Bored Panda (with a whopping 120M monthly readers) reached out to us earlier this week, curious about our photo colorization work (https://www.photofixrestore.com/colorizing-photos.html) for a story they were doing (https://www.boredpanda.com/colorized-black-and-white.../). These are some extracts of the published interview which appeared this morning. We are happy they reached out to us to get an expert’s view on how colorization works, and why people are so excited about it.

Why colorize a black and white photo?

Old photos are the closest thing we have to a time machine.  Looking at an old photo is like peeking through a small hole in the dark blanket of time.  Colorizing an old photo makes that experience even more real.

To see an old black and white photo carefully colorized is always an emotional experience because it makes us realize that we are really like those people, separated by years but not by our humanity.

Adding color brings the people and the surrounding items back to life with an immediacy and an impact that can be truly stunning. Colorizing old photos really is a way to make them come alive. You feel like you might have known them.

How does colorization work?

In the old days we used paints and pencils applied directly to the photographic print, first applying a spray lacquer to create a “key” for the paints or pencils, then going to work like you would with a coloring book.

These days we scan the image in high resolution then open it in Photoshop.  Next, we restore any tears or scratches, and apply a very light sepia tone – this helps later get the right skin tone when we apply color.

We then go to work applying color, digitally painting each item individually on a separate Photoshop layer.  Sometimes we end up with 50 or more layers! But the real secret is getting the tone right.

Does colorizing damage the original?

In the days of manual coloring, there was the high likelihood that the original would have to be replaced. However, using modern photoshop methods, the precious original can be kept safe while a new copy is digitally authored.

To learn more about why people are colorizing old photos, check out this article in the Paso Robles Daily News: https://pasoroblesdailynews.com/should-you-colorize-your-old-family-photos/128928/​

For more explanation on how colorization works, take a look at the colorization page on our website! https://www.photofixrestore.com/colorizing-photos.html

The work we did restoring and colorizing old photos for Coca Cola is the same as we do for all clients: We accessed and assessed the images,  we then restored them in black and white by eliminating dust and marks, tweaking tone and contrast, lightening dark areas and darkening light areas. We used a very light touch though. With historical images the adjustments need to be nuanced and subtle.  Next, we researched colors for nurses and soldiers uniforms, brands, patches and insignias and created a library of reference images. We then got to work with our digital paint brushes.  Once we were satisfied - and that is not easy to do - we sent previews to the team at Coke who consulted their higher ups and pronounced themselves very happy with the work. We worked to a very tight timetable and the photos went out on Veterans Day 2019 to Coke's 3.5M followers.

Lamar State College is also a school that remembers its history, and its modest beginnings in the former Tilley Elementary School (then an extension of Lamar University). Tilley Elementary commemorates a heroic young man named William Tilley who heeded his Nation's call and enlisted to serve in WWII. Tragically, lieutenant "Bill" Tilley became the first fatality from Orange, Texas in that terrible conflict.

The school needed a formal portrait of Lieutenant Tilley to grace their halls - but none was to be found. There was an old monochrome portrait – but it was not in great shape. Could the old photo be restored? Could it perhaps (gulp) be colorized? Which is where PhotoFixRestore came in! Working with Lamar State College we were able to make the photo restoration and, after some research to confirm colors for his Army uniform, add color to the old photo and bring it back to life. The College chose to have us print the portrait at 16" x 20" on super premium Epson "Exhibition Fiber" paper.

It's not all hard work and study at Lamar State College of course. The school just welcomed its first athletic team. And this being Southeast Texas and the school being located just above the gulf - with all its rivers and lakes and estuaries - that team is, of course, the fishing team. And their mascott? Tilley the Gator!

A lot of our work here at PhotoFixRestore is working on really tough images: water damage; photos torn into pieces; radical color shifts into magenta; fading so bad that features have disappeared from faces and color that is all but lost; we are even asked to remove people who are no longer in the family!

But there is another category of our photo work that is not so much photo repair as photo enhancement.  You may have a favorite photo that is not in terrible shape - but it is just not what it could be. It might be crooked; or perhaps the central figure is too remote. Maybe you had some slides scanned and they came out dark - or pocked with dust.

