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Turning black and white video into color isn’t just for professionals anymore. With today’s advanced AI technology, anyone can easily add color to black and white video, whether they are for family memories, historic footage, or film colorization. We know everyone’s needs are different, so in this guide, we’ll cover both powerful desktop software and convenient online tools. No matter your technical background or project type, you’ll find the best AI solutions here to quickly and effectively convert black and white video to color.
Turning black and white video into color used to require expert skills and considerable time. Thanks to AI technology, this process is now much faster and easier, even for beginners in video editing. AI tools handle most of the complex work automatically, producing consistent and realistic colors. Of course, if you desire full control over every detail, manual editing is still an option, though it demands more time and expertise. For most users, AI offers an ideal balance between speed and quality. Here's a comparison table for a quick overview:
Method | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|---|
AI Colorization | Fast, consistent color; no special skills needed | Fewer options for customization |
Manual Colorization | Full control over color details; highly customizable | Time-consuming and requires expertise |
If you work with converting black and white video to color regularly or prefer offline solutions, desktop software is a great choice. It lets you add color to black and white video without relying on internet connectivity, as long as your computer meets the hardware requirements. Below, we review some of the best desktop AI tools to help you turn black and white video into color smoothly.
UniFab's Video Colorizer is a powerful AI-powered tool to turn black and white video into color. Its new Multi-Scene Colorization Mode automatically detects separate scenes and chooses the ideal reference frame for each, ensuring smooth and consistent color throughout your video. With four customizable color styles and a fully automatic workflow, UniFab delivers high-quality results quickly and easily.
Supported Platforms: Windows & macOS
Free Trial: 30-day full-feature trial with no watermark
For more details about UniFab Colorizer AI, watch this YouTube video:
✅Quickly add realistