Black and White Photography Using Google Photos, Apple Photos or Your Phone’s Gallery
Light and Shade among the trees.
Three Easy Ways to Remove Colour and Add Drama
You don’t need Photoshop or Lightroom to edit your photos.
Whether you shoot on a traditional digital camera or a smartphone, it’s easy to give your photos a black and white (B&W) look using free tools like Google Photos, Apple Photos, or your phone’s built-in gallery app. These tools are simple, intuitive—and available to everyone in the club, no matter your level of experience.
📱 iPhone and iPad (Apple Photos)
Option 1: Take in Black & White
Open the Camera app.
Tap the filter icon (three overlapping circles).
Choose one of the Mono, Silvertone, or Noir filters.
Now shoot in monochrome directly.
Option 2: Convert After Shooting
Open a photo in the Photos app.
Tap Edit.
Tap the filter icon and scroll to Mono, Silvertone, or Noir.
For finer control, try adjusting the Light and Black Point sliders under the adjustment icon (dial).
Tip: The Noir filter gives the highest contrast—great for dramatic portraits or silhouettes.
📷 Google Photos (iOS, Android, or Web)
Google Photos is a great tool for all users—it works on Apple, Android, and desktop. To convert an image:
Open the photo.
Tap Edit (looks like a dial or sliders).
Choose the Filters tab.
Scroll to Vista B&W or other monochrome styles (names may vary).
Tap Adjust to tweak brightness, contrast, and vignette manually.
Tip: Don’t stop at one click—use the sliders to fine-tune shadows and highlights. Small tweaks make a big difference.
🤖 Android (Google Photos or Samsung Gallery)
If using Google Photos, follow the same steps as above.
If using Samsung’s Gallery App:
Open the image.
Tap Edit, then Filters.
Choose Classic, B&W, or Moody depending on the version.
Use the adjustment sliders to further enhance contrast or add structure.
Tip: Look for a “sharpen” or “structure” control—it can help textures pop in monochrome.
Why Choose Black and White?
From portraits to landscapes, B&W helps you tell a different story:
🌸 A colour flower shot shows vibrancy. A B&W flower shows shape, decay, or fragility.
🏙 A colour street photo may distract. A B&W street photo can be gritty, timeless, or reflective.
Final Thought
Before you start editing, ask:
“What happens if I remove the colour?”
You might discover a more powerful image—and a new way of seeing.
🖤 Try it out this week, and don’t forget to upload your favourite conversions to our WGPC Album.
Not an Editor? Give It a Go.
If you normally just take a photo and leave it as it is, try one quick experiment this month:
Upload your image to Google Photos, tap Edit, and scroll to the black and white filter.
You might be surprised by how much more emotion or drama your image can carry—without changing a single pixel.