Sometimes you just need some wrinkles removed or some skin smoothed - nothing too dramatic or fake of course. But poor lighting can make features look worse than in reality they really are. 

The history of Clay County is also the history of the westward movement and settlement of people across the vast United States.  "Clay County has been a center for both salt and coal production, timber and agriculture, beautiful homes and rich traditions, a place where people are known for hard work, steadfast faith, and family values," the book tells us.

Working with the professionals at the Genealogical and Historical Society, we were involved in helping select images appropriate for restoration and colorizing. We then carried out research to determine appropriate colors.  For example, in the image of an older gentleman standing in front of a country store (see slideshow below) we were able to locate a number of historical advertising signs to inform our choice of palette. Then we went to work!

We were stunned to read that we were given a very generous shout out:

"To our new friend in California, Jane Shafron, at Your Story Here (dba as PhotofixRestore), the work you do to colorize old photos is amazing! We know everyone is going to be as impressed as we are with the finished products." 

The process for colorizing an old black and white photo is very straightforward.  We scan the image with our pro equipment then bring it into Photoshop. (If time is a factor we can also work with your scan.) We clean up any scratches, spots and tears. We inquire about colors and if the client has knowledge of any particular tones that apply. We identify any items which, with a few web inquiries on our part, may have had particular colors (e.g. uniforms, insignia, grocery items, etc) and we do that research. And we get to work. The process is meticulous - but with our experienced digital photo artists it can be done fairly briskly.

Ultimately, it is a blend of technology and art.  And a big part of the exercise is judgment and restraint - overly bright and super-saturated colors seldom work with older images.  The result, done right is a new heirloom that will be a treasure for generations. (Here is more about our photo colorization services.)

Once completed, most people ask us to print the colorized black and white photo on one of the quality papers we use for our photo repair and  restoration work.  Exhibition Fiber or an archive cotton paper both work well.  More on photo printing papers... 

But you can get even more creative if you wish.

What about cups and plates, mouse pads, fridge magnets and canvas prints? All great ideas for your restored colorized photo.  These days, the list is almost endless:  Metal prints, acrylic prints, posters, iPhone cases, Galaxy cases, greeting cards, throw pillows, duvet covers, tote bags, t-shirts, sweatshirts, baby onesies, greeting cards, and the list goes on. Imagine the delight and surprise of your loved one!

Sounds like fun right? Give Jane a call today!

Finally, once we have made the repair and carried out other necessary restoration steps, we ask: What is the appropriate paper for the final print? We don't just print everything on high quality gloss paper (although sometimes that is the wisest  choice).  We like to do our best to match the original.  For example, for the 16" x 20" oval portrait of the young lady above we used a cotton based, archive quality, slightly textured matte paper - and it looked totally gorgeous!

We then bring the pieces into Photoshop and carefully trace the outlines of the emulsion, taking care to avoid selecting any of the substrate. We then mask otiose details and arrange each piece on its own layer.  We carefully maneuver each piece into place (using the transform tool as needed) - similar to assembling a jigsaw puzzle.  Once the torn bits are aligned we then clean up the joins with the cloning or healing brush tools. We then attend to the other issues facing the photo - like color tone or dust spots then we prepare and send a "before and after" preview.  Once we have your approval, we make the print and send that along together with a digital copy of the image!

Here at PhotoFixRestore, we like to say that no torn or ripped image is beyond repair - but some images may be beyond budget! While we have astonishing photo restoration tools at our disposal, those tools are wielded by meticulous, flesh and blood artists and most repairs just take time to make the restored photo look convincing - as you can see by the samples on this page. To get a fast and free estimate to repair your torn image just contact Jane.

It is helpful to understand that news, magazine and book images are magical.  News images are comprised of black dots and white space.  At a distance they look fine - up close, not so much.  The printing technique is known as "halftone" - which converts grey tones into a series of dots.  The human eye only has limited resolving power and, at a distance, is tricked into seeing these dots as continuous tone. "Halftone" then is a massive misnomer.  There is only one tone: and it is black. The process is very ingenious: For lighter tones the black dots are small and surrounded by a generous amount of white space.  For darker tones, the black dots are bigger and there is hardly any white space - maybe none. The secret is viewing distance - at a proper distance they look just fine.

