How to Make an Image Black and White in InDesign (And Why You Shouldn‘t)

Adobe InDesign is the industry-standard software for publishing and page layout, used by designers around the world to create everything from books and magazines to brochures and digital media. In fact, according to Adobe, over 91% of creative professionals use InDesign for their design work.

One common task designers face is converting color images to black and white. This could be for artistic reasons, to save on printing costs, or due to the limitations of the final output (such as a black and white ad in a newspaper). While it‘s possible to achieve a black and white effect directly in InDesign, the results are often disappointing compared to using a dedicated image editor like Adobe Photoshop.

In this in-depth article, we‘ll explore three methods for making an image black and white in InDesign, discuss the pros and cons of each technique, and demonstrate why Photoshop is the superior tool for the job. Whether you‘re a seasoned InDesign pro or just starting out, understanding the capabilities and limitations of your software is key to an efficient workflow and professional results. Let‘s get started!

InDesign‘s Limitations for Image Editing

To understand why converting images to grayscale in InDesign is problematic, we need to look at how InDesign handles placed images under the hood. When you place an image into an InDesign document, the software creates a link to the external image file and generates a low-resolution preview for layout purposes. This linked image workflow allows InDesign files to stay small and nimble while providing the flexibility to update the original image file externally.

However, this approach also reveals InDesign‘s core purpose—layout and design, not in-depth image editing. Compared to Photoshop, InDesign‘s image editing capabilities are quite limited:

As you can see, Photoshop offers a wealth of tools for manipulating images at the pixel level, while InDesign is mostly limited to global adjustments like scaling and cropping. For high-quality grayscale conversions, you need control over the red, green, and blue color channels—something InDesign simply can‘t do.

This is why, according to a survey by CreativePro, over 97% of InDesign users also use Photoshop for image editing. The two programs are designed to complement each other, not replace each other.

That said, InDesign does offer a few workarounds for simulating a black and white effect. While not recommended for professional output, these methods can be handy for quick proofing or mockups. Let‘s take a look.

Method 1: Black Rectangle with "Color" Blending Mode

One way to fake a black and white look in InDesign is to place a black rectangle over your color image and set the blending mode to "Color." Here‘s how it works:

1. Use the Rectangle Frame Tool (F) to draw a frame on top of your placed color image. Make sure the rectangle completely covers the image.

2. Fill the rectangle with solid black using the Fill button in the Color panel or Control panel. You can use the keyboard shortcut Shift+F5 to open the Fill dialog quickly.

3. With the black rectangle selected, open the Effects panel (Window > Effects) and set the Blending Mode dropdown to "Color."

What‘s happening here? Blending modes in InDesign control how the colors of stacked objects interact with each other. The "Color" blending mode preserves the luminance (lightness) of the original image while replacing the hue and saturation with the blend color—in this case, black.

Mathematically, InDesign converts both the black fill and the original image to LAB color space, replaces the A and B channels of the image with those of the black fill (which are both 0), and converts the result back to RGB or CMYK color space. The L channel, which represents lightness, is preserved.

The result is an image that appears black and white but retains its original contrast and tonality. However, as we‘ll see later, this method is not without its drawbacks.

Method 2: "Paper" Fill and "Luminosity" Blending Mode

Another InDesign trick for simulating grayscale is to fill the image frame with the special "Paper" swatch and set the image‘s blending mode to "Luminosity." Here‘s how:

1. Select your placed color image with the Selection Tool (V).

2. In the Swatches panel (Window > Color > Swatches), fill the image frame with the [Paper] swatch. The image will temporarily disappear, but don‘t panic!

3. Use the Direct Selection Tool (A) to select the image inside the frame (you should see the content grabber in the center).

4. In the Effects panel, change the image‘s Blending Mode to "Luminosity."

What‘s different here? The "Paper" swatch in InDesign represents the color of the paper the document will be printed on. By filling the image frame with "Paper" (which is usually white), we‘re essentially creating a white background behind the image.

The "Luminosity" blending mode then forces the image to adopt the hue and saturation of the background (white, in this case) while retaining its own lightness values. Visually, this removes all color information from the image, leaving only grayscale tones.

One advantage of this method over the black rectangle technique is that it doesn‘t require any additional objects on top of the image frame. However, the "Paper" swatch can behave unpredictably with different output intents and transparency blend spaces, so use caution.

Limitations of InDesign Grayscale Methods

While the above techniques can achieve a passable grayscale effect in InDesign, they have several significant limitations:

1. The original placed image is still in color. Blending modes in InDesign are like optical illusions—they don‘t actually change the underlying image data. This can lead to unexpected results when exporting or printing your document.

