Skip to main content
Known Participant
October 28, 2019
Answered

How possible is it to colorize a black&white image?

  • October 28, 2019
  • 4 replies
  • 1577 views

There are colorized movies now. How accurate is that process? Let's say that it is known that the Germans wore green, can they use that information to detect other greens?

 

I have a number of photos from the 1960s and would like to convert them to the closest color.

 

TIA,

 

-Ramon F. Herrera

 

    This topic has been closed for replies.
    Correct answer Simmer1

    Here is a good tutorial that you may find useful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fzb-qLL2wo

    4 replies

    Legend
    October 28, 2019

    It may be worth noting that if you are presenting the photos as historical (rather than just using them as interesting material) that some people would consider colorizing them grossly inappropriate, as bad as editing people into or out of pictures... just be aware not everyone thinks it improves things.

    Known Participant
    October 28, 2019

    "just be aware not everyone thinks it improves things."

     

    My project is Free Open Source (Richard Stallman insisted in the "Free" as in "free speech" part). I am fond of saying:

     

    "Those files do not belong to me, they belong to The People".

     

    Please feel free to grab anything you like here:

     

    [Link removed by moderator]

     

    If somebody does not like the colorization, they can clone the whole website and modify it at will.

     

    Regards,

     

    -Ramon

     

    Simmer1
    Community Expert
    Simmer1Community ExpertCorrect answer
    Community Expert
    October 28, 2019

    Here is a good tutorial that you may find useful:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5fzb-qLL2wo

    Known Participant
    October 28, 2019

    Thanks so much, Simmer1

     

    Thanks to the assistance received in this forum, I located this expert and his company:

     

    (Link removed by moderator)

     

    -Ramon

     

    Chuck Uebele
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    October 28, 2019

    Restoring color to b&w photos, requires lots of research as to what known colors were. There is no way to detect what those colors were in a b&w image. Some colors are known though records, others are just guessed at.

    JJMack
    Community Expert
    Community Expert
    October 28, 2019

    There are many online tutorials  Look for one that uses a color palette you create.  Form images the have the colors you want  in you colorized image.

    JJMack
    Known Participant
    October 28, 2019

    Thanks, JJ Mack.

     

    The photos that I have in mind are historical, it is amazing that nobody has worked on improving them. I have some copies here:

     

    [Link removed by moderator]

     

    There are better ones in the National Archives.

     

    This is my project's website:

     

    [Link removed by moderator]

     

    -Ramon F. Herrera