Black and white photographs evoke a sense of nostalgia and timeless beauty. Yet, there’s an undeniable allure to seeing the world in all its colorful glory. Thankfully, for those precious black-and-white photos tucked away in albums or stored digitally, there are now numerous ways to add a splash of color.
This article delves into eight of the best online photo colorizers. These will make bringing your cherished memories to life in vibrant hues easier than ever. Moreover, other methods to colorize photos will be touched upon. So, stay tuned and discover the beauty of putting colors in the past.
In this article
Part I. What To Prepare When Restoring Old Photos Online
Before diving into online photo colorization tools, a crucial step is ensuring your photos are in the best possible condition. This preparation can significantly enhance the final results achieved by online colorizers.
For Physical Photos
Before scanning physical photos to colorize them with an image colorizer, here are some things you have to take note of:
- Gentle cleaning. Physical photos often accumulate dust and grime over time. Start by gently wiping the surface with a soft, lint-free cloth. Distilled water is a safe choice for more thorough cleaning. Avoid using tap water, as minerals can damage the photo. Remember, always handle the photo by the edges to minimize fingerprints.
- Dust removal. For stubborn dust or debris, use a soft-bristled brush to sweep it away gently. Be extremely careful not to apply excessive pressure, which could damage the delicate surface.
- Addressing other issues. Professional restoration services might be necessary if your photo has more severe concerns like tears, mold, or fading.
For Digital Photos
While digital photos avoid their counterparts’ physical wear and tear, they may still require enhancement before colorization. Utilize editing software or online tools to improve the photo’s clarity and vibrancy. Adjusting brightness, contrast, and levels can significantly impact the final colorized image.
Also, blurry or out-of-focus photos often translate poorly into colorized versions. Using a sharpening tool can help restore definition and detail, creating a better foundation for the photo colorizer to work with.
Here’s how you can ensure these qualities
- Start with a high-resolution image. Higher-resolution photos offer more detail, allowing for a better colorization outcome.
- Focus on specific areas. If your photo has areas of particular interest, consider selectively editing those sections for optimal clarity.
- Less is more. Avoid over-editing, as excessive adjustments can introduce artifacts or unnatural appearances to the photo.
- Make backups. Create a copy of your original photo before making any edits. This allows you to revert to the original if needed.
By following these simple preparation steps, you can ensure your photos are in their best possible condition for online colorization tools to work their magic, resulting in more vibrant and accurate colorized versions of your cherished memories.
Part II. 8 Photo Colorizer Tools Online
This part of the article is where you can find the 8 best tools to colorize black and white photos free online. This mixes traditional and automatic photo editors – even those with AI assistance. When looking for the right tool, try them out yourself. After all, the right tool can help you produce the best results. So, visit each tool’s website here and check out their features.
Wondershare Repairit
First on the list is an app you won’t expect – Wondershare Repairit. After all, it’s a popular tool mainly used for repairing corrupted files or storage devices. However, Wondershare recently equipped it with a powerful online AI tool that “repairs” old photos. Now, it’s completely useable as an image colorizer.
Repairit is the ideal choice since its colorization method is powered by AI. You don’t have to memorize all the color theories because it’s already learned in the matter. All you have to do is upload your photo, let the AI do its work, and review its outputs. See more of the app in the next part of this article.
Palette.fm
Palette.fm is an AI tool that can turn black-and-white photos into color online. It employs machine learning to identify objects in your picture. Then, it guesses the most likely color that it actually was. This way, you don’t have to do your research or match colors piece by piece. The platform offers a free trial credit and over 21 color filters.
Hotpot.ai
Hotpot.ai is an AI-powered platform that allows users to turn black-and-white photos into color online. It offers many tools to give your old and B&W images new life. It provides a full suite of tools that cover most image editing needs. The highlight, of course, is its AI Photo Colorizer. It’s easy to use and highly functional.
