AI Color Adder

Bring black-and-white memories to life with AI-powered colorization in seconds.

Black and white 1940s family portrait — Photo 1

Colorful reference photo showing the target colors — Photo 2

→

Same portrait with natural colorization showing warm skin tones and period clothing — Result

AI Color Adder

Drop your photo here

or click to browse

Release to upload

Free • No signup

Popular use cases:

colorize old photos
black and white to color
vintage photo restoration
family photo colorization
historical photo color
restore faded colors
AI colorization

Cost: Free No signup required
Time: Instant results in 15-30 seconds
Works on: Any device - browser, phone, tablet, desktop
Powered by: AI-powered photo editing

Scenario	Prompt	Time
B&W portrait	`colorize with natural realistic colors and warm skin tones`	15s
Faded photo	`restore faded colors with vibrant natural tones`	20s
Historical scene	`colorize with period-accurate colors from the [era]`	25s

How it works

Upload your photo

Drop your black-and-white, sepia, or faded color photo into EditThisPic. The AI works with scanned prints, digital archives, and photos of old photographs. JPG, PNG, WebP up to 7MB.

Expect: Simple portraits: 15-30 seconds. Complex scenes with many elements: may need 2-3 refinements for accuracy.
Describe the colorization you want

Type your instruction: 'colorize this photo with natural realistic colors' or 'add warm vintage colors to this black and white image.' For specific elements, mention them: 'colorize with blue sky and green grass.' The AI understands context and applies appropriate colors automatically.

Tip: For historical accuracy, add era hints: 'colorize with 1940s era clothing colors'

Copy one of these to get started:

General photo colorization colorize this black and white photo with natural realistic colors, accurate skin tones, and period-appropriate clothing
Try This →

Vintage family portrait add warm lifelike colors to this vintage family photo with natural skin tones and subtle clothing colors from the 1950s era
Try This →

Faded color restoration restore and enhance the faded colors in this photo, bringing back vibrant natural tones while preserving the original color scheme
Try This →

Outdoor landscape colorize this landscape photo with natural blue sky, green foliage, and realistic earth tones
Try This →

3 more prompts

Historical military photos colorize this World War II era photo with accurate military uniform colors and period-correct equipment tones
Try This →

Wedding photos colorize this vintage wedding photo with a white bridal dress, natural skin tones, and soft romantic colors for the setting
Try This →

Selective colorization colorize only the person in this photo while keeping the background in black and white for artistic effect
Try This →
Generate and review

Check that skin tones look natural and colors match the era. Look for consistency across the image - hair, clothing, and background should all have believable colors. Verify no color bleeding between elements.
Refine with markers if needed

If the AI chose the wrong color for an element (like a dress or car), tap a marker on that specific item and describe the correction: 'make this a red dress instead of blue.' This is optional for most colorizations.

Tip: If you know the actual color from memory or other sources, specify it for accuracy.

Try it free ↓

AI Color Adder

Drop your photo here

or click to browse

Release to upload

Free • No signup

"My grandmother's wedding photo from 1952 came alive. The AI got her dress color right and made her eyes sparkle. I cried." @JenniferRestores

See it in action

1940s family portrait colorized

A classic black-and-white family photo transformed with natural skin tones and period-accurate clothing colors.

Prompt: colorize this 1940s family photo with natural realistic colors, warm skin tones, and period-appropriate clothing colors

Try This →

Faded beach vacation photo with washed-out colors — Before

Restored photo with vibrant blue sky and natural colors — After

Faded vacation photo restored

A sun-damaged photo from the 1980s with washed-out colors brought back to vibrant life.

Prompt:

restore the faded colors in this beach vacation photo, bringing back vibrant blue sky, natural skin tones, and colorful swimwear

Try This →

Black and white 1920s street scene — Before

Colorized street scene with vintage cars and building colors — After

Historical street scene colorized

A vintage city photograph transformed to show the vibrant colors of the past.

Prompt:

colorize this 1920s street scene with realistic colors for the buildings, vintage cars, and pedestrian clothing of the era

Try This →

Detailed Guides by Scenario

📷

Home & Interior Design

Preview how color would look in a room or space before committing to a purchase or renovation.

