How to colorize black and white photos

If you don’t have that image in color form, you might wonder how things might look, what the colors of a home’s interior were, or even how different the composition could be? 

I’ve always been fascinated with the idea of reviving old photos with color and being able to add color to a black-and-white photo that doesn’t have that counterpart, so I sought out a way to do so online. The awesome part is that anyone can use these tools as long as they desire to.

If you’re here, you’re likely looking for a solution. So, without further ado, let me show you how you can easily colorize black-and-white photos.

Why should I use an image colorizer?

Image colorizers don’t simply exist to turn black-and-white to color — but they can if that’s all you’re looking for. Aside from the color change, these tools can do a lot more:

• Bring memories to life: Many people like to colorize black-and-white photos because they revive old memories, especially those from decades ago, before they were born. As black-and-white images often lack detail and vibrancy, this refresh can tell a more vivid story and bring hidden features into the forefront.
• Improve visual appeal: While images in black and white can look great, they sometimes lack the aesthetic appeal that color can provide, especially if they aren’t intentionally taken in black and white.
• Preserve old images: As we stray further away from an era when black-and-white photos were the norm, colorizing older images can help preserve them, making them more accessible to future generations.

By the way, if you’re into old photos, you can check out an article about grayscale images.

How to add natural and realistic colors to old photos

Image colorizing tools come in all shapes and sizes — you can learn how to add color to a black-and-white photo automatically, manually, or use both techniques. I’ll be talking about a few apps along the way that are personal favorites, and that’ll help you get started. 

Colorize photo automatically

Apps that help you color black-and-white photos typically let you do so at the click of a button. These apps use AI image colorizing and machine learning techniques, where they’re deliberately trained on datasets. These AI systems have learned how certain sceneries and objects usually look when they’re in color, like how the grass is slightly browner in the fall and that clouds make the environment overcast. 

Not sure how to colorize black-and-white photos automatically? You can start by experimenting with PhotosRevive, which is a simple platform that combines automatic AI colorization and allows you to adjust colors manually after the AI does its thing.

Let’s say we want to colorize two family images. Here’s how to use the app to do so:

1. Install and open PhotosRevive on your Mac.
2. Drag and drop the images into the app.

   

3. Click COLORIZE ALL.
4. Choose a destination where you want your photos to be saved, and pick your export format.
5. Wait for the app to finish the colorization process and enjoy the results. 

   

   ✕ Remove app banner

Free photo colorizer

If you're looking for a quick and free way to colorize photos, tools like Canva and PicWish offer convenient solutions with no software download required. Both tools allow you to upload images and apply colorization effects with just a few clicks.

Both Canva and PicWish are great for quick and simple tasks, but if you're after higher-quality results or no watermarks, you might need to invest in a premium version.

Let's see the results for colorized black-and-white photo

I tested both Canva and PicWish, which offer free photo colorization. Canva's results, while watermark-free, are lower in quality and have inconsistent colors. PicWish, though easy to use, produces dull, grayish results lacking vibrancy. However, as I demonstrated earlier in the article, PhotosRevive did a great job of colorization, delivering more vibrant and accurate colors:

Turn black-and-white photos into color manually

In contrast to an AI picture colorizer, manual colorization is much more intricate yet potentially much more accurate. Regular photo editing tools like Photoshop give you full control of the coloring of everything in the image, whether you’re going for accuracy or personal interpretation. 

While AI can colorize a black-and-white photo in a few seconds, the manual approach will require a lot more time and effort, but there’s a human finesse to the final product that AI won’t be able to achieve at the moment. However, Photoshop can be complex and not for beginners. 

Instead, I recommend using CameraBag Pro, which provides a similar Photoshop-like interface but makes it easier for novices to navigate. The app comes with all the fixings needed to edit an image, like masks, exposure, coloring, contrast, and more, but what it does best is that if you scroll over each function, it’ll tell you exactly what it does and how your exact image will look after using it.

If I want to use AI tools for editing, I’ll switch over to Luminar Neo, which is another photo editing app but one that focuses more on extensions, presets, and AI. As I’m looking to improve my editing skills overall, my favorite aspect of the app is its Catalog. The feature has an array of professionally taken photographs that, when clicked on, showcase all the editing techniques that have been used.

The tools and features in Luminar Neo are presented in a non-intimidating, user-friendly way, making it easier for beginners like me to colorize an image or edit it in other ways. Once I’m done, there are plenty of extra layers I can play with to enhance my image even more.

What is the best colorizing tool for me?

When you’re picking the best colorizing tool of the bunch, there are two main considerations: the quality of the output and your inherent skill set. 

There’s no use in going for a tool you don’t know how to use or with an overly steep learning curve you won’t be able to handle. That’s precisely why these AI-trained tools like PhotosRevive, Luminar Neo, or CameraBag Pro exist to accommodate less tech-savvy folks (like me) — so they can receive high-quality colorized images in minutes without advanced editing skills.

Colorize images: Solved

Whether reviving an old family memory or wanting to see a beautifully captured photo in a rainbow of colors, anyone can learn how to colorize a black-and-white photo with the right tools for their skill set. Especially with AI-based tools like PhotosRevive, the process takes mere seconds, letting you immediately enjoy an output without hours of editing. For those who like the DIY approach, Luminar Neo and CameraBag Pro present great alternatives to traditional Photoshop, with more guidance and a much gentler learning curve.

The three apps mentioned here are all available with a 7-day free trial of Setapp, a subscription service for 250+ apps, including photo editing apps, organization apps, and plenty more.