How to Colorize a Black and White Photo Without Photoshop

How to Colorize a Black and White Photo
Without Photoshop in a Snap

Even in these days of colorful digital images, we may come across some black and white ones. Many of us have collections of old monochrome photos in our family albums. Besides, there were many significant events in history that were only captured in black and white. Want to give them a vibrant new lease on life? Or interested in reconstructing the past of famous people or your ancestors? In any case, you can breathe new life into photos by colorizing them. You don't even need to use complicated photo editors to do that. Learn how to add color to a black and white photo without Photoshop and make your old pictures look better in just one click.

Today we'll show you 6 different ways to colorize your old images. Whether you prefer using a smartphone, a computer, or online apps for photo editing, you’ll definitely find your way and be able to enhance your black and white pictures in a couple of seconds.

Result of photo colorization process — Add colors to your photo and make it look like it was taken yesterday

Looks stunning, doesn’t it? Want to reach the same result? Just imagine you can easily do it even if you’re not experienced in post-processing. Now you’re going to explore how to colorize a black and white photo without Photoshop. Read this step-by-step guide to master new skills!

Way 1. Colorize Old Photos with PhotoGlory

PhotoGlory is one of the best software to restore old photos. It offers the most convenient solution to convert your grayscale images to color with one click. With the help of this program, you can easily add colors to your old photos either automatically or manually to reach the most accurate and natural-looking result. PhotoGlory also offers a variety of tools that can be used to retouch images. Learn how to use the software to colorize a black and white photo without Photoshop below.

Download PhotoGlory. To begin with, download the software to your computer and install it to start the restoration process.
Digitize and upload your photo. To work with old photos in PhotoGlory, digitize them with the help of a picture scanner or simply snap a photo of your old images with your phone. When you’re done, open the image you want to colorize by clicking the Open Photo button or dragging it from a folder. Need to colorize several images? Go to the Batch Processing tab. There, select the photos you want to enhance and the folder to save them to. The batch editing tools will automate the editing process, so you will be able to use the time to concentrate on other things.
Colorize your picture. Now, click Colorize black & white photo on the Enhancement tab. With the help of AI technologies, the software can easily recognize various items in the image and suggest matching colors for them. This way, you’ll get a realistic result.
Correct the colors manually. In case you want to fine-tune some details, color your photos manually. Perhaps the dress was a bit different color or you just want to highlight some details. Go to the Retouch tab and choose Coloring. Set the brush size and choose its hue, then paint over the areas you need to color. Use the eyedropper tool to match the existing colors. With it, you can choose the required shade directly from the image.
Save the colorful photo. When you’re satisfied with the result, apply the changes and save your photo by clicking the Save button in the upper right corner of the screen. Want to print colored photos or just save them to your computer? Choose the format depending on your goals. The software supports JPEG, PNG, BMP, and TIFF formats. Don’t want to lose the original photo? PhotoGlory doesn’t overwrite the existing image when you export a new one, so you will have both on your computer.

Employ PhotoGlory to colorize your old photos — Use this easy program to colorize a black and white photo without Photoshop

However, there are photos that need restoring before colorization. With PhotoGlory, you can easily make old pictures look new by removing scratches, stains, and tears. You can color correct old pictures that have faded tones and shades to make them look as fresh as if they'd just been printed. Found your pictures out-of-focus and want to make them crystal clear? Sharpening old photos is a great solution to this problem.

Way 2. Add Color with Hotpot AI

Hotpot AI is an online service for old image restoration. Your cherished photos will look better thanks to this tool that can colorize and enhance them automatically. For a better result, choose pictures free of flaws or scratches, otherwise, the app won’t be able to accurately color your photo. Besides, in Hotpot AI, you can save only pictures of limited size. If you need full size, you should buy credits.

Load your photo to Hotpot AI. First, upload your image. To do so, scroll down the service description. Below you’ll find the Upload icon - click it and choose one photo you’d like to colorize.
Colorize your B&W image. Once you’ve uploaded your photo, you’ll see a colorization factor, which means how much colorization you want to be applied to it. The resulting image quality may be impacted by this, so we recommend choosing between 12 and 18. Then click the Colorize button and wait for the result.
Save the result. When you’re done, just click on the colored photo to export it to your computer. The main drawback here is that you can only save it as a PNG.

Colorize your black and white photo with Hotpot AI — Try other colorization factors to find what works best for your photo

Word of Advice

Feel that scratches and leaks destroy your pictures? Learn how to restore old photos and make them look even better.

