Photo Colorizer

Colorize a black-and-white photo

Natural, period-appropriate colour added to a monochrome photo — skin, fabric, foliage and sky each judged separately.

Natural skin tonesHistorical photosOne upload

10 credits

Why use Photo Colorizer

Add natural colour to a black-and-white photo.

A 1940s photograph gets 1940s colour. Clothing, paintwork and interiors are read in context rather than tinted at random.

Skin is where colourisation usually goes wrong. It gets the most attention here.

Wool, brick, grass and sky are each given colour appropriate to what they are, which is what stops the result looking hand-tinted.

Colour is added over the original tones — the sharpness and grain of the photograph stay as they were.

Are the colours historically accurate?: They are plausible, not documented. Nothing in a black-and-white photo records the actual colour of a dress, so treat the result as a considered interpretation.
Should I restore the photo first?: If the print is scratched or faded, run Restore Old Photo first and colorize the repaired version. The results are noticeably better.
Does it work on sepia photos?: Yes. Sepia and other single-tone prints colorize as well as pure black-and-white.
Can I change a colour I do not like?: Not directly. Running it again produces a different interpretation, which is usually the quickest route.
What about a photo that is already in colour?: Use Photo Enhance instead — that is the tool for correcting colour that is already there.

Your first generation is free.