Nikon D3100: Shooting in Black & White
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Learn how to capture images in Black and White using your Nikon D3100. I'll also show you a way to create B&W copies in-camera from your full color shots.
You have a couple options for producing photos in black and white with the Nikon D3100. You can shoot in color and convert the photo to black and white or you can shoot in black and white without any additional steps.
Shoot in Black and White
When shooting in P, S, A or M modes you can activate Black and White shooting by…
- Accessing the MENU
- Navigating to the Shooting Menu
- Highlighting Picture Control
- Selecting the Monochrome (MC) option
See page 94 of the D3100 manual for more details.
Convert a Color Photo to Black and White
This method is more involved, but it ensures you have a colored version and a B&W version.
- Press the MENU button, then select the Retouch Menu tab (paint brush icon)
- Highlight Monochrome, then press the right arrow button on the multi selector
- Highlight a picture, then press the OK button
- Highlight Black and white, then press the right arrow button on the multi selector to see a
- preview of the selected image
- Press the OK button to create a black and white copy of the original image
See page 154 of the manual for more details. Happy shooting!
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I accidentally changed a colored photo to black and white on my mac with iphoto. Anyway to convert back to the color photo?
I love this site! I know this must be user error, but when I do all the things you said to do for BW pictures, it’s showing as black and white on the screen, but then when I take the picture, the picture just shows up all black? What am I doing wrong? And btw – I do have the cap off. :)
I just read the comment below (if I just would’ve read that one first, I would’ve found my answer!) Disregard..I’m good now. Thank you so much!
I have got a new nikon d3100 and i dont know a lot about it , it’s the first proffesional camera i ever had. Should I choose M or P or A or S to make a photo like this ! I tried all of those commands and when i choosed M the photo were fully-black !
WHICH ONE SHOULD I CHOOSE TO USE ?!
those are all manual modes M,A,S,P modes all manual. depending what you are shooting stick with your automactic scene modes like portrait or landscape or the child icon or the person running. whats good about this camera is that it has a guide mode. use it and become familiar with iy. its a big help. once you get used to the automatic-scene modes then you can venture out on all M,A,S,P modes..
Happy Shooting
Hi, this was a great tip, however, I have trouble uploading these b&w pics to my macbook. For some reason iPhoto imports it in color. Do you a way around this? Thanks!
I love Nikon D3100
how do i get people and their dresses in color and background in black and white?
with an editing process its not on the camera that i kno of
thanks dude , it’s really helpful :)
Ok this is probably crazy…but I followed the directions to get it to
B& W but now I can’t get it back to color…lol. It even gave me the option of resetting to default setting and I clicked ok and it won’t reset… it still is in Black and White…help please.
I did not know this. Great website–thanks for all of the information. I’ve only shot a few B&W shots with my D3100–used Lightroom for the converstion. It will be interesting to see if using the B&W setting in camera will lead to a richer look. Thanks.
I am a (very) old school photo buff who became very proficient on 35mm film cameras. I have a couple of Minolta SRT-101s which are older than anyone on this page! I could never make the transition to digital cams because I missed the control of the older ones. I’ve purchased a new digital every two years since they first came out, but just used them on Auto just like a phone camera. I’d rather shoot with film and have a professional processing house develop the roll and put on a CD at the highest res possible, then “fix it in the mix” with Adobe PhotoShop. But I just bought a Nikon D3100 DSLR and I have tried to take my time to READ the instruction manual. THANK GOD FOR YOUR THREAD HERE!!! I don’t have the patience to get to page 154 just to figure out how to shoot in black & white! In fact, at my age I probably don’t have that much time left! LOL I will continue reading the manual (too bad it’s not in audiobook format!). However, in the meantime, I will be making good use of your great info here. Thanks again!
Hey 1Diva1:
You are not alone. I came up on Mamiya 2-1/4X 2-1/4, Minolta SRT-101s, and Pentax in 35mm SLR, and I, too, feel outpaced by the digital revolution. I just found this Website and hope to figure out how to get depth-of-field, focus where I want it, and “shutter speeds” that capture the motion I am looking for.
Getting older is wonderful, but aging sucks.