Way 3. Turn B&W Photos to Color with Deep AI

Deep AI is an image colorization API that also allows you to colorize photos and videos online. It uses a deep learning model that was trained on both color and monochrome versions of photos. The process is quick and simple—just 3 steps. However, you can only upload images that are a certain size, and the interface may seem inconvenient if you haven’t used this online service before. To learn how Deep AI can do the job, see the guide below.

Import any old photo. First of all, upload your B&W picture to the service by clicking the Image icon. Also, you can paste an image link if you want to use a photo from a website.
Add colors to the photo. Once the photo is opened, Deep AI will colorize it automatically. All you need to do is wait for the result for a couple of seconds.
Save your edited picture. To export your color photo, right-click on it and select the Save As option in the drop-down menu.

Add color to your grayscale photos in Deep AI — Deep AI has a simple and user-friendly interface with minimum options

Way 4. Do the Job with ImageColorizer

ImageColorizer is an online service that uses AI technology to precisely colorize your old pictures. To colorize your black and white images, you do not require any special abilities. All you have to do is upload your image to this online service. However, you can only upload small photographs in the free edition. To edit huge B&W pictures, you must pay for the service.

Import your B&W photo. Select Colorize B&W Photos from the Products dropdown menu on the home page. Then upload the image you wish to color by dragging and dropping it or by clicking the Pictures icon.
Give color to your photo. If you want to make your photograph appear even sharper without destroying its quality, adjust the Radius slider slightly.
Save the image. Once you’re happy with all the changes, just click Download on the right to export your color image.

Colorize your photos with the help of AI — Use AI to analyze your photo and colorize it

Way 5. Colorize Photos on Your Android Device

Looking for an app to colorize images on your Android smartphone? Then try the Android app and get your old photos colored automatically. With this editor, you can also fix blurry images with only one click and retouch old portraits. Meanwhile, if you want to unlock advanced features and download enhanced images in full size, you have to purchase a subscription.

Upload the Photo. Upload the B&W photo you love by clicking the Upload to Colorize button and start the process.
Start the colorization process. When the photo is ready, let the system automatically do the job. Want to add final touches to your image? This app offers multiple filters, so you can choose one of them to enhance your colored photo.
Save the result. Save your color photo by clicking the Save icon at the bottom.

Colorize a black and white photo without Photoshop — Review old photos of your grandparents as if you were there

Word of Advice

Do you have lots of old paper photos that you want to keep for years to come? Take a look at how to store old photos and preserve your memories.

Way 6. Transform B&W Photos on iOS devices

If you’re an iPhone user, then give some thought to this handy iOS app. The application provides an incredible AI-powered B&W colorization tool and automatically transforms old monochrome photos into lively, colorful images. You can add color to the first few pictures for free, but then you’ll have to purchase a paid plan for unlimited use. Let’s see how easy adding color to black and white photos without Photoshop can be.

Import your image. On the home screen, pick Add Photos to upload your black and white image. Here, you can scan the photo with your phone's camera or import it from the iPhone gallery.
Add colors to your photo. After you upload your photo, the app will add color to it automatically. Next, you’ll see the result, and you can drag the slider on the screen to compare your B&W image with the new colored one.
Export the edited photo. Tap Done in the top right corner, and after a while, you’ll come back to the main screen. Here, choose the edited picture, then tap the Share Photos icon and choose Save Photo. In the list of options, pick the one that’s most suitable for you.

Colorize photos on iOS devices — Add colors to your photo and compare it with the original one

What Software to Choose for Colorizing Black and White Photos Without Photoshop

Now that you know how to add colors to photos in 6 alternative ways, you can easily restore your old pictures and give them a new life. However, if you still can’t make up your mind, let’s recap the main ideas. Consider using Hotpot AI, Deep AI, or Image Colorizer if you merely need to add color to photos and don't want to download any software to do that. Use your smartphone more frequently? Then Color to Old Photos and Old Photo Colorizer might be the right choice for you.

However, PhotoGlory is the best choice if you want to colorize photos without Photoshop. With the help of this program, you may also restore photo clarity, get rid of scratches and stains, and even assemble a photo ripped in half. The software has strong tools for photo restoration all under one roof that allow users of all skill levels to edit old images in a matter of seconds.

How to Colorize a Black and White Photo Without Photoshop?