Some of the hard work in getting a halftone news or magazine cutting or a year book illustration ready to fix can be done when you scan.  Here are five tips:
1. Adjust the scanner setting to "descreen" - this will lessen the impact of the dots. (If the thing asks you for # lines per inch ("lpi") most old newspapers printed at around 85, magazines maybe 133.)
2. Set the resolution to 600 dpi.
3. Place a black backing card behind the cutting on the glass before you scan - this will balance out the effect of any printing on the reverse side of the cutting.
4. If the cutting has folds or creases, align the crease so that it orientates in the same direction as the movement of the scan light - this will normally be from top to bottom and may require you to place the cutting at an odd angle on the glass.
5. If your scanner has a "sharpening" feature - turn it off and make sure you are scanning in "picture" mode - not document mode. Always scan in color even though the clipping is black and white (actually, probably quite yellow).

So yes, you can get a proper photo from a news cutting and if you are careful it won't be too bad at all!

Water damage to photos due to storms, broken pipes, inadequate window or door flashing, garage or basement flooding, storage in high humidity environments, or just accidental human spillage, can be very serious. But if the problem is addressed while the images are still wet and if using the AIC recommendations then there is a strong likelihood that many if not all the images will be saved. Although, there may still be a need for some remedial photo restoration work.  Once photos or negatives have become stuck in a block then specialized separation protocols are called for. PhotoFixRestore has had some experience applying these protocols and would be more than happy to discuss their applicability on a no-obligation basis.

Our relationship to our personal photographs is a lot richer than it is with other aesthetic objects such as painted or drawn art.  Photographs have aesthetic, historic, emotional, familial as well as fulfillment dimensions - to name just some.  So it pays to preserve, display and celebrate our treasured images; and if they need repair or enhancement, to restore or refurbish them also.

One of the things we have learned in the many years we have been fixing old photos is that photos are multi-dimensional. They satisfy our emotional, intellectual and spiritual needs in unique ways. Looking at someone else's photographs you are likely to lock on to the photo's aesthetics - its colors, structure, physical condition and subject matter: is it pleasing to the eye?  If yes, a stranger to the image will be impressed.  If no, they will look away.  But for the owner of the image, aesthetics is important but really just the starting point.

Our personal photographs are a moment in time, significant to us, frozen for eternity. They are a true form of time travel. What is a photograph if not a privileged glimpse through a small square window into another time and another place?  And prior to the video age they were the only form of time travel. Regardless of how well the elements of an image are arranged, old photos have a historic dimension: they are the past still living and looking unblinking back at us.

And our own photographs have a unique emotional power.  Who can look at a picture of a lost parent, their own wedding, a freshly born child, or a moment of sporting triumph and not be affected? We are connected to our personal photographs whether we like it or not.  We own them but they also own us.  Ever tried to cull that big pile of old family photos?  Cull? Kill: That is how it feels to place a personal photograph into the trash. So we don't do it and resultingly we all have way too many photos piled up!

Many of our old photos also form part of an unofficial family history.  Here is mother when she was just a girl; here is our brother when he turned 40. Neither of them are at the same place now but these photos are all the more important because our family members have moved on. Because we are the person we are - and we are also the sum of all the people we have been.  Our personal photographs are a reminder of the people we have been.

Photographs are also an achievement and one that we take satisfaction and sometimes pride in - they fulfill us. You assembled all those people after Thanksgiving and now here they all are in your snapshot never to be reassembled in the same way every again. You did that; you made that. You felt the mood, you saw the chance, you appreciated the moment and you acted.  In a busy world always worrying about the next thing, it takes energy to slow things down and record the moment. Very few of us are real photographers and too few of us take meaningful snapshots: congratulations and thank you to those who do!

We at PhotoFixRestore are in our 5th decade of a lifelong love affair with photos.  And loving something, we are driven to take care of it; we are passionate about making old photographs everything that they can be.  Whether it is our photos or yours we love photos - let us count the ways.