Forgive me, but I don’t really see how the concepts of Shutter Speed, Aperture, or even really ISO have changed that much between film and digital. Those “Shutter Speeds”, just like on film cameras still operate the same. Theres a sensor behind the shutter instead of film. But the settings aren’t any different…Depth-of-Field? Still controlled by Aperture, which yet again operates exactly the same as film cameras….Heck, ISO still even behaves the same. Different theory behind it, but its still the same settings. All of the same theory still applies in this big ole’ confusing digital world as it did in the film world. Sunny 16 rule? Unchanged. All of it is the same. The only thing thats different is the inclusion of menu’s and LCD screens, which greatly simplify things since you can instantly see what you get instead of waiting for development, which further expedites the learning process, and shortens the learning curve. So I dont quite understand what you two are saying, Especially Ken’s comment, referencing “Shutter speeds” like its some kind of new pesky advent of the digital age. It would be different if changing any of the big 3 settings were incredibly hard….but its just the turn of a wheel, and the setting is on the screen in HUGE typeface most of the time, so it’s even easier to see than in the old days. Not trying to be a troll, but I seriously don’t get these comments since they seem to be directing more confusion towards the basic theory of photography than the operation of menu’s or other features more specific to digital camera’s only.
Honestly it sounds to me like your having to learn the theory behind correct exposure via controlling Shutter, Aperture, and ISO for the first time instead of digital specific operation…just sayin’
as always very helpful………
thanks moose
Hello- just found this blog and wanted to tell you how much i enjoy it and am finding it very helpful! I have the D3100 and love it but was not looking forward to reading a boring manual ..you make it so easy! keep up the good work!
Deb
thank u so much….
hi there
can u tell me what lens i need to use when there is no subject to focus on, i was unable to take a photo of a rainbow
many thanks
hi there
can you help what lens do i need for when there is no subject to focus on, i was trying to take a photo of a rainbow but was unable too thanks
Hi! I just got the d3100 for my birthday and I am obsessed. I haven’t put it down. I am happy to have stumbled upon your blog because I need the help! When I follow you instructions to shoot in black and white and go to click on Set Pictire Control, my camera says ” option is Not available with current settings”. What am I missing here? thanks for the help !
Hi Diana…The B&W setting is only applicable with P, S, A or M modes…maybe you had your settings on other automatic modes(Auto,Close-Up,Potrait…)….
Hi I have a d3100 and i am also getting the message this option is not available. Have tried changing the settings but no luck??? can you help???
Hey i’m loving these great tips. Learning every second. Started off knowing very little and now i’m coming on a treat. Thanks again
this was awesome – just subscribed – i appreciate this info…
thank you.
Thank you so much for this info. I just got this camera and have been reading the manual but it just feels too complicated. I never thought that this camera had b/w on it. I enjoy being creative with my photo’s. Any other suggestions to get a edited/creative photo?
Thanks.
Amazin…page!! lotsa info. thanks so much for such an informative responses to the questions fired at u ;) trust me its really helpful.
I have a query too like everyone on this page. i want to kno whts “Y / O / R / G” in Shooting Menu>>Set Picture Control>>Monochrome>>Filter effects.
How does it work & what difference each make on selection. I tried each at a time keeping other settings same but cudnt see any markable change. DO i have to club any setting change with it?? please notify-what are these options for??
I’m going to be shooting inside a museum and cant afford the external flash yet……..if I use manual mode, the shutter is too slow to do without a tripod any other tricks you can recommend?
Also…is the image quality better to acutially shoot in BW with the D3100 or will I get the same result if I convert in photoshop?
Thanks so much for doing this!
Karen
When i have chosen MC, then what do I do to highlight the Toning effect??? Please answer, I really need help.
The B&W mode can be extended so that you can shoot in B&W AND still have the colour file – HOW? – Choose The option to shoot in RAW and jpeg. Adjust for B&W then Shoot the image and 2 files are produced, the B&W as a jpeg and the RAW with all its colour data intact. This works for tonal sepia shots as well.
Thx for the tip =D +1 for you!
thanks moose that black and wihite worked perfect
I took some great pictures in b&w, however I would like to convert them back to color. Is there a way to do this??
I took some great pictures in b&w, however I would like to convert them back to color. Is there a way to do this??
I just got the nikon d3100 camera for my birthday and was wondering if you could make the picture any other effect then black and white. My friend has a canon camera and it does different effects….
Hi Moose – had D3100 bought for me at Christmas – my first ever SLR in fact not done too much photography up to now. Just done a beginners day at Nikon in Kingston and starting to understand the features but like other comments, it was driving me mad that although I had been shown, I couldn’t remember how to do black and white. Your site had it sorted in seconds – brill. Off to explore what else it can do now.
One quick question though – is there a difference between shooting in black and white, and shooting normally and later editing in iphoto or Aperture to make it black and white etc?
Thanks again
no, none at all :)
Thank you, a so small hint, it was driving me nuts. I have never had a digital camera, still using film. At 67yrs I was raised on B&W and wanted to take B&W photos. The salesman whizzed through it. I knew I had seen him do it, but I’ll be damned if I could do it at home.
