What is the difference between grayscale and black and white?

Technically, true black and white has only two colors: pure black and pure white, with no shades in between. This is commonly used in line art and simple graphics. Grayscale contains 256 shades of gray, from pure white to solid black, allowing for smooth gradients and realistic tonal transitions. However, most people use the terms interchangeably for photography and image editing. When you convert to grayscale, you get a full range of gray tones that preserve detail and contrast, resulting in more natural-looking images compared to simple black and white bitmaps. Our tool creates true grayscale for professional results.