How to Restore and Colourise Old Photos Using AI

Posted on by Tim Brownlaw

(Step-by-Step Guide You Can Follow)

Pull up a chair… let’s do this properly. You don’t need to be technical. You don’t need expensive software.
You just need a decent photo… and a bit of guidance.

⚡ Quick Start (Do This First)

  1. Take a clear photo of your original
  2. Upload it into ChatGPT
  3. Run the enhancement prompt
  4. Then colourise it
  5. Create a before/after image

Step 1: Capture the Original Photo Properly

Before we even touch AI… this matters more than you think.

What to do:

  • Place the photo on a flat surface
  • Use natural light (near a window is perfect)
  • Avoid glare (angle slightly if needed)
  • Take the photo straight-on (not tilted)

Tip:

If you can scan it… even better.
But a phone photo works perfectly fine.

Step 2: Upload the Image into ChatGPT (or your AI tool)

This is where the magic starts.

Upload your image and start simple.

Step 3: First Prompt – Clean It Up

You don’t jump straight to colour…

Please enhance this old photo.
Improve clarity, contrast, and sharpness while keeping it natural.
Remove any fading, noise, or damage if possible.

👉 What this does:

  • Brings back detail
  • Fixes washed-out tones
  • Makes faces clearer

Step 4: Remove Borders (If Needed)

If your photo has white edges like yours did:

Prompt:

Please crop the image to remove any white borders or edges
and keep the original composition intact.

👉 Clean image = better final result

Step 5: Second Enhancement Pass (Optional but Powerful)

Now we refine it further.

Prompt:

Further enhance this image by sharpening facial features,
balancing lighting, and improving overall detail while keeping it realistic.

👉 This step is where it really starts to “pop”

Step 6: Colourise the Image

Now the fun part…

Prompt:

Please colourise this photo realistically.
Use natural skin tones, soft lighting, and accurate colours.
Keep it subtle and true to life, not overly saturated.

👉 Key tip:
Always say realistic and not overly saturated
Otherwise AI can go a bit wild 😄

Step 7: Fine-Tune the Result (Optional)

If something looks off, tweak it.

Example prompts:

Adjust the colours to be slightly warmer and more natural. Reduce saturation slightly and keep a vintage feel. Improve skin tones so they look more realistic.

Quick Summary (Cheat Sheet)

  1. Take a good photo of the original
  2. Upload to ChatGPT
  3. Enhance clarity and detail
  4. Remove borders
  5. Refine the image
  6. Colourise naturally
  7. Adjust if needed
  8. Share it

Just for fun – I animated it.

Now there are many tools that can do this but one I like to use is called Kling.