How to Create a Black and White Image in Affinity Photo
Posted on 18th June 2023
Step One: Open the Image in Affinity Photo
Open the image you wish to convert to black and white in Affinity Photo. If the image is not in Affinity Photo, you can go to File > Open and select the image file.
Step Two: Duplicate the Background Layer
With the image open in Affinity Photo, go to Layer > Duplicate Layer. This will create a copy of the original image on a new layer above the background layer.
Step Three: Convert the Duplicate Layer to Black and White
With the duplicate layer selected, go to Develop in the top toolbar. In the Develop persona, click on the Black and White icon (it looks like a sun with a circle around it). This will open the Black and White Adjustments Panel.
In the Black and White Adjustments Panel, you can experiment with the different preset options. To see a before and after view, click on the Split Screen icon in the top toolbar (it looks like two rectangles). This will split the image in half, with the black and white version on the left and the original color image on the right.
When you are happy with the results, click on the tick icon in the top toolbar to apply the changes.
Step Four: Add a Layer Mask
With the black and white layer still selected, go to Layer > Add Layer Mask. This will add a layer mask to the black and white layer. A layer mask is a way to hide parts of a layer.
Step Five: Select the Brush Tool
With the layer mask selected, go to the Tools panel and select the Brush tool (it looks like a paintbrush).
Step Six: Paint Over the Image
With the brush tool selected, start painting over the image. As you paint, the black and white layer will be revealed. You can experiment with different brush sizes and opacities to get the desired effect.
When you are happy with the results, click on the tick icon in the top toolbar to apply the changes.
How to Create a Black and White Image in Affinity Photo
Step One: Open Your Image
The first step is to open your image in Affinity Photo. You can do this by going to File > Open and selecting your image from your computer.
Step Two: Duplicate the Background Layer
Once your image is open, you will need to duplicate the background layer. You can do this by right-clicking on the background layer in the Layers panel and selecting Duplicate Layer.
Step Three: Desaturate the Duplicate Layer
With the duplicate layer selected, go to Edit > Adjustments > Desaturate. This will remove all of the color from the layer, leaving us with a black and white image.
Step Four: Add a Threshold Adjustment Layer
Next, we’re going to add a Threshold adjustment layer. An adjustment layer is a non-destructive way to make changes to an image. You can add an adjustment layer by going to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Threshold.
A threshold adjustment layer will turn our image into a black and white image by converting all pixels below a certain threshold to black, and all pixels above the threshold to white.
Step Five: Experiment with the Threshold Level
Now that we have our threshold adjustment layer added, we can experiment with the threshold level to get the look we want.
If we want more of the image to be white, we can drag the Threshold Level slider to the right. If we want more of the image to be black, we can drag the slider to the left.
Step Six: Add a Curves Adjustment Layer
Now that we have our black and white image, we can fine-tune it by adding a Curves adjustment layer. A curves adjustment layer lets us adjust the brightness of the shadows, midtones, and highlights in our image.
To add a curves adjustment layer, go to Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Curves.
Step Seven: Adjust the Shadows, Midtones, and Highlights
With our curves adjustment layer added, we can now adjust the shadows, midtones, and highlights in our image.
To adjust the shadows, we’ll click on the shadow point in the curves graph and drag it up or down. To adjust the midtones, we’ll click on the midpoint in the curves graph and drag it up or down. And to adjust the highlights, we’ll click on the highlight point in the curves graph and drag it up or down.
Step Eight: Save Your Image
Once you’re happy with your black and white image, you can save it by going to File > Save As and selecting a file format.
How to Create a Black and White Image in Affinity Photo
1. Start with a color image
The first step is to open a color image in Affinity Photo. For this tutorial, we’ll be using a photo of a flower.
2. Duplicate the Background layer
With the image open in the workspace, duplicate the Background layer. To do this, go to the Layers panel and click the Duplicate Layer button.
3. Convert the duplicated layer to black and white
With the duplicated layer selected, go to the Develop persona and click the Black & White button in the Adjustments panel. This will convert the layer to black and white.
4. Invert the black and white layer
Next, go to the Edit persona and click the Invert button in the Adjustments panel. This will invert the black and white layer, giving you a negative image.
5. Set the layer blend mode to Color Dodge
With the inverted black and white layer still selected, go to the Layer properties panel and set the Blend Mode to Color Dodge. This will give the image a high-contrast, black and white look.
6. Adjust the opacity of the layer
If needed, you can adjust the opacity of the layer to achieve the desired look. In this case, we’ll set the opacity to 50%.
7. Merge the layers
Once you’re happy with the look of the image, you can merge the two layers. To do this, go to the Layer menu and select Merge Down. This will merge the black and white layer into the Background layer.
8. Save the image
Finally, save the image by going to the File menu and selecting Save.
