conversion removes color information, which can make shadows look heavier and highlights less distinct. Use the Brightness slider to lift overall luminance (+10 to +20 typically works well), and bump Contrast slightly (+10 to +15) to restore tonal punch. The Film preset tends to produce flatter, more even results — if you want more dramatic shadows and highlights, switch to High Contrast. If your image still looks too dark, try the Standard or Vintage preset, which weight the green channel more heavily and tend to produce brighter overall output.

Yes, but performance depends on your device. Modern computers handle 100-200 images comfortably. For larger batches (500+ photos), we recommend processing in groups of 100-150 at a time to avoid browser memory issues. Upload the first batch, download the ZIP, then upload the next batch. Each ZIP download is timestamped so you can keep track of multiple exports. The tool processes images as fast as your CPU can handle — typically 2-5 images per second on a modern laptop.

Not necessarily. Converting to grayscale removes color data, but the file size depends on your output format and quality setting. JPG at 85% quality will be smaller than the color original (typically 15-25% reduction) because compression algorithms work more efficiently on monochrome data. PNG often stays the same size or slightly larger because lossless compression doesn't significantly benefit from removing color channels. WebP at 80% quality gives you the best compression — usually 30-40% smaller than the color original while maintaining visual quality.

For portraits, use High Contrast. The BT.709 luminance weighting gives faces more tonal separation — skin tones pop against backgrounds, eyes appear brighter, and cheekbones/jaw lines become more defined. For landscapes, use Film. The equal channel blending (0.333, 0.333, 0.334) gives skies and greenery the same natural tone as classic analog film, and tends to preserve detail in foliage better than other presets. For urban/architecture, High Contrast also works well because it emphasizes structural lines and shadow depth. For documents or text-heavy images, use Newspaper for maximum readability.