How do I get my photo totally black & white.

[seabreeze1501]

I need to have my photo black & white. When I go to adjustments: black & white, it is greyed out so I cannot select it. Do I need to do something to my photo first to get access to adjustments: black & white?

[davescm · Accepted solution]

Make sure your image mode is RGB Color before converting to Black and White. If it is CMYK then the B&W adjustment is not available.

Similarly if the bit depth is 32-bit , that adjustment will not be available - ensure it is 8 bits/channel or 16 bits/channel (Image -Mode)

Dave

[Derek Cross]

Convert your image to Grayscale first (it doesn't matter whether it's RGB or CMYK): Image > Mode > Grayscale, then you can convert it to B&W: Image > Mode > Bitmap, you experiment with the various settings in  bitmap dialogue box, such as 50% threshold, to see which effect you prefer. There are other ways of creating B&W images.

[josephlavine]

Generally, when something is greyed out, it is because in it's current state that option is unavailable.  Double-check to confirm your image is RGB, not CMYK, and it should also be either 8 or 16 bit.  Please feel free to post a screen capture if you are not sure.  The attached image shows that my image is RGB and 8 Bit.