Black and White
Reduce a photo to pure black and white pixels using a luminance threshold you can slide and optionally invert.
How it works
- 1
Drop any image onto the upload area. PNG, JPEG, WebP and most browser-supported formats are accepted.
- 2
Set the Threshold slider to decide the dividing line: pixels whose Rec. 709 luminance is at or above the value become white, and those below become black. Slide it up to keep only the very brightest areas white, or down to include more.
- 3
Toggle Invert if you want the bright areas black and the dark areas white, then pick a format and click Apply threshold to download.
Questions
What is Rec. 709 luminance and why does the tool use it?
Rec. 709 luminance is a perceptual brightness measure that weights the three colour channels according to how sensitive human vision is to each: green contributes most (71.5 %), then red (21.3 %), then blue (7.2 %). It gives more accurate-looking results than a simple equal-weight average.
What threshold value should I start with?
128 (the midpoint) is a good default. Move it higher to produce a sparser white area; move it lower to make more of the image white. Portraits often look best between 100 and 160.
What does the Invert toggle do?
It flips the result: pixels that would be white become black and vice versa. This is useful for creating white-on-black silhouettes or for artistic reversal.
Is transparency affected?
No. The alpha channel of each pixel passes through unchanged, so transparent areas in a PNG stay transparent.
Is the file processed on a server?
No. Everything runs directly in your browser. Your image never leaves your device.
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