1. Send the photo
A scan or a phone photo of the print, either is fine.
Colourising · on Telegram
Put colour into a black and white photo
Send the photo and say “add colour”. Skin tones, clothes, foliage and sky are worked out from what is in the picture, so the result looks photographed rather than painted over.
2 free images every week · no signup · up to 4K, no watermark
Original photograph: Boston Public Library
How it works
Three steps
2. Write “add colour”
Or be specific: “her dress was green”. Anything you know beats anything it has to guess.
3. Correct it
“warmer”, “less orange”, “the coat was navy”. It keeps the rest and changes only what you named.
Getting a good result
What to send
- Tell it what you remember. Colours you know are the difference between a plausible photo and the right one.
- Repair first, colour second. If the photo is also damaged, ask for the crease to be fixed first — colour applied over damage keeps the damage.
- Ask for restraint if the first result is too saturated. “More muted, like a 1960s print” works.
Questions
Common questions
Are the colours real?
No. They are a plausible reconstruction from what the greys suggest and what things of that kind usually look like. Tell it any colour you actually remember and it will use that instead of guessing.
Can I get the black and white version back?
Yours is untouched — nothing is overwritten. Ask for it again in black and white at any point in the chat.
Does it work on a photo of a photo?
Yes. Most people send a phone photo of the print rather than a scan. Flat, in daylight, no flash.
Also
Other things it does
Restore an old photo
Send a damaged or faded photo and get it back with the creases gone, the faces sharp and natural colour added. Works on scans and on phone snaps of a print. Free to start.
Put separate photos into one
Send separate photos of different people and get them all in a single portrait, even if they were never in the same room. Free to start, no signup.
Turn a photo into anime
Send a photo and get it back as an anime or hand-painted animation still. Faces stay recognisable. Free to start, no signup, up to 4K.
Free to start