Features & Capabilities

With an all new experience using classic 35mm SLR style dial controls, Simply B&W is an easy and simple way to turn your colour shots into dramatic black and white photos

Simply Photography. Simply B&W.

An easy and simple way to turn your colour shots into dramatic black and white photos. Explore tone, brightness and contrast to re-visualise your images on your iOS device.

Learn to look in monochrome and develop your own interpretation of reality.

Try SimplyB&W Today!


Features:

  • Classic SLR style editing controls in a single view. 
  • Tap or dial in adjustments to the exposure, brightness and contrast of the image.
  • Add simulated film grain.
  • Select from 6 different coloured lens filters to enhance certain colours and shades in a photo.
  • Preserve EXIF and Geolocation data.
  • Outputs images in full resolution.

What App Reviewers say:

LifeInLoFi "With minimal fuss, Simply B&W quickly creates rich, great looking black and white photos."

AppAdvice "This sleek and simple app provides a minimalistic user interface that is intuitive and filled with plenty of powerful features. It also stays out of the way so that the focus is all on your images rather than the app itself. Weve been enjoying making classy black-and-white photos with SimplyB&W over the past few days. If you feel like seeing the world through black-and-white, then you need to give SimplyB&W a try for yourself."

Mashable.com "This well-designed, capable app provides just what you need to create stunning, classic black-and-white photos on your iPhone"

ComboApps Blog "If you want to make beautiful black and whites with one app, then Simply B&W is the only app you will ever need"

appotography.com "Given the overabundance of black and white converters in the App Store, Simply B&W can easily go unnoticed. As a matter of fact, although I am mostly devoted to black and white photography, I had overlooked this app myself. However, as far as the value of Simply B&W is concerned, I am quite sure iPhone black and white enthusiasts will enjoy this app quite a bit"

icommephoto.com "In a few words: app creation of black and white as simple and elegant, Simply B & W produces natural results and well balanced. An excellent choice of its kind!"

iosphotoapps.com "The beauty of this app is the simplicity. You just choose from one of the five color filters, and then tweak brightness/contrast"

iphoneography.com "Simply B&W is definitely a simple to use app that is very capable of producing some really nice black and white images, either directly from the camera itself, or existing photos. Whilst it doesn't offer the features found in some of the more advanced black and white apps, what it does offer, it does well"

Babble.com #9 in the Top 25 iPhone Photo Apps for Parents of 2011 "This app provides helpful advice on which filter to choose and easily has the best image quality of any other app of its kind. It also has a magical power to make a wild, screaming child look serious, astute, and brooding..."

User Growth & Download Statistics

App
By:
James Moore
Rating:
3.80
(28)
0.70
Version:
3.0 Last updated: 2019-12-23
Version code:
833921982
Creation date:
2013-02-22
Compatible devices:
Size:
8.51MB
URLs:
Website ,Privacy policy
Full description:
See detailed description
Source:
Apple Apps Store
Data ingested on:
2026-06-04
Compare stats and ranking:

Contact the developer

Chrome-Stats does not own this Apple app. Please use these information below to contact the Apple app developer.
Developed by:
James Moore
Apple Apps Store
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/simply-b-w/id601916620
Website:
http://fotosyn.com/

User Reviews

Users praise Simply B&W for its simple, effective workflow and high-quality monochrome conversions, with standout grain realism and film-stock style filters. The ability to save custom presets and easily adjust tonal shifts is frequently highlighted. However, several recurring issues temper the enthusiasm: concerns about infrequent updates or abandonment, crashes during save or upload, and a border/frame feature that crops images (with calls to disable or remove borders). Overall, the app excels for straightforward B&W work but would benefit from more frequent maintenance, improved stability, and more flexible border options.
Pros
  • Simple, intuitive user interface that makes B&W work easy
  • High-quality monochrome conversion with strong tonal control
  • Realistic grain simulation, often regarded as best among mobile apps
  • Filters that emulate classic film stocks and allow color-channel emphasis
  • Ability to save and reuse custom presets for consistent results
Cons
  • Perceived lack of ongoing updates; app feels abandoned or overdue for updates
  • Crashes when saving or uploading files
  • Borders/frames are added and crop the image; users want the option to disable or remove borders
Recent reviews
I have been looking for an app like this for years ! If you are an artist who works from photos and you have photos with poor contrast, this is the app you want.
by Ty*****, 2025-06-21

What’s the point of having both a shutter speed adjustment and an exposure adjustment - the both do exactly the same thing! A redundant waste of space. AND, where’s the option to choose NO filter? It used to exist. I can see where by increasing ISO you thereby increase grain, but unless you’re a photographer you might no know or understand that. Are you just adding or changing features for the sake of change without adding usefulness? A BIG miss! UPDATE: In response to the developer’s response - that still makes NO sense! Why not just call UV No Filter (NF) if that’s what it s or supposed to be? And, using Shutter to adjust brightness and contrast (doubtful) is just ridiculous! As a working professional photographer for over 40 years it’s my opinion that you’ve gone backwards with your app.
by 2c*****, 2020-02-02

I loved how the filters let you emphasize different parts of a photo by using color channels. I am not too keen on the new 35mm camera style interface, wish there was an option to toggle back to the old interface.
by Se*****, 2019-12-31
View all user reviews ›

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