Black-and-White Colorizer
Give a black-and-white photo natural, period-true color
4 free credits on sign-up — your first Standard image with any tool, no card required.
- 01Upload a black-and-white or sepia photo, scanned or photographed flat
- 02Press Make and let the tool choose period-appropriate colors
- 03Compare with the original, then adjust colors in words or download
Drag the handle: the uploaded photo on the left, what the tool made on the right.
Black-and-white pictures keep people at a distance; color brings them into the room. The Black-and-White Colorizer adds realistic, historically plausible color to any monochrome photo. Colorize a great-grandmother's portrait for a family tree, refresh a wartime snapshot for a memorial slideshow, turn a 1950s street scene into a framed print, or give a vintage team photo new life for an anniversary post. The tool chooses natural skin tones, believable fabric and building colors and a palette that suits the period, then applies them without touching anything else. Faces, grain, texture and every fine detail remain as they were, so the picture still feels like a photograph from its own decade, just in color.
No color picker is involved. The tool reads clues in the image, such as the kind of fabric, the era of the clothing, the material of a wall or the species of a tree, and assigns colors that fit. Skin gets warm, varied tones rather than a flat tint; skies lean toward the muted blues of old film; uniforms and signage are given colors consistent with the time. When the result is ready, hit the Compare button to flip between the gray original and the colored version. Check that faces have life in them and that no color has bled across an edge. If a dress or car should be a specific color you know from memory, tell the studio in a quick edit.
On the canvas, the colored photo is a new image of its own. From there, describe a change in words, such as making the coat navy instead of brown; upscale it for a large print; or make a short video that fades from gray to color for a family video. If the original was also damaged, run Old Photo Restorer first or after, whichever suits. Every colorization costs 4 credits on Standard, 12 on Pro and 44 on Max. Registration comes with 4 free credits, so the first Standard colorization is free and you can start without a card.
What you set
- Your black-and-white photo
After it's made
- Change details with a sentence, or hand it to any other tool
- Standard, Pro and Max quality on every make
- Enlarge to 32 megapixels or turn it into a short clip
- Every image saved to your library, downloadable full size
About this tool
- Why does the colorized photo look muted rather than bright?
- Because the tool aims for a palette that is plausible for the era rather than a modern saturated look. Old fabrics, paints and film all rendered color more softly than today's phones do, so a subtle result reads as authentic. If you want stronger color, ask for it in Edit With Words after the first pass.
- Do I need to know the real colors of the clothes or the room?
- No. The tool picks believable colors on its own from the clues it can see. Knowing the truth helps, though: if grandfather's uniform was navy or the family car was red, run the colorized result through Edit With Words and say so. That single correction is usually all it takes to make the picture match memory.
- Is there a way to colorize a sepia or faded print, not just true gray?
- Yes. Sepia and yellowed prints are treated the same way as neutral black-and-white; the existing tint is replaced with full color rather than layered under it. If the print is also scratched or creased, send it through Old Photo Restorer first so the tool colors a clean image instead of colorizing the damage.
- What happens if the photo has more than one person in it?
- Every person is colored individually, with their own skin tone, hair color and clothing, and each face is left unchanged in shape and expression. Group photos and crowd scenes work fine; the more of each person is visible, the more confident the colors. For very small distant figures, colors may be more generic.
- Can I try Black-and-White Colorizer before paying?
- Yes. A new account starts with 4 free credits, which covers your first Standard image with Black-and-White Colorizer — no card required. After that, credits come from a monthly plan or a one-time pack.
Often used next
Old Photo Restorer
Bring a scratched, faded or torn print back to a clean, sharp photo
Image Upscaler
Enlarge any image to 4, 8, 16 or 32 megapixels with detail added, not smeared
Face Cleanup
Clear temporary blemishes and even out skin while your freckles stay put
Retro Era Portrait
See yourself in any decade from the 1920s to the 2000s
Made for