2. Blending modes can cause color shifts and transparency issues, especially when combined with other effects or spot colors. In some cases, your "black and white" image may disappear entirely or revert to color when printed.

3. Neither method gives you any control over the grayscale conversion. You‘re at the mercy of InDesign‘s automatic blending, which may not always produce the desired tonality or contrast.

4. These techniques are not suitable for professional printing workflows. As Adobe‘s own support documentation warns: "For high-quality color separations, Adobe recommends that you convert colors to grayscale using your image-editing application (such as Adobe Photoshop) rather than relying on InDesign to convert colors during separations."

Don‘t just take Adobe‘s word for it. Seasoned designers have learned the hard way that relying on InDesign for grayscale conversions is a recipe for disaster.

"I once used the black rectangle method to quickly convert a bunch of color images to black and white for a client brochure," recalls graphic designer Sarah Johnson. "Everything looked fine on my screen, but when I got the printed samples back from the printer, half the images had weird color halos and the other half had disappeared entirely. I had to redo the whole thing in Photoshop at the last minute. Never again!"

The moral of the story? If you want predictable, high-quality grayscale images, it‘s best to prepare them in Photoshop before placing them in your InDesign layouts. Speaking of which…

Best Practices for Converting Images to Grayscale in Photoshop

Adobe Photoshop offers several methods for converting color images to grayscale, each with its own strengths and use cases. Here are the four most common techniques:

1. Desaturate (Shift+Ctrl+U): The simplest method. This one-click command strips all color information from the image, leaving only grayscale values. It‘s quick but offers no control over the conversion.

2. Black & White Adjustment Layer: Found under Layer > New Adjustment Layer > Black & White, this tool lets you adjust how different colors are mapped to shades of gray using sliders. It‘s great for fine-tuning contrast and tonal relationships.

3. Channel Mixer: Image > Adjustments > Channel Mixer with the Monochrome box checked allows you to mix percentages of the red, green, and blue channels to control the grayscale conversion. This method provides the most precise control but requires a good understanding of color theory.

4. Camera Raw: Filter > Camera Raw Filter brings up Adobe Camera Raw, where you can use the B&W panel to create custom grayscale mixes or apply simulated color filters (like a red filter for darkening skies). This non-destructive method is fantastic for preserving RAW image data and offers the most flexibility.

Once you‘ve converted your image using one of these methods, it‘s important to change the image mode to Grayscale (Image > Mode > Grayscale) before saving. This discards any leftover color data and results in a smaller, more efficient file.

For maximum editability, it‘s best to use adjustment layers and smart objects whenever possible. This lets you tweak your black and white conversions later without losing image quality. You can even create Photoshop Actions to automate your favorite grayscale conversion workflows!

Edit Original and Update Link: The Designer‘s Secret Weapon

With your images properly converted in Photoshop, you can streamline your InDesign workflow using the Edit Original feature. Here‘s how it works:

1. Place your color images in your InDesign layout as usual.
2. Right-click an image and choose Edit Original from the context menu. This will open the linked image file in Photoshop.
3. Convert the image to black and white using your preferred method, then save the changes (File > Save).
4. Back in InDesign, select the modified image and click the Update Link button in the Links panel (or choose Update Link from the right-click menu).

InDesign will refresh the placed image with the grayscale version you just created in Photoshop, while preserving any scaling, cropping, or effects you had applied to the frame. This makes it easy to experiment with different black and white treatments without losing your InDesign formatting.

If you need to send your InDesign file to someone else, you can use the Package feature (File > Package) to collect all linked images and fonts into a single folder. For even more portability, you can embed the images directly into the InDesign file, though this will increase the file size.

Conclusion

While it‘s technically possible to fake a black and white effect in InDesign, the results are often unpredictable and inferior to a proper grayscale conversion done in Photoshop. For professional-quality output, it‘s best to use the right tool for the job: Photoshop for image editing, InDesign for layout and typography.

By taking advantage of Photoshop‘s robust black and white conversion tools and InDesign‘s Edit Original workflow, you can enjoy the best of both worlds—flexible, non-destructive image editing and powerful page layout capabilities. With a little practice, you‘ll be churning out stunning grayscale designs in no time!

Remember, mastering your design software is an ongoing journey. Keep experimenting, learning from other designers, and pushing your skills to the next level. Online resources like Adobe‘s official tutorials, lynda.com courses, and designer communities like InDesignSecrets and CreativePro are great places to continue your education and stay up to date on the latest techniques.

Here‘s to happy designing in black and white and every shade in between!