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The Photos app in iPadOS contains many useful tools for correcting images. Here's how to use your iPad to convert color photos to black and white.
iPad has become a real godsend for both photographers and tourists. The ability to take pictures and view high-resolution photos with your device while on the go is a modern miracle. The ability to instantly share photos with others over the Internet is also impressive.
Sometimes you need to send someone a black and white version of a color photo without having to first copy the photo to a desktop computer for editing.
Hidden controls in the Photos app in iPadOS make this easy.
Getting started
To turn a color photo into black and white on iPadOS, first open the Photos app. by clicking on it on the main screen. The Photos app opens and displays all the photos and screenshots on your iPad:
Then tap the color photo you want to convert to black and white. The photo will open in the photo viewer/editor:
Select the photo by clicking.
Adjustment elements
You'll see a vertical column of tick marks on the right side of the display and a sliding column of round buttons on the left. The column of controls moves up and down with one swipe of your finger. To select a control to use, slide the column up or down until the control you want is centered in the middle mark on the right.
In this example, we will select the Saturation control. Move the controls until the Saturation control is above the midpoint. A tooltip will appear to the left of the control, telling you which one is active:
Drag the controls to select the Saturation control.
After that WithSaturationthe control selected, move the checkmarks up or down to increase or decrease the level of color in the photo. To make a color photo black and white, move the scale until the saturation reaches -100:
Select -100 Saturation to make the photo black and white.
If you're happy with the result, click the Done button in the top right corner of the screen. The photo will be saved back to your Photo Library with the new color settings.
Now you have a black and white photo.
Duplicating photos
The edits you make in the Apple Photos app are non-destructive — you can cancel them now, tomorrow, next year or whenever.
However, this is a rather crude cancellation: an all-or-nothing cancellation. If you change the saturation and then make a dozen other changes, such as cropping, undoing Apple Photo will return everything to its original state. So you can't just undo one change you don't like, you'll have to undo a lot and start over.
Although changes to photos are not destructive and you can return to the original, it is better to make a copy before you begin. This way you'll save both the color and monochrome versions and won't have to undo anything to go back.
If you want to first save a copy of a color photo in your Photo Library and then convert it to black and white, simply touch and hold any photo in Library Thumbnail view. A pop-up menu appears containing a Duplicate item.
Tap and hold to duplicate a photo.
Tap Duplicate to create an exact copy of the photo. You now have two copies, one of which you can convert to black and white and save.
iPadOS makes customizing your photos easy and incredibly easy to use. Desktop photo editing has reached new heights in iPadOS, and you'll definitely want to check out the Settings controls again to discover the full capabilities of iPadOS.
