Colorize black and white photos in natural color

Coloroid AI repairs the damage, adds colors true to the era and sharpens every face, in about a minute

Download on the App Store Restore My Photo
Migrant Mother, 1936: a worn black and white print with folds, scratches and stains, a worried mother with two children leaning on her shoulders Step 1: the same photograph restored, with dust and film blemishes removed, still black and white Step 2: the restored photograph colorized, with a grey cardigan, blue gingham shirt and beige canvas tent Step 3: the colorized photograph re-rendered as a sharp modern photo with natural skin texture

How Coloroid AI works

From a damaged print to a living photo in three steps

Each step is a separate AI edit that starts from the previous result, so every pass does one job well instead of three jobs at once.

The print before restoration, with folds and scratches The same photograph restored, still black and white

1. Restore first, still in black and white

Color can only be as good as the picture underneath it. A speck of dust colorized is a colored speck; a crease becomes a bright line across a cheek. So the first pass removes dust, scratches, stains, creases and film blemishes and evens out faded tones, while the photo stays black and white.

Nothing else is allowed to move. Every face has to stay the same person, with the same features, expression, age and pose, because a restored stranger is worse than a damaged relative.

The restored black and white photograph The same photograph colorized

2. Colorize with colors that fit the era

Gray tones do not record hue: a red dress and a green one can print as the same gray. The model fills that gap from context: what the object is, what it was made of, and what things looked like at the time. Naming the colors you know for certain keeps them right, and everything you do not name is filled in with something plausible for the period.

For a 1936 migrant camp in California, that means a weathered canvas tent, a worn grey cardigan over a gingham shirt, sun-bleached hair and tanned skin, not the saturated colors of a modern stock photo.

The colorized photograph The same photograph sharpened like a modern photo

3. Re-photograph it as if it were taken today

A colorized print still looks old: soft focus, flat contrast, a slight tint. The last pass treats the photo as if the same moment had been shot on a modern full-frame camera, with crisp eyes, single strands of hair, the weave of the fabric and real skin texture, while every face, pose and edge stays where it was.

This is the pass to skip if you want the result to keep the character of an old photograph. It is the one that makes a family portrait look like it was taken last week.

Before and after

The original next to the result

Drag the handle across to compare the original print with the finished photo.

Migrant Mother, the original black and white photograph Migrant Mother restored, colorized and sharpened

More examples

Watch history come back to life

Street scenes, workshops, harbors and family occasions: restored first, then colorized, then sharpened.

The damaged original photograph of a decorated tram with nurses and a clown posing in front of it Restored in black and white: a decorated tram with nurses and a clown posing in front of it Colorized: a decorated tram with nurses and a clown posing in front of it Sharpened like a modern photo: a decorated tram with nurses and a clown posing in front of it
Decorated carnival tram
The damaged original photograph of workers at lathes and belt-driven machines in a workshop Restored in black and white: workers at lathes and belt-driven machines in a workshop Colorized: workers at lathes and belt-driven machines in a workshop Sharpened like a modern photo: workers at lathes and belt-driven machines in a workshop
Machine shop, c. 1910
The damaged original photograph of a man in a bowler hat and two women with a parasol on a village path Restored in black and white: a man in a bowler hat and two women with a parasol on a village path Colorized: a man in a bowler hat and two women with a parasol on a village path Sharpened like a modern photo: a man in a bowler hat and two women with a parasol on a village path
Village path
The damaged original photograph of steamers with smoking funnels in a harbor below a brick city Restored in black and white: steamers with smoking funnels in a harbor below a brick city Colorized: steamers with smoking funnels in a harbor below a brick city Sharpened like a modern photo: steamers with smoking funnels in a harbor below a brick city
Seattle harbor, c. 1920
The damaged original photograph of a crowd in straw boaters outside a clothing store Restored in black and white: a crowd in straw boaters outside a clothing store Colorized: a crowd in straw boaters outside a clothing store Sharpened like a modern photo: a crowd in straw boaters outside a clothing store
Boyd’s store, 1910s
The damaged original photograph of a bride with a long veil and flower girls in white on a lawn Restored in black and white: a bride with a long veil and flower girls in white on a lawn Colorized: a bride with a long veil and flower girls in white on a lawn Sharpened like a modern photo: a bride with a long veil and flower girls in white on a lawn
1920s wedding party

In the app

Your own photos

Coloroid AI turns these passes into modes you pick before you start, with no instructions to write.

  1. 1

    Descratch

    Removes scratches, creases, stains and other damage and leaves everything else untouched, the first pass on its own.

  2. 2

    Colorize

    Turns a black and white photo into natural, realistic color.

  3. 3

    Recreate

    Full restoration and enhancement in one go: repairs the damage, rebuilds lost detail and lifts the quality.

FAQ

Colorizing old photos: questions

Are the colors historically accurate?

They are plausible, not recorded. A black and white photo keeps how light or dark each thing was, not its hue, so the AI chooses colors that fit the object and the period. Skin, sky, foliage and wood come out close to right; a dress, a car or a pair of eyes may not match the real ones. Treat the result as a careful reconstruction, not a document.

Why restore before colorizing?

Because color amplifies damage. Dust turns into colored specks, cracks into bright lines, and a faded patch takes on a color of its own. Cleaning the photo while it is still black and white gives the colorization a clean surface to work on.

Do I need to scan the photo first?

No. Photographing the print with your phone works: lay it flat, avoid reflections and shoot straight on. A flatbed scanner gives a slightly sharper start, but it is not required.

Will it change my original photo?

Never. The colorized version is saved to your library as a new photo; the original stays exactly as it was.

How long does it take?

About a minute per photo, depending on your connection and the size of the image.

Bring color back to
your family album

Start with one photo and see it come back

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Download on the App Store Restore My Photo