diff --git a/src/io/iter_image_recordio-inl.hpp b/src/io/iter_image_recordio-inl.hpp
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index 50f5c287..6b87e9ae
--- a/src/io/iter_image_recordio-inl.hpp
+++ b/src/io/iter_image_recordio-inl.hpp
@@ -163,6 +163,8 @@ class ImageRecordIOParser {
   dmlc::InputSplit *source_;
   /*! \brief label information, if any */
   ImageLabelMap *label_map_;
+  /*! \brief forces to load images as grey */
+  int as_grey_;
 };
 
 inline void ImageRecordIOParser::Init(void) {
@@ -210,6 +212,9 @@ SetParam(const char *name, const char *val) {
   if (!strcmp(name, "label_width")) {
     label_width_ = atoi(val);
   }
+  if (!strcmp(name, "as_grey")) {
+    as_grey_ = atoi(val);
+  }
 }
 
 inline bool ImageRecordIOParser::
@@ -233,18 +238,36 @@ ParseNext(std::vector<InstVector> *out_vec) {
       cv::Mat res;
       rec.Load(blob.dptr, blob.size);
       cv::Mat buf(1, rec.content_size, CV_8U, rec.content);
-      res = cv::imdecode(buf, 1);
+      if (as_grey_ == 1) {
+        res = cv::imdecode(buf, CV_LOAD_IMAGE_GRAYSCALE);
+      } else {
+        res = cv::imdecode(buf, 1);
+      }
       res = augmenters_[tid]->Process(res, prnds_[tid]);
-      out.Push(static_cast<unsigned>(rec.image_index()),
-               mshadow::Shape3(3, res.rows, res.cols),
-               mshadow::Shape1(label_width_));
+      if (as_grey_ == 1) {
+        out.Push(static_cast<unsigned>(rec.image_index()),
+                 mshadow::Shape3(1, res.rows, res.cols),
+                 mshadow::Shape1(label_width_));
+      } else {
+        out.Push(static_cast<unsigned>(rec.image_index()),
+                 mshadow::Shape3(3, res.rows, res.cols),
+                 mshadow::Shape1(label_width_));        
+      }
       DataInst inst = out.Back();
-      for (int i = 0; i < res.rows; ++i) {
-        for (int j = 0; j < res.cols; ++j) {
-          cv::Vec3b bgr = res.at<cv::Vec3b>(i, j);
-          inst.data[0][i][j] = bgr[2];
-          inst.data[1][i][j] = bgr[1];
-          inst.data[2][i][j] = bgr[0];
+      if (as_grey_ == 1) {
+        for (int i = 0; i < res.rows; ++i) {
+          for (int j = 0; j < res.cols; ++j) {
+            inst.data[0][i][j] = res.at<uchar>(i, j);
+          }
+        }      
+      } else {
+        for (int i = 0; i < res.rows; ++i) {
+          for (int j = 0; j < res.cols; ++j) {
+            cv::Vec3b bgr = res.at<cv::Vec3b>(i, j);
+            inst.data[0][i][j] = bgr[2];
+            inst.data[1][i][j] = bgr[1];
+            inst.data[2][i][j] = bgr[0];
+          }
         }
       }
       if (label_map_ != NULL) {
diff --git a/src/io/iter_img-inl.hpp b/src/io/iter_img-inl.hpp
old mode 100644
new mode 100755
index ad403dc8..a80ce0c2
--- a/src/io/iter_img-inl.hpp
+++ b/src/io/iter_img-inl.hpp
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ class ImageIterator : public IIterator< DataInst >{
     shuffle_ = 0;
     data_index_ = 0;
     label_width_ = 1;
+    as_grey_ = 0;
   }
   virtual ~ImageIterator(void) {
     if(fplst_ != NULL) fclose(fplst_);
@@ -35,6 +36,8 @@ class ImageIterator : public IIterator< DataInst >{
     if(!strcmp(name, "silent"  ))  silent_ = atoi(val);
     if(!strcmp(name, "shuffle"  ))  shuffle_ = atoi(val);
     if(!strcmp(name, "label_width"  ))  label_width_ = atoi(val);
+    if(!strcmp(name, "as_grey"  ))  as_grey_ = atoi(val);
+
   }
   virtual void Init(void) {
     fplst_  = utils::FopenCheck(path_imglst_.c_str(), "r");
@@ -70,11 +73,11 @@ class ImageIterator : public IIterator< DataInst >{
     if (data_index_ < static_cast<int>(order_.size())) {
       size_t index = order_[data_index_];
       if (path_imgdir_.length() == 0) {
-        LoadImage(img_, out_, filenames_[index].c_str());
+        LoadImage(img_, out_, filenames_[index].c_str(), as_grey_);
       } else {
         char sname[256];
         sprintf(sname, "%s%s", path_imgdir_.c_str(), filenames_[index].c_str());
-        LoadImage(img_, out_, sname);
+        LoadImage(img_, out_, sname, as_grey_);
       }
       out_.index = index_list_[index];
       mshadow::Tensor<cpu, 1> label_(&(labels_[0]) + label_width_ * index,
@@ -92,16 +95,39 @@ class ImageIterator : public IIterator< DataInst >{
   inline static void LoadImage(mshadow::TensorContainer<cpu,3> &img, 
           DataInst &out,
           const char *fname) {
-    cv::Mat res = cv::imread(fname);
+    LoadImage(img, out, fname, 0);
+  }
+  
+  inline static void LoadImage(mshadow::TensorContainer<cpu,3> &img, 
+          DataInst &out,
+          const char *fname, int as_grey_) {
+    cv::Mat res;
+
+    if (as_grey_) {
+      res = cv::imread(fname, CV_LOAD_IMAGE_GRAYSCALE);
+    } else {
+      res = cv::imread(fname);
+    }
     CHECK(res.data != NULL) << "LoadImage: Reading image" << fname << "failed.";
-    img.Resize(mshadow::Shape3(3, res.rows, res.cols));
-    for(index_t y = 0; y < img.size(1); ++y) {
-      for(index_t x = 0; x < img.size(2); ++x) {
-        cv::Vec3b bgr = res.at<cv::Vec3b>(y, x);
-        // store in RGB order
-        img[2][y][x] = bgr[0];
-        img[1][y][x] = bgr[1];
-        img[0][y][x] = bgr[2];
+
+    if (as_grey_) {
+      img.Resize(mshadow::Shape3(1, res.rows, res.cols));
+      for(index_t y = 0; y < img.size(1); ++y) {
+        for(index_t x = 0; x < img.size(2); ++x) {
+          img[0][y][x] = res.at<uchar>(y, x);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+    else {
+      img.Resize(mshadow::Shape3(3, res.rows, res.cols));
+      for(index_t y = 0; y < img.size(1); ++y) {
+        for(index_t x = 0; x < img.size(2); ++x) {
+          cv::Vec3b bgr = res.at<cv::Vec3b>(y, x);
+          // store in RGB order
+          img[2][y][x] = bgr[0];
+          img[1][y][x] = bgr[1];
+          img[0][y][x] = bgr[2];
+        }
       }
     }
     out.data = img;
@@ -125,6 +151,8 @@ class ImageIterator : public IIterator< DataInst >{
   int label_width_;
   // denotes the current data index
   int data_index_;
+  // forces to load images as grey scale
+  int as_grey_;
   // stores the reading orders
   std::vector<int> order_;
   // stores the labels of data