Greyscale module

The Greyscale module visually converts a page or an area of the document to monochrome, using a filter adjustable in intensity and mode (pure grey, sepia, high-contrast black and white). Unlike the "Gray Tone" Quartz filter offered in the Compression module, this module offers finer control and lets you target specific areas of a page rather than the whole document. It is available from the Conversion category of the Dashboard.

Processing scope

The Scope selector defines the working area:

Whole page

The conversion applies to the entire current page. A processing area covering the full dimensions of the page is created automatically.

Areas

The conversion applies only to the rectangles you place on the page. The Add area button creates a 200 × 200 point rectangle in the center of the current page, which you can then move and resize directly in the PDF view.

Several areas can coexist on the same page; they all share the same mode and intensity parameters.

Tip: use Areas mode to keep the color of a logo or a signature while desaturating the rest of the page (by placing an area covering everything except the logo, or by isolating the logo with an area at intensity 0).

Filter style

The Style section offers two main controls:

Mode

A menu lets you choose between three treatments:

• Greyscale: the classic conversion to a grey scale (weighted luminance), keeping the shades;
• Sepia: a warm tint reminiscent of old photographs;
• Black & White: desaturation, then a strong contrast push — light tones go to white, dark tones to black, and only mid greys keep a nuance. On a page of text the result approaches a threshold without being one: half-tones are stretched, not cut. A contrasty, typographic effect suited to printing with one or two ink levels.

Intensity

A slider from 0% to 100% determines the extent of the desaturation:

• 0%: no visible change (the filter is technically present but has no effect);
• 50%: a blend halfway between the original image and the desaturated version;
• 100% (default): total desaturation according to the chosen mode.

Intermediate values are useful for subtly toning down the colors without losing all chromatic information.

Presets

The module has a presets system for storing a mode + intensity + scope combination:

• Save: type a name in the Preset name field, then click the + button on the right;
• Selecting a preset applies it immediately and switches the module to its parameters;
• Update: replaces the content of the selected preset with the current values;
• Delete: permanently removes the preset.

The last preset used is reloaded automatically the next time the module is opened.

Applying

The apply buttons vary according to the chosen scope:

In Whole page mode

• Apply to page: confirms the filter on the current page;
• Apply to all: extends the identical filter to every page of the document.

In Areas mode

• Add area: creates a new processing rectangle on the current page.

Changes are visible immediately in the preview on the left: the filter is rendered in real time as you adjust the intensity, the mode or the scope.

Confirming and history

When you click Done (footer), the filter is integrated into the document as a persistent annotation:

• a checkpoint is added to the History;
• the document moves into pending changes;
• the changes become permanent once they have been explicitly saved through the Save button on the Dashboard (⌘S).

The Back button closes the module without confirming the change in progress.

Difference from the "Gray Tone" Quartz filter

In short: use this module for a carefully controlled visual effect; use the Quartz filter to optimize the size of the document.

Best practices

• Keep a color copy if you plan to reuse the document later with a different visual identity;
• Sepia is particularly suited to bringing out documents with a historical or nostalgic character;
• Black & White wipes out the light stains of an old document, but also the grey fills of a chart: compare it with Greyscale on a representative page before extending the treatment to the whole document;
• For technical drawings where color carries meaning (a legend), avoid greyscale conversion — prefer an export to images with resolution control instead.