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Colourise an old family studio photo — example resultReal example
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Made with this exact default prompt; output can vary.

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Colourise an old family studio photo

A black-and-white family studio portrait brought into soft, period colour. Upload a clear photo, paste this prompt into ChatGPT, Gemini or Grok, change the parts in brackets to suit you, and generate.

Part of the Colourise old photo trend

Written for
ChatGPT, Gemini, Grok
You'll need
A clear photo to upload
Status
Tested 19 Oct 2026 in grok-imagine-image-2.0
Test settings
Reference photo: an AI-generated black-and-white photo of fictional adults, made to look old for this test. Uploaded with the default copy text unchanged. Aspect ratio matched the reference photo (4:3). First result used; resized to 1600x1200 and converted to WebP.
Variability
Repairs and colours are the model's guess and vary between runs; always compare with your original photo.
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Prompt
Use the uploaded black-and-white family photo as the reference and colourise it; everyone in it is my family. Keep every face exactly as it is: same features, expression, age and proportions; keep everyone's ages as they are in the photo; check the result against the original.
Scene: the same studio group portrait, colourised as a photo from 1970s, with a painted studio backdrop in soft colour.
Pose: keep every pose and position exactly as in the original.
Clothing: period-appropriate colours for each outfit; otherwise choose believable colours.
Light: keep the original studio light and contrast.
Style: gentle, muted vintage colourisation, each person's skin tone natural and different, fine grain kept.
Format: same aspect ratio as the original photo
Avoid: making everyone the same skin tone, changing any face or age, adding or removing people, oversaturated colours, text, logos, watermarks.

Customise

For example: 1970s.

For example: otherwise choose believable colours.

Fields start with illustrative values; replace them with your own facts. The prompt updates as you type. Copy prompt copies your version.

How to use it

  1. Open an external image tool listed above. The tested model, if any, is named in Status.
  2. Upload a clear reference photo of the subject. If it includes identifiable people, get their consent and check each face.
  3. Customise the fields, copy your version, paste it with the photo and generate.
  4. Compare the result with the reference. If a face, pose or detail changes, ask for one correction or try again; an exact match is not guaranteed.
How to use this prompt
  1. This prompt changes your own photo. Choose a clear reference photo, and get permission from people who can be identified.
  2. Upload the photo in the external AI app you chose. Fill Customise, press Copy prompt and paste the prompt with the photo.
  3. Compare the new picture with the original. Face, hands, clothes and pose can change. An exact likeness is not guaranteed.

Full guide: Search, Copy, Save and test labels

Good to know

  • Models tend to give everyone the same skin tone; ask for natural variation if they look alike.
  • Use reference photos you have the right to use; get consent from identifiable people.

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Colourise an old family studio photo
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