Common Scenarios

Visualizing color in a living room, bedroom, or office before buying
Creating client mockups that show color in their actual space
Comparing different placements of color in renovation plans

Best Practices

Upload a well-lit, straight-on photo of the room for the most realistic result
Specify the size and position — e.g., 'add a large color on the left wall'
Match the room's lighting in your prompt: 'warm lighting' for evening shots, 'natural daylight' for window-lit rooms

📷

Professional & Marketing Use

Incorporate color into marketing materials, presentations, and product catalogs without expensive photo shoots.

Common Scenarios

Adding color to product mockups and marketing banners
Creating presentation slides that show color in context
Building a catalog of variations that feature color in different settings

Best Practices

Use high-resolution source images — marketing materials demand sharp details
Keep brand guidelines in mind: specify colors and style that match when adding color
Generate multiple versions and A/B test which placement performs best in ads

If something looks off

Colors look oversaturated or cartoonish

Why: The AI applied too much color intensity, making the result look artificial rather than like a naturally colored photo.

Try: colorize with subtle muted natural colors, avoid oversaturation

Try This →

Tip: Add 'realistic' and 'natural' to your prompt to get believable results

Skin tones look unnatural or have wrong undertones

Why: The AI couldn't accurately determine skin type from the grayscale values, resulting in incorrect undertones.

Try: correct the skin tones to be natural warm/cool undertones with realistic flesh colors

Try This →

Tip: If you know the person's ethnicity, mention it for more accurate skin tone rendering

Wrong color applied to clothing or objects

Why: Without color reference, the AI guessed the color based on brightness values and context.

Try: Tap a marker on the item and specify: 'change this to [correct color]'

Try This →

Tip: If you have reference photos or know the actual color, mention it specifically

AI changed the wrong area or something I didn't want changed

Why: The AI couldn't determine exactly which area you meant from description alone. This happens with ambiguous requests.

Try: Tap a marker on the specific area you want to change, then regenerate with the same prompt

Try This →

Tip: Markers tell the AI 'I mean THIS one specifically.' Use them when description alone is ambiguous.

Color bleeding between adjacent elements

Why: Edges between elements in the original grayscale image aren't perfectly defined, causing color to spill over.

Try: Tap markers on the bleeding edges and regenerate with 'clean up color edges'

Try This →

Tip: Higher resolution source images have better edge definition and less bleeding

Quick answers

Do I need to mark areas before colorizing?

No! Just describe what you want: 'colorize this photo with natural colors' or 'add realistic colors to this black and white image.' The AI automatically detects faces, clothing, sky, foliage, and other elements. Only use markers when correcting a specific color after the first result.

How accurate are the colors compared to the original?

The AI makes intelligent guesses based on context, era, and common color associations. Skin tones, sky, and foliage are usually very accurate. Specific items like clothing colors are educated guesses unless you specify. If you know actual colors, mention them in your prompt for accuracy.

Can I colorize very old or damaged photos?

Yes, but results improve with image quality. For heavily damaged photos, consider using our restore tool first to fix scratches and tears, then colorize the restored version. The AI handles grain and minor damage well.

Will colorization affect image resolution?

No. EditThisPic preserves your original resolution while adding color. For best results, use the highest quality scan of your original photo available.

Can I specify exact colors for elements?

Yes! Include specific colors in your prompt: 'colorize with a red dress and blue car.' For elements you're unsure about, let the AI choose naturally and correct afterward if needed.

Is EditThisPic's AI color adder really free?

Yes — you get 1 free edit per week, no account needed. For unlimited edits, plans start at $3.99/month.

Can I add color on my phone?

Yes. EditThisPic works in any mobile browser — iPhone, Android, tablet. No app download needed.

What photo formats does the AI color adder support?

JPG, PNG, WebP, and HEIC. Upload any common photo format and EditThisPic handles the rest.

Ready to bring your memories to life?

Free to try. No signup required.

AI Color Adder

How it works

Upload your photo

Describe the colorization you want

Generate and review

Refine with markers if needed

See it in action

1940s family portrait colorized

Faded vacation photo restored

Historical street scene colorized

Detailed Guides by Scenario

Home & Interior Design

Common Scenarios

Best Practices

Creative & Social Content

Common Scenarios

Best Practices

Professional & Marketing Use

Common Scenarios

Best Practices

If something looks off

Quick answers

Related Tools

Ready to bring your memories to life?