Img2Go.com
Img2Go.com is a dedicated online tool for image editing. Its comprehensive feature set will surely meet everything you need for photo restoration and colorization. It’s great for users to edit and enhance photos quickly and easily. It also provides a full suite of tools that cover most image editing needs. Also, it has a tool that allows you to convert black-and-white photos to color online for free. Yes, all the powerful tools of Img2Go are available without cost.
ImageColorizer.com
ImageColorizer.com is a platform that uses the latest AI technology to restore old photos automatically and instantly. Like the other tools in this article, it has quite the number of tools you need for image colorization. You’ll be sure to have your old photos colored in no time. It also includes advanced AI-powered tools such as background remover, image enlarger, and object remover.
Fotor
Fotor, a cross-platform photo editing software, debuted in 2012, earning the nickname “Photoshop Lite” from the BBC. Accessible on mobile, desktop, and as a web app, Fotor provides a range of user-friendly tools for swift photo editing and enhancement. Its AI photo colorizer revives old photos by repairing damage, restoring faded details, and bringing back vibrant colors.
VanceAI
VanceAI is an international AI photo editing company that provides various AI solutions for photo enhancement and editing. It offers AI enhancement, upscaling, sharpening, denoising, background removal, and, of course, colorizing. These tools are designed to free your hands from complicated photo processing.
DeepAI
DeepAI is an advanced platform that uses artificial intelligence and deep learning technologies. It offers a variety of AI models, including an AI chatbot and a text-to-image generator. One of its notable features is the Image Colorizer. This tool uses a deep learning model trained on pairs of color images and their grayscale counterparts.
It can add color to black-and-white images or videos, bringing old family photos, historic images, or films back to life. This makes DeepAI a powerful tool for both AI enthusiasts and professionals.
Part III. How To Use the Best Online Photo Colorizers and Other Methods To Colorize
Bringing black and white photos to life with color can be like magic, but it’s not as simple as waving a wand. Special technology called Artificial Intelligence (AI) helps analyze photos to guess the original colors. However, AI isn’t perfect, and sometimes humans must step in to ensure the final results look natural.
Using AI Photo Colorizers
Many online tools are AI photo colorizers. To visualize the process, here’s a simple guide on how to use one using Wondershare Repairit as an example. They will most likely be similar to other AI apps.
- Step 1: Click AI Photo Enhancer under the More Types Repair section.
- Step 2: Upload your photo. In Repairit, click +Add to choose the black and white photo you want to colorize from your computer.
- Step 3: Select Old Photo Restoration or any other colorizing tool available. Once you’re happy with your selection, click Start Enhancing to let the AI work magic.
- Step 4: After the AI finishes, you’ll see a preview of the colorized photo. If you like it, click Save to keep your newly colored image.
Colorizing From Scratch
Another way to colorize photos is by hand, using software like Photoshop or simple painting tools. This method gives you more control over the final colors but takes more time and effort. You can even use this after you colorize a photo with AI for manual corrections or improvements. Here’s a basic idea of how it works:
- Open your photo. Load your black-and-white photo into your chosen editing software.
- Layer-by-layer. Create separate digital layers for different parts of the photo, like skin tones, clothing, and backgrounds.
- Pick your colors. Choose realistic colors for each section and carefully paint them onto the corresponding layer.
- Adjust and combine. Once you’re happy with the individual colors, adjust the transparency of each layer to blend them naturally.
Remember, using AI colonizers is generally faster and easier, while coloring from scratch offers more creative control. Choose the method that best suits your needs and comfort level.
Conclusion
Overall, choosing the right photo colorizer boils down to preference. It should be something that meets your needs. If you want something completely automated, go for tools with AI capabilities. If you want to do the groundwork yourself, then it’s best to use a professional image colorizer. These tools will offer everything you need.
So, try out each photo colorizer in this article and experiment to breathe color into your photos. This way, you’ll be able to relive childhood or past memories as if you were there in the scene.
