Choose a clear source image
Start with the highest-resolution scan or phone capture you have. Faces should be in focus, and highlights should retain detail. Heavy compression and glare make plausible color estimation harder.
Restore damage before adding color
If the photo has strong scratches, stains, or faded contrast, restore a copy first. Clean edges and readable facial features give the colorizer a more consistent structure to work with.
Run the colorizer
Open AI Colorizer in Family Tree App and choose your prepared portrait. The app estimates colors using the visible scene, clothing, and skin tones, then refines transitions while preserving fine detail.
Review the result critically
Check skin, hair, clothing, and the background separately. A convincing result can still be historically wrong: a uniform, dress, car, or wall may have had a very different original color.
- Look for color bleeding across faces or clothing edges
- Compare texture and facial detail with the original
- Ask relatives when a specific garment or setting is known
- Keep uncertain colors out of factual captions
Save both versions together
Preserve the black-and-white original and label the new image as colorized. Keeping both versions in the same album gives future family members context and protects the historical source.