Colorize black-and-white photos — see them the way they really looked

How to use the colorize black-and-white photos

1. Step 1

   Upload the black-and-white photo

   A scan or a straight-on phone photo of the print, JPG, PNG or WebP up to 8 MB. Sepia and toned prints work too.

2. Step 2

   Add what you know

   The prompt starts ready. If you remember a detail, write it: “her dress was pale blue, the car was dark red, he had grey eyes”.

3. Step 3

   Check and keep the original

   Compare the color version with the scan and keep both. Generate again for a different take on the colors.

Why colorized photos feel so close

A black-and-white photo puts a distance between us and the people in it: it reads as history. Color takes that distance away. Grandparents suddenly look like people you could meet, a wedding from 1952 looks like a summer afternoon, and children recognize their own features in a great-grandparent's face. That's why colorized family photos are so often the ones that make people stop and say nothing for a moment.

Colorizing works on any monochrome print: studio portraits, snapshots, wedding photos, military portraits, school photos, old houses and street scenes. Sepia and cyanotype-toned prints are treated the same way.

How the colors are chosen

A black-and-white photo doesn't record color, so every colorization is an informed reconstruction. The model reads the era, the fabrics, the light and the setting and picks colors that are plausible for the time: muted wools in the 1940s, pastel prints in the 1950s, warm interiors with wood and wallpaper. Skin tones are kept natural rather than doll-like.

Family memory beats any model. If you know grandpa's eyes were blue or the front door was green, say so in the prompt and the result follows it. Ask an older relative before you colorize; the conversation about what color things were is often as precious as the picture.

Colorize, restore or both

This page keeps the cleanup light: dust and small scratches go, but the photo's character stays. If the print is creased, torn, stained or badly faded, use restore old photos instead, which repairs damage and colorizes in one go.

For the most natural result, start from the best scan you can make. Grain and soft focus are fine and part of the period; heavy glare from a glossy print or a phone shadow across the photo is what really hurts the colors.

Honest about what color adds

Because the colors are reconstructed, label colorized photos as such when you share them, especially for family history, genealogy or anything presented as a historical record. Keep the black-and-white original alongside the color version in your archive, and note who is in the photo and when it was taken while someone still remembers.

Then, if you like, let the picture move: bring old photos to life turns the colorized still into a short clip where the people blink and smile again.

What it costs

Each colorization uses 20 credits on the model this page starts on. New accounts get 70 free credits with no card, enough for about 3 photos, and 35 more each day they visit. Free results carry a small watermark; Starter removes it and costs $4.99 for the first month if you've never paid.

Tips for better results

• Ask older relatives what colors things really were and put it in the prompt.
• Use the restore page instead for creased, torn or stained prints.
• Keep the black-and-white original next to the color version.
• Label colorized photos when sharing them as family history.
• Avoid glare on glossy prints; it shows up as false color.

FAQ

Only use photos you have the right to use. See our safety guidelines.