"colorizing" a black and white image - is it advisable?

[bill_fouche]

I've occasionally been asked to colorize a black and white image. So far I have declined to do it. Instead I have tried to

explain the virtues of black and white photography and recommended that careful restoration of the original B&W be done

instead. Tastes differ, of course. But I alone in concluding that colorizing is unwise. And for those who take a different view

of it, can someone point me to some examples of well-done colorized images? Thanks!

[robert lee]

For what it's worth, there's a long tradition of hand coloring B&W prints. Nothing new here.

 

Whether this is advisable is entirely different question isn't it.

[tmcleland]

For starters, the times I've run into it, it seems clients don't want to pay for how long it actually takes to get it right. I've done a

few of them. As for how well done they were? I personally thought they sucked, but the client was happy, which is of course

the most important. I got the skin tones right, (I had to call this one lady and go "what color were his eyes?") and overall, I

suppose it was okay. Maybe just the memory of how strange the process looked overrode the final result in my memory. I'll

have to dig them up! Notice I'm not rushing to post any here!

 

Personally, I don't understand people's reasoning for wanting it done. I think you and I would be in agreement that BW photos

have their own unique aesthetic, and possibly historical, qualities that are not something I want to alter or eliminate by

colorizing a photo. To me, it just sort of squashes the value of an old photo.

 

You bring to mind a project from a few years ago, where I had digitized 100's of old photos for a Chinese man who had albums

of these old photos from China, along with some historical photos of Chinese influence in San Diego. It was one of those

projects that was just a joy to do (I love old photos), and I can't imagine any reason to colorize any of them.

 

When I was a baby designer, the Photoshop challenge of such a task was fun for me, I admit. But much beyond that, I don't

think it has the value, given the time it takes. I don't know if I would say it's "unwise," maybe just a little tasteless. And it's not

without it's irony that now we have all these digital camera's and a wide choice of beautiful color films, then make black and

white's out of them!

 

Just my thoughts.

[richsimmons]

Here's a whole bunch. Good, bad and the ugly.

 

http://www.worth1000.com/search.asp?search=colorize

 

I think when colorizing is done really well, you barely notice the difference. It's a painstaking process though.

[jeffrey_blake_adams]

In the past hand colouring an image was the only way to have a colour photograph. Now it a relatively easy w proper knowledge of photoshop and its layers. J

[andrew_gale]

I highly recommend this book. It will teach you everything you need to know and more about toning, handcoloring and airbrushing, but of course, the only way to get good is through practice, not a book.

[RobertChura]

What book are you recommending Galen?

[ron_burgis]

Here is a great example of restoring & colorizing a black & white print

 

http://www.photoshopuser.com/members/portfolios/view/image/134818