Colourize a black-and-white photo: Gemini & ChatGPT prompt

This prompt asks the AI to colourize (colorize) a black-and-white photo with believable skin tones and period-appropriate colours for the clothing, hair and surroundings. You tell it the decade and place so the colours fit.

photo-colourize-vintage — gemini — 33 words

Colourize this black-and-white photo with realistic, natural colours. Use believable skin tones for each person, and period-appropriate colours for clothing, hair, and surroundings for the [DECADE, e.g. 1960s] in [PLACE, e.g. Kerala, India].

Edit in the builder Copy & open Gemini ↗Copy & open ChatGPT ↗

Tell it any colours you remember: “her saree was maroon with a gold border”.

Your photo goes to the AI app you choose, never to PromptUp.

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What you will get

A colour version of your black-and-white photo with natural skin tones, and clothing, hair and surroundings in colours that suit the decade and place you named.

Common mistake

The colours look too bright and modern.

Fix: Fill in the real decade and place, and add any colours you know, such as “her saree was maroon with a gold border”.

Other ways it goes wrong

Everyone ends up with the same skin tone. Describe each person if you know: “the man on the left has a darker complexion”. Without a note, the AI averages them.
Faded or stained areas get a patchy colour cast. Repair the photo first (scratches and stains), then colourise the clean copy. Damage confuses the colour.
Uniforms or flags come out in the wrong colours. Name the real colours: “navy blue school uniform with a white collar”. Anything specific you know should be written in.

Try a variation: one fix at a time

Ask for the colour version, then correct single items in follow-ups: “change her saree to deep maroon and leave everything else”. One correction per message is more reliable than many.

Still not right? Reply with this

Make the colours softer and more natural for that decade. Keep every face, skin tone and detail exactly the same.