How to Colorize Black-and-White Photos in Photoshop Without AI Damage

Opening an old family treasure or a classic black-and-white photo in Photoshop can be a strange experience, especially when you hesitate to edit it. You’ve likely seen those awful “AI colorized” images where skin looks plastic, and eyes appear robotic. It makes you want to leave everything in black and white forever.

In his new guide, Unmesh Dinda from PiXimperfect explains how to quickly colorize black-and-white photos without risking the annoying “AI damage.” He points out that while typical AI tools are fast, they often distort pixels or alter the original photo’s details. I agree with him. There’s nothing worse than a clear vintage photo turning into a blurry mess just because an algorithm got confused. Unmesh teaches you how to combine the efficiency of modern technology with the true essence of your original picture.

Start with the RGB Secret

Before choosing a color, ensure that you check one crucial setting that can cause headaches. Unmesh mentions that if your photo is in Grayscale mode, Photoshop won’t allow you to add any color. You might find yourself confused as everything remains gray.

To fix this, go to Image > Mode and select RGB. It may seem obvious, but many people overlook it, which can lead to frustration. After that, Unmesh recommends pressing Cmd/Ctrl + J to duplicate your layer and converting it to a Smart Object. This way, you can edit without affecting the original image. Unmesh definitely cares about preserving your original pixels, and you should too.

Use Neural Filters (The “Safe” Automation)

Unmesh’s first major tip is to utilize neural filters. Don’t be intimidated by the “AI” label. He demonstrates how to navigate to Filter > Neural Filters and enable the Colorize option.

Photoshop does a pretty good job of guessing colors these days, but Unmesh cautions that it’s not always accurate. You might notice some unwanted colors, like blue from the sky, mixing into someone’s hair. He suggests you can correct this directly in the filter window by clicking on the problem areas and selecting the right color.

One aspect of his approach that I like is that he advises saving this as a Smart Filter. This way, if you realize later that the grass is too bright or “neon,” you can easily go back and adjust it without having to start from scratch.

Sample and Paint Like a Pro

After selecting your primary colors, you may notice some areas that don’t quite look right. This is when you’ll need to get to work. Unmesh recommends creating a new blank layer and changing the Blend Mode to Color.

Use the Brush tool (B), hold down Alt/Option to select a suitable color from a part that looks good, and then paint over the areas that need correction. For instance, if the AI made someone’s lips gray (which can happen), you can choose a natural skin tone or a soft red and brush it back in.

If you’re anxious about painting outside the lines, Unmesh has a helpful tip: use the Select Subject feature. Once Photoshop selects the person, you can invert the selection (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I) to paint the background without worrying about getting paint on the person’s face. This step often makes the photo feel more realistic again.

The “Square Crop” AI Hack

Sometimes, the usual filters can’t handle it. If you’re dealing with a complicated scene and the AI is having trouble, Unmesh recommends a unique solution using Generative AI. He points out that tools like Generative Fill perform much better on square images.

You can use the Crop tool to change your canvas to a square shape and then use the Contextual Taskbar to provide instructions to the AI. For example, you might say you want a “dark navy suit, mahogany desk, and natural skin tones.”

But here’s the key tip from Unmesh: the Blend Mode is critical. Instead of just going with whatever the AI produces, which could distort features like the subject’s nose or eyes, you should set that AI layer’s Blend Mode to Color. This tells Photoshop to keep the colors generated by the AI but apply them only to the original sharp pixels. I think this is a clever way to leverage AI without losing control of the final image.

Restore Depth to Flat Tones

A common sign of colorized black-and-white photos is that they often appear “flat.” The skin can end up looking like a bland, uniform peach shade. Unmesh demonstrates how to correct overly bright areas by using a Solid Color adjustment layer.

He sets this layer to Multiply and applies a layer mask, carefully painting deeper tones back into the skin’s shadows. This technique adds depth that a simple filter can’t provide. He also recommends using a Hue/Saturation layer to bring some vibrancy to the background and a Curves layer to enhance contrast.

While managing all these layers, Unmesh offers a helpful tip: you can easily copy masks between layers by holding Alt/Option and dragging. This prevents the need to repaint the same mask repeatedly. These little workflow tips can make the editing process feel more enjoyable and like a true craft.

Final Touches and “Old School” Alternatives

After putting in all that effort on a square canvas (mainly if you used the AI trick), remember to crop it back down. Unmesh wants you to stick to your original layer’s edges to return to the correct aspect ratio.

He also mentions that if you prefer a hands-on approach with no AI help, you can try using Gradient Maps. This method requires more effort, but it allows you total control over every shade in your image.

It seems like Unmesh is offering us a set of tools instead of just one easy solution. He recognizes that while AI technology is improving, it still requires a human touch to maintain authenticity. The key takeaway for me is that you should always have control over how your final piece looks.

Why This Matters for Your Photos

Colorizing black-and-white photos isn’t just about hitting a button. It’s about reviving a moment in a way that honors the original photographer. Unmesh Dinda’s techniques help maintain the clarity and detail that make vintage photos unique.

Whether you opt for Neural Filters for a quick enhancement or use the Generative AI method for more intricate images, ensure that you set your blend modes to “Color.” This is the easiest way to avoid “AI damage” while still benefiting from the speed of these tools.

I’m curious to see what everyone is creating. Have you experimented with these filters, or do you stick with traditional methods? I think that once you use the “Color Blend Mode” trick, you won’t want to go back to the old ways of colorizing. So, dig out that box of black-and-white photos, scan them, and start playing around. You might be amazed at the hidden vibrancy in those faded images.

[Colorize B&W FAST in Photoshop (No AI Damage) I PiXimperfect; Image credits: Envato]

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