To make footage black and white in Premiere Pro, apply Lumetri Color to your clip and drag the Saturation slider all the way to 0. That instantly removes all color — no plugins or advanced grading required. Here's the full process, plus how to make your black-and-white footage look richer.
When to go black and white
Converting to grayscale is a fast way to change the mood or storytelling of a shot — for a stylized edit, an emotional beat, a throwback feel, or to unify footage shot under mismatched lighting. Because it's done with Lumetri Color, it's non-destructive and adjustable at any time.
How to make footage black and white
Open the Lumetri Color panel
Go to Window > Lumetri Color, then select your clip so the controls apply to it. Lumetri is added automatically and appears in Effect Controls.
Drag Saturation to 0
In the Basic Correction section, pull the Saturation slider all the way down to 0. Your footage is now black and white.
Refine contrast and exposure
Increase Contrast for drama and adjust Exposure if the clip is too dark or bright. Black and white lives or dies on its tonal range.
Make your black and white look richer
Pure desaturation can look flat. To add depth:
- Push contrast and whites for a punchy, high-contrast monochrome.
- Use the Curves in Lumetri for finer control over shadows and highlights than the basic sliders.
- Add a touch of grain for a filmic, classic feel.
Pro tip: apply the effect to an adjustment layer instead of the clip — you can drop one over an entire sequence and toggle the whole black-and-white look on or off in a click.
