Do you have old videos that are only in black and white and are interested in converting them to color? The way to colorize black and white videos is known as Film colourization. Traditionally, we colorized videos by hand in the early 20th century and began to do so with computers in 1970. Now, with the development of machine learning, we can use AI to colorize black and white video faster with much better results.
Colorizing black and white videos is not just about adding colors to the frames but requires analyzing the content and context of each frame to determine the best color match. This process can be time-consuming and tedious for human editors, but AI can help automate the task, freeing up time and resources for other creative endeavors.
While we have over a dozen photo colorizer, we don’t have many black and white video-to-color converters. In this post, I’d like to recommend a couple of AI video colorizers for you to add color to black-and-white videos in just a few clicks.
Techniques to Colorize Black and White Video
According to the Wikipedia page on film colorization, there are several ways to colorize videos. Here are some of the most common methods:
Hand Coloring: It is the oldest and most traditional method of colorizing black and white films. It involves painting individual film frames by hand using colored dyes or paints. This process is very time-consuming and labor-intensive and requires a high degree of skill to produce realistic and consistent colors.
Digital Colorization: which is the prevailing method used today, entails using computer software to infuse color into black-and-white films. This method is faster and more cost-effective than traditional methods and allows for greater control over the colorization process. Digital colorization can be done manually or using automated software that analyzes the black and white film and adds color based on algorithms and artificial intelligence.
AI Colorization: is actually a way of Digital Colorization. It is a process of using artificial intelligence (AI) to add color to black and white videos. The process typically involves using deep learning algorithms and machine learning techniques to analyze the video and add color to each frame.
Some companies use a combination of traditional and digital colorization techniques to create a colorized version of a black and white film. For example, they may use digital colorization to add base colors and then use hand coloring or analog techniques to add details and textures.
There are several AI-based tools available that can be used to convert black and white video to color. Let’s see.
DeOldify: Free & Open-source AI Video Colorizing
DeOldify is a free, open-source, and AI-based tool to colorize videos and photos. It’s a project developed by Jason Antic. And he developed a new type of GAN training strategy called NO-GAN to criticize the coloring. You can use it either online or on your Windows computer. For photo colorizing, you can go to MyHeritage.com for the best result.
In recent years, DeOldify has undergone multiple updates and improvements, including the introduction of a new model architecture, improvements in the training process, and the use of larger datasets. The DeOldify developers are continuously working to improve the models and increase the quality of the colorizations produced by the tool. From what we can see, the black and white videos and photos colorized by DeOldify are realistic, with artifacts almost wholly removed.
Deoldify trains three different kinds of models: Artistic, Stable, and Video. However, the name is a bit puzzling. For landscapes and portraits, you’d better go for Stable. Or go for this post for more details.
The below YouTube video explains how exactly you can colorize black and white videos online for free with DeOldify:
HitPaw Video Enhancer[PC & Mac]
Hitpaw Video Enhancer is an AI-based tool that allows you to take blurry and low-resolution videos to the next level, improving the quality of the video immensely. Whether you want to upscale your video resolution, remove video noises, or repair portrait videos with clear faces, Hitpaw Video Enhancer can do those all with just a few clicks. It offers the advantage of upscaling videos up to 8K and comes with four dedicated models. And, it works for both general and computer-generated videos, aka, CG or animation videos.
Also, you can use HitPaw Video Enhancer to colorize black and white videos. I know those videos are old and outdated, but they are nostalgic and artistic. Now, I’d like to recommend Hitpaw Video Enhancer to bring your old videos a new, and “colorful” life.
How to Colorize Black And White Video On PC & Mac
It’s a tool to automatically add realistic colors to your black-and-white videos in just a few steps. And, it’s for both Windows and macOS. It’s really simple to use. Check it out here:
Step 1. Download and Install
You can get it from the official website.
Note, it’s an online installer for only 2 MB. And it will download the files after you hit Install.
Step 2. Add Video
Launch the program and click on “Choose File” or simply drag and drop your black and white video directly into the program.
Step 3. AI Model
Select the “Colorize” AI model from the right side of the main interface.
Step 4. Export Setting
Hitpaw Video Enhancer can do AI video upscaling along with colorizing. If you just want to colorize your black-and-white video, make sure to set the resolution at 100%.
Besides, you can set the output format here too, but only MP4 and MOV are available at the moment.
