A method and apparatus for generating a grayscale image. The method and apparatus receive a single value. From the single value, the method and apparatus generate a set of grayscale weighting values. The method and apparatus generate the grayscale based on a color image and the set of grayscale weighting values. By limiting the number of values to a single value, the method and apparatus prevents a user from arbitrarily selecting a number of possible weighting values which could result in a grayscale image that is too dim or too bright. This single control method and apparatus quickly and efficiently produces a grayscale image that is neither too bright nor too dim.