How does the AI image colorizer work?

The colorizer is built on an image-editing model that has learned from millions of color photographs what skin, fabric, sky, foliage, brick and metal look like under different lighting. When you upload a black and white photo, the model identifies each region and predicts the most likely color for it, then blends the result with the original luminance. The structure of your photo, including faces, edges and grain, comes from the original; only the color information is generated.

Is the AI image colorizer free to use?

New accounts receive free credits, and colorizing one photo costs 14 credits, so you can try the AI image colorizer on several pictures at no cost. If you have a large archive, paid credit packs bring the price per photo down to a few cents. There is no watermark on downloads.

Are the colors historically accurate?

The colorizer predicts the most plausible colors from visual cues, not documented facts. Skin, sky, grass, wood and brick are usually very close to reality. Clothing and painted objects can be any color in real life, so the AI picks a natural, period-appropriate option. If you know the true color of a uniform or a car, treat the result as a realistic interpretation rather than a record.

Will it change faces or details in my photo?

No. The AI image colorizer is instructed to keep composition, faces, expressions, poses and background exactly as they are and only add color. It does not sharpen, retouch, remove scratches or fill in damage. If your print is torn, faded or heavily scratched, run it through the AI Photo Restorer first and then colorize the restored version.

What image formats and sizes are supported?

You can upload JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 10MB. Output is delivered at roughly 4 megapixels with the same aspect ratio as your upload, which is enough for a sharp 8 by 10 inch print. For larger prints, send the colorized photo to the AI Image Upscaler to reach 2x or 4x resolution.

Does it work on sepia and faded photos, not just pure black and white?

Yes. Sepia, selenium-toned, yellowed and low-contrast prints are all handled. The colorizer reads the tonal information underneath the tint and replaces it with full color. Very dark or extremely washed-out scans give weaker results, so adjust brightness and contrast before uploading if the photo is hard to see with your own eyes.

How long does it take to colorize a photo?

Most photos are colorized in 10 to 20 seconds. Very large uploads can take up to 30 seconds. You can keep the tab open and continue uploading the next photo while you wait; each result stays on screen until you replace it.

Can I use the colorized photos commercially?

You keep all rights to photos you upload and to the colorized versions you download, as long as you own or have permission to use the original image. Colorized results are suitable for books, prints, social media, documentaries and client work. Please check the copyright status of archive photos before publishing them.

AI Image Colorizer

Turn black and white photos into full color with one click. Our AI image colorizer adds natural skin tones, period-accurate clothing colors and realistic skies while keeping faces, composition and film grain exactly as they were. No prompt, no masking, no Photoshop.

AI Image Colorizer

Upload a black and white photo

JPG, PNG or WebP up to 10MB. Old scans, sepia prints and grayscale digital images all work.

Drag image here, click to browse, or paste from clipboard

Max size: 5MB

Result

Upscale

Black and white 1950s studio portrait before AI colorization

Same portrait colorized by the AI image colorizer with natural skin tones

Results are stored temporarily. Please download your colorized photo.

HOW TO

How to Colorize a Black and White Photo

Upload your photo

Drag a black and white, grayscale or sepia image into the AI image colorizer. Scanned prints, phone photos of old pictures and digital grayscale files all work. For the best result, scan at 300 DPI or higher and keep the file under 10MB.

Click Colorize Photo

There is nothing to configure. The AI image colorizer analyses skin, hair, fabric, sky, foliage and building materials in the photo and predicts realistic colors for each region. Processing takes about 10 to 20 seconds per image.

Compare and download

Drag the before/after slider to check the colorized result against the original. Download the full-resolution color image, or send it straight to the AI image upscaler if you need a larger print.

FEATURES

What the AI Image Colorizer Does Well

Every example below was colorized by this tool from the black and white image on the left. Drag the slider to see the change.

Natural, believable skin tones

Portraits are the hardest test for any image colorizer. Cheap tools leave faces grey or paint everyone the same orange. Our AI image colorizer reads lighting, shadow depth and facial structure to produce skin that looks like a real color photo, with distinct tones for lips, cheeks and hair. Facial features, expressions and film grain are left exactly as they were in the original.

Black & White

Colorized

Black & White

Colorized

Period-accurate scene colors

Street scenes, buildings and vehicles get colors that match their era and material: red brick, weathered wood, painted metal signs, cobblestone and overcast sky. The colorizer keeps the composition pixel-for-pixel, so a colorized photo can still be trusted as a historical record rather than an AI reinterpretation.

Consistent color across groups

Family photos and group portraits need consistency: every person, every piece of clothing and the background must agree with each other. The AI image colorizer treats the whole frame together, so a striped shirt stays one color from collar to hem and grass, trees and sky all share the same daylight.

Black & White

Colorized

USE CASES

Who Uses an AI Image Colorizer

Colorize photos for family history, publishing, education and creative work. A few of the most common reasons people bring black and white pictures to this tool.

👪

Family photo archives

Colorize photos of grandparents, weddings and childhood homes so younger relatives can see them the way they actually looked. Works on scanned prints, slides and photos of photos taken with a phone.

🏛️

Historians and museums

Bring archive images, wartime photographs and historical street scenes to life for exhibitions, documentaries and articles, while keeping the original framing intact for citation.

📰

Publishers and content creators

Colorize black and white photos for book covers, blog posts, YouTube thumbnails and social media, where a color image earns far more attention than a monochrome one.

🎨

Designers and photographers

Use the AI image colorizer to color grayscale stock images, line art scans and product photos, or to explore color options for a monochrome shoot before a reshoot.

Colorizing is one step. Restore first, upscale after.

The AI image colorizer only adds color. If your print is scratched, torn or badly faded, run it through the AI Photo Restorer first so the colorizer has clean detail to work with.

Need a larger print or a sharper file for the web? Send the colorized result to the AI Image Upscaler for 2x or 4x resolution, or use the AI Image Enhancer to recover fine texture. All three tools share the same credits on Z-Image.

FAQ