Colour is the part of restoration where honesty matters most. A colourised photograph is an interpretation, not a record — and a good service says so plainly.
Era-accurate
Palettes chosen from the period, the clothing and the visible skin tones.
Originals used
Any surviving hint of colour in the print becomes the anchor.
Human review
Skin tones and fabric checked by a person, not left to the model.
From $39
Included in Premium. Delivered with the uncoloured restoration too.
Automatic colorization tends to produce the same palette regardless of source: the same tan skin, the same navy suit, the same forgettable brown background. Consistency is not accuracy.
The details that carry real information are the ones worth anchoring to — a faint tint on a collar, a uniform's piping, a dress that was known within the family to be green. Where those exist, we use them.
We restore first and colour second. Repairing damage on a colourised image risks colour bleeding into repaired areas, and it makes skin tones harder to judge.
Masks are applied by hand to faces, hair, clothing and background. Skin is the hardest part and the one most likely to look artificial, so it gets the most attention.
You receive both the colour version and the black and white restoration, so the original interpretation is never lost.
A 1920s studio portrait, a 1950s wedding, a wartime service photograph — each has its own palette, film characteristics and printing conventions. Matching them is most of the work.
If you know the colour of a garment or a uniform, tell us. It is the single most useful piece of information you can provide.
Recommended
Premium — $39
Most customers choose this for colorize black and white photos. Add colour, printing files or archive batches at checkout — the price is per photo and nothing is charged until you approve the quote.
Start with this photoIt is an informed interpretation, not a record. Where a hint of original colour survives we follow it; otherwise we use period-appropriate palettes based on the era, the clothing and the visible skin tones. We state this plainly because pretending otherwise would be dishonest.
Colorization is included in Premium at $39 per photo, which also covers the repair work. Standard at $19 does not include colour.
Yes. Every colourised order includes the restored black and white version, delivered alongside.
Yes, and we would prefer it. Tell us the colour of the dress, the uniform or the background and we will anchor the palette to it.
Photo restoration, done properly
Professional photo restoration from $19. Torn, faded and scratched photographs repaired by AI and checked by a human artist. Delivered within 24 hours.
Repairing old photographs
Repair old family photographs: creases, scratches, mold, water damage and fading. From $19 per photo, human-checked, delivered within 24 hours.