{"id":2066,"date":"2019-05-31T14:06:31","date_gmt":"2019-05-31T12:06:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scancafe.com\/blog\/?p=2066"},"modified":"2019-05-31T14:18:25","modified_gmt":"2019-05-31T12:18:25","slug":"colorizing-old-black-and-whites-photos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scancafe.com\/blog\/colorizing-old-black-and-whites-photos","title":{"rendered":"Why You Should Think About Colorizing Old Black and Whites"},"content":{"rendered":"

Have you ever seen an expertly colorized photo and been impressed by its ‘trueness’ and realistic colors? While colorizing old black and whites is not a new technique, it does call for both time and skills. Luckily, we have great digital tools to help us with the process now.<\/p>\n

As described in this article<\/a>, the techniques used in the early part of the 20th century were ‘decidedly low-tech” and involved manual coloring by artists. But by the 1970s, there was a computerized solution developed by a Canadian engineer, Wilson Markle<\/a>, whose company colorized many pictures for NASA – such as the one below.<\/p>\n

\"ScanCafe\"
Colorized shot of the man on the moon. Source: Getty images (via Mentalfloss.com)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Not everyone was a fan, given that black and white was the original photography format and was associated with a certain aesthetic. Color was often viewed as a jarring addition. In the 1980s, there was also a big commercial push to colorize old black and white movies. Ted Turner, the media mogul, was one of the biggest proponents of this. But the people behind the original productions were usually less enthusiastic. Upon learning that Turner planned to colorize the movie classic, ‘Citizen Kane’, its ailing director Orson Welles is said to have told a friend: “Don’t let Ted Turner deface my movie with his crayons.”<\/p>\n

So, are there reasons to colorize a perfectly good black and white photo? We believe there are. Here are a few of them:<\/p>\n

Reason #1:<\/strong> Colorizing can make history seem more accessible. For example, in this old picture of men from a cavalry regiment in the Civil War, the colors impart a more contemporary feel and flavour, allowing a distant moment in time to move closer to us.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/p>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/path><\/g><\/g><\/g><\/svg><\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a> <\/p>\n

Cavalry Officers from the 5th Cavalry Regiment of the United States Army relaxing outside a tent on the bank of a river somewhere in the United States during the Civil War which went from 1861-1865. Click the Link in Bio to play a Quiz historycolored.com Search "History Colored" on Youtube! #history #usa #ushistory #civilwar #unionarmy<\/a><\/p>\n

A post shared by History in Black & White<\/a> (@historyblackandwhite) on