Now I got it! Though I didn’t see that additional menu line of “Toning” effect, but I did get black and white when I chose “Monochrome”.
thank you
Hi Moose,
is it possible to shoot a black and white with portion of colored? a good example is your sample photo, i want to higlight a red lips for the girl the rest is black and white..is it possible with D3100? or is it done thru Photoshop?
Howdy JB,
You won’t be able to do it with the D3100, however, you can do it using PicNik (software by Google) using the ‘Effect Painting’ feature (see here).
- Moose
Thank you for this info. I am a 64 year novice and thought I was losing my mind trying to find B/W mode on my new camera. The users manual that came with my d3100 on 3/15/11 only goes to page 69. I will go back to town tomorrow, 60 miles round trip, and see if I can buy a accessory manual.
Mine says nothing about B/W mode!
Howdy Newly,
Glad you enjoyed it! Before making the trip, try downloading the D3100 PDF manual provided by Nikon. You can also get a printable version from Nikon’s website. Happy shooting!
- Moose
Moose, was surious if i go in a adjust some of the setting like the shutter speed, how di i get it back to the default setting? I have not tried this because someone at work told me when they had they bought their camera several years ago they got it so messed up they had to take it to a camera shop to have them put it back on the default settings…soooo they have me nervous to go in there experimenting..i want a professionals opinion:)
Cynthia,
Not sure what the person at work told you, but you won’t “mess-up” your D3100 by selecting a shutter speed. If you’re in shutter priority (S mode) you can select the appropriate shutter by rotating the small command dial on the back of your camera. If you don’t want to shoot in shutter priority, just rotate the mode dial to ‘P’ mode or Auto mode and the D3100 will select the appropriate shutter speed automatically regardless of what you selected in shutter priority mode.
- Moose
Thanks so much. I’ve been looking everywhere to find out how to do this! Thanks for saying so I could understand. I am an extreme novice!
-pics
Pics,
Glad you found the tip helpful! I’ve got more on the way, stay tuned…happy shooting!
- Moose
Any tips on settings when shooting with the d3100 attached to a telescope, cheers
Brody,
If you’re shooting planets and stars, you’ll want to enable aperture priority mode (page 76 of the Nikon D3100 manual) and select f/11 or higher. This will lengthen the depth of field so distant subjects are in focus. You’ll also want to enable manual focus, take a test shot and play back the image to ensure focus is accurate. With subjects that far away, autofocus is a bit unreliable. Lastly, you’ll want to get your hands off the camera to reduce camera shake. You can do this by enabling the self-timer (clock icon next to the switch on top of the camera). Happy shooting!
- Moose
I just bought this camera last night and I love taking photos in black and white, thank you so much for the information!
Sarah,
I’m glad to hear the info was helpful to you…happy shooting!
- Moose
Thanx a lot… I thought the camera doesn’t have a B/W option.
Samraat,
Glad you found the tutorial helpful…happy shooting!
- Moose
same here samraat.. THANKS!:)
Thanks for this forum, I look forward to your new topics. I just got my D3100 and still trying to figure out settings for setting an indoor setting like a party with loosing the lighting inside the room. Neatless to say, Im still trying. Any tips?
Also, has anyone use the FISH EYE feature looked in the menu?
Thanks!
becks
Howdy Beckster,
Glad you found the site…I do have lots of tips and tutorials on the way, just been busy with the holidays. To answer your question about low light shots, you might want to experiment with Night Portrait mode (little icon on the mode dial of a person next to a star). In this mode, the D3100 will slow the shutter speed down to capture ambient light and at the same time it will illuminate your subject with the built-in flash. You can use this mode for shooting portraits, group shots and really anything indoors or in low light.
If you want to get rid of the flash completely and shoot only with natural light, then I recommend shooting in shutter priority mode (‘S’ on the mode dial). In shutter priority mode, you select the shutter speed and the D3100 selects the appropriate aperture automatically to give you an accurate exposure.
For party shots of people (hand held with no flash), you’ll want a shutter speed no slower than 1/60 of a second. Any slower and your images will be affected by subject blur and camera shake.
You’ll also want to enable Auto ISO for P,S,A and M modes, along with setting the maximum Auto ISO setting to 3200. You can reference page 132 of the Nikon D3100 manual for more information.
As for the Fish-Eye setting, it’s a creative retouching tool included with the D3100 that gives the look of an image taken by a fish-eye lens. Happy shooting!
- Moose
Thank you, I was starting to think I spent all this money for nothing. Very nice of you to post this info
Vito,
Glad you enjoyed the post…happy shooting!
- Moose