Colourise a black-and-white portrait
An old single-person portrait in natural, era-matched 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 (3:4). First result used; resized to 1200x1600 and converted to WebP.
- Variability
- Repairs and colours are the model's guess and vary between runs; always compare with your original photo.
Prompt
Use the uploaded black-and-white photo as the reference and colourise it; the person in it is me or a member of my family. Keep the face exactly as it is: same features, expression, age and proportions; do not beautify or reshape it; check the result against the original. Scene: the same portrait and framing, colourised as a photo from 1960s India. Pose: keep the pose exactly as in the original. Clothing: colour the clothes in shades typical of that time; otherwise choose believable colours. Light: keep the original light direction and contrast. Style: natural, slightly muted colourisation with realistic skin tones that vary across the face, original grain kept. Format: same aspect ratio as the original photo Avoid: changing the face, age or expression, neon or oversaturated colours, adding objects, plastic skin, text, logos, watermarks.
Customise
For example: 1960s India.
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
- Open an external image tool listed above. The tested model, if any, is named in Status.
- Upload a clear reference photo of the subject. If it includes identifiable people, get their consent and check each face.
- Customise the fields, copy your version, paste it with the photo and generate.
- 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
- This prompt changes your own photo. Choose a clear reference photo, and get permission from people who can be identified.
- Upload the photo in the external AI app you chose. Fill Customise, press Copy prompt and paste the prompt with the photo.
- Compare the new picture with the original. Face, hands, clothes and pose can change. An exact likeness is not guaranteed.
Good to know
- The colours are a guess; clothes and backgrounds may not match what was really there.
- Use reference photos you have the right to use; get consent from identifiable people.