Step 5. Preview
Click on “Preview” to see what your video looks like after colorization. It has a side-by-side window so you can compare it with the original video. Check it how it works:
Step 6. Export
If you are satisfied with the result, click on “Export” to save your colorized video in your preferred format and quality.
That’s it! Enjoy your old videos in a new way with vibrant colors.
AVCLabs Video Enhancer AI is a versatile software solution that brings your old, low-quality videos to life with the power of AI. With a suite of tools, including AI video upscaling, colorizing, denoising, and creating slow-motion effects, this software breathes new life into your outdated and low-resolution videos by enhancing their quality, resolution, frame rate, and even human faces.
One of its most innovative features, the “AI Video Colorizer,” adds a touch of modernity to black-and-white footage, transforming it into vivid, colorful content.
The AI Video Colorizer function meticulously analyzes every frame of your black-and-white video, using deep learning techniques to accurately estimate and apply the appropriate colors. This technology recognizes patterns, textures, and objects, intelligently infusing your footage with natural-looking hues that closely resemble the original scene. With AVCLabs Video Enhancer AI and its AI Video Colorizer, you can now experience your cherished memories in full color, adding an extra dimension to your visual storytelling.
The AI Video Colorizer works by analyzing each frame of the black-and-white video in detail. You can simply enable it here:
The Render Factor
Pixbim Video Colorize AI: Black and White Video to Color Converter for Windows
Pixbim Video Colorize AI is a piece of software that uses artificial intelligence to automatically add color to videos that were previously solely in black and white. It is unnecessary to have any prior experience with video editing to colorize a video with the help of Pixbim Video Colorize AI. To begin the process of coloring the video, all that is required of you is to load a video that you wish to colorize and then click the start button after the video has been loaded. The Pixbim Video Colorize AI will handle the remainder. Because the processing will take place solely on your laptop or personal computer, there will be no instances when your privacy will be violated in any way.
Pixbim Video Colorize AI is a relatively new tool, and its performance compared to other video colorization tools has yet to be widely studied. However, its developers claim that it produces high-quality results with relatively low computational overhead, making it a viable option for individuals and organizations looking to colorize their black-and-white videos.
Convert Black and White Video to Color online.
There are several AI tools available online that can be used to colorize videos. These tools use neural networks to analyze the grayscale image and infer the most likely color that would have been present in the original scene. Some popular AI colorization tools include:
Neural.Love is an online tool that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to colorize black and white videos and photos. The tool can be utilized free of charge and is accessible via a web browser.
NeuralLove uses deep learning algorithms and machine learning techniques to analyze the grayscale image and infer the most likely color that would have been present in the original scene. The website claims that the algorithm has been trained on a large dataset of color images and can produce accurate and realistic colorizations.
To colorize a video with NeuralLove, you simply need to upload the black and white video file to the website, and the AI algorithm will analyze each frame of the video and add color based on the colors present in the scene. And, then enable Colorization. The website claims that the process is fully automated and requires no manual intervention from the user. You can see how it works:
Overall, NeuralLove is a useful tool for colorizing black and white videos and can be a good starting point for those who want to experiment with AI-powered video colorization. However, it is always a good idea to keep in mind that the results may not always be 100% accurate, and some manual tweaking may be required to achieve the desired result.
Veed.io
Veed.io is an online video editing tool that offers a range of features, including the ability to colorize black and white videos using AI technology.
Veed.io uses machine learning algorithms to analyze each frame of the video and infer the most likely color that would have been present in the original scene. The tool is designed to work on a variety of video formats and resolutions, and the process is fully automated, requiring no manual intervention from the user.
To colorize a video with Veed.io, you need to upload the black and white video file to the website and select the “Color” option from the left-hand menu. From there, you can choose the “Colorize” option, and the tool will automatically add color to the video.
In addition to colorization, Veed.io offers a range of other video editing features, including trimming, cropping, adding text and captions, and adding effects and transitions. The tool is easy to use and does not require any technical knowledge or experience.
While Veed.io is a convenient and user-friendly tool for adding color to black and white videos, it is essential to note that the quality of the colorization may vary depending on factors such as the quality of the original video, the complexity of the scene and the lighting conditions. Therefore, previewing the colorization results and making any necessary adjustments before finalizing the footage is always a good idea.