Image Grayscale Converter

Remove the colour from a picture and see the result immediately. Choose how brightness is calculated from red, green and blue, from the standard luminance formulas to a simple average, and use the amount slider to fade colour out gradually instead of all at once.

Image Editing Runs in your browser

Convert Your Image to Grayscale

JavaScript is required. This tool runs in your browser, so please enable JavaScript to use it. The instructions below are still available.

Image

Drag and drop your image (JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF or BMP) here, or click to browseAccepted: JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP, GIF, BMP. Up to 40 MB.

Grayscale method

Amount 100% is fully grayscale; lower values keep some colour.

Output format

Quality Used for JPEG and WebP. Higher means a larger file.

Background colourFills transparent areas when the result is saved as JPEG or BMP.

How to Use the Image Grayscale

Add your picture; the before-and-after preview appears.
Choose a Grayscale method. Rec. 709 is a good default for photos.
Drag Amount below 100% to keep a little colour.
Press Convert and download the grayscale picture.

About This Tool

Photographers making black-and-white versions, designers preparing print or e-ink artwork, and people checking how a layout looks without colour.

Input: JPG / PNG / WebP / GIF / BMP · Output: PNG / JPG / WebP.

Features and Limitations

Features

Four grayscale methods, including Rec. 709 and Rec. 601 luminance.
Amount slider from full colour to full grayscale.
Live before-and-after preview.
Transparency is preserved with PNG and WebP.
Full-resolution output.

Limitations

The result is still stored as an RGB image, so a grayscale PNG or JPEG file may not be smaller than the original.
Colour channels are not mixed individually, so this is not a replacement for a black-and-white conversion with colour filters in a photo editor.
Pictures above 100 megapixels cannot be opened by this tool.
Processing happens on your device, so very large files depend on your browser's available memory.

Example

A pure red pixel (255, 0, 0) becomes about 54 with Rec. 709, 76 with Rec. 601 and 85 with the simple average.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which grayscale method looks best?

Rec. 709 matches how bright colours appear on modern screens and is a good default. Rec. 601 is the older television standard. Average is simplest, and Lightness gives flatter tones.

Why are the methods different?

The eye is most sensitive to green and least to blue, so luminance formulas weight green heavily, while the average treats all channels equally.

Does grayscale make the file smaller?

Not always. The picture is still saved with three colour channels, though JPEG and PNG often compress grayscale content slightly better.

Can I keep a little colour?

Yes. Lower the Amount slider, for example to 80%, for a muted look.

Does the conversion happen on my device?

Yes. Each pixel is recalculated by your browser; the picture is never sent to a server.