What is the best Core Image filter to produce black and white effects?

Question

I am using Core Image and would like to produce a black and white effect on the chosen image.

Ideally I would like to have access to the same sort of options that a

Answer 1

here is example with CIColorMonochrome

- (UIImage *)imageBlackAndWhite
{
    CIImage *beginImage = [CIImage imageWithCGImage:self.CGImage];

    CIImage *output = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"CIColorMonochrome" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, beginImage, @"inputIntensity", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:1.0], @"inputColor", [[CIColor alloc] initWithColor:[UIColor whiteColor]], nil].outputImage;

    CIContext *context = [CIContext contextWithOptions:nil];
    CGImageRef cgiimage = [context createCGImage:output fromRect:output.extent];
    UIImage *newImage = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:cgiimage scale:self.scale orientation:self.imageOrientation];

    CGImageRelease(cgiimage);

    return newImage;
}

Answer 2

With regard to the answers suggesting to use CIColorMonochrome: There now are a few dedicated grayscale filters available from iOS7 (and OS X 10.9):

• CIPhotoEffectTonal

  imitate black-and-white photography film without significantly altering contrast.

• CIPhotoEffectNoir:

  imitate black-and-white photography film with exaggerated contrast

Source: https://developer.apple.com/library/mac/documentation/GraphicsImaging/Reference/CoreImageFilterReference/index.html

Answer 3

Here is the most liked answer from @Shmidt written as an UIImage extension with a performance update in Swift:

import CoreImage

extension UIImage
{
    func imageBlackAndWhite() -> UIImage?
    {
        if let beginImage = CoreImage.CIImage(image: self)
        {
            let paramsColor: [String : AnyObject] = [kCIInputBrightnessKey: NSNumber(double: 0.0),
                                                     kCIInputContrastKey:   NSNumber(double: 1.1),
                                                     kCIInputSaturationKey: NSNumber(double: 0.0)]
            let blackAndWhite = beginImage.imageByApplyingFilter("CIColorControls", withInputParameters: paramsColor)

            let paramsExposure: [String : AnyObject] = [kCIInputEVKey: NSNumber(double: 0.7)]
            let output = blackAndWhite.imageByApplyingFilter("CIExposureAdjust", withInputParameters: paramsExposure)

            let processedCGImage = CIContext().createCGImage(output, fromRect: output.extent)
            return UIImage(CGImage: processedCGImage, scale: self.scale, orientation: self.imageOrientation)
        }
        return nil
    }
}

Answer 4

Here is the top rated solution converted to Swift (iOS 7 and above):

func blackAndWhiteImage(image: UIImage) -> UIImage {
    let context = CIContext(options: nil)
    let ciImage = CoreImage.CIImage(image: image)!

    // Set image color to b/w
    let bwFilter = CIFilter(name: "CIColorControls")!
    bwFilter.setValuesForKeysWithDictionary([kCIInputImageKey:ciImage, kCIInputBrightnessKey:NSNumber(float: 0.0), kCIInputContrastKey:NSNumber(float: 1.1), kCIInputSaturationKey:NSNumber(float: 0.0)])
    let bwFilterOutput = (bwFilter.outputImage)!

    // Adjust exposure
    let exposureFilter = CIFilter(name: "CIExposureAdjust")!
    exposureFilter.setValuesForKeysWithDictionary([kCIInputImageKey:bwFilterOutput, kCIInputEVKey:NSNumber(float: 0.7)])
    let exposureFilterOutput = (exposureFilter.outputImage)!

    // Create UIImage from context
    let bwCGIImage = context.createCGImage(exposureFilterOutput, fromRect: ciImage.extent)
    let resultImage = UIImage(CGImage: bwCGIImage, scale: 1.0, orientation: image.imageOrientation)

    return resultImage
}

Answer 5

macOS (NSImage) Swift 3 version of @FBente's conversion of @Shmidt's answer:

extension NSImage
{
    func imageBlackAndWhite() -> NSImage?
    {
        if let cgImage = self.cgImage(forProposedRect: nil, context: nil, hints: nil)
        {
            let beginImage = CIImage.init(cgImage: cgImage)
            let paramsColor: [String : AnyObject] = [kCIInputBrightnessKey: NSNumber(value: 0.0),
                                                     kCIInputContrastKey:   NSNumber(value: 1.1),
                                                     kCIInputSaturationKey: NSNumber(value: 0.0)]
            let blackAndWhite = beginImage.applyingFilter("CIColorControls", withInputParameters: paramsColor)

            let paramsExposure: [String : AnyObject] = [kCIInputEVKey: NSNumber(value: 0.7)]
            let output = blackAndWhite.applyingFilter("CIExposureAdjust", withInputParameters: paramsExposure)

            if let processedCGImage = CIContext().createCGImage(output, from: output.extent) {
                return NSImage(cgImage: processedCGImage, size: self.size)
            }
        }
        return nil
    }
}

Answer 6

- (UIImage *)imageBlackAndWhite
{
    CIImage *beginImage = [CIImage imageWithCGImage:self.CGImage];

    CIImage *blackAndWhite = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"CIColorControls" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, beginImage, @"inputBrightness", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:0.0], @"inputContrast", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:1.1], @"inputSaturation", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:0.0], nil].outputImage;
    CIImage *output = [CIFilter filterWithName:@"CIExposureAdjust" keysAndValues:kCIInputImageKey, blackAndWhite, @"inputEV", [NSNumber numberWithFloat:0.7], nil].outputImage; 

    CIContext *context = [CIContext contextWithOptions:nil];
    CGImageRef cgiimage = [context createCGImage:output fromRect:output.extent];
    //UIImage *newImage = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:cgiimage];
    UIImage *newImage = [UIImage imageWithCGImage:cgiimage scale:image.scale orientation:image.imageOrientation];
    CGImageRelease(cgiimage);

    return newImage;
}

Upd.: For iOS6 there is CIColorMonochrome filter, but I played with it and found it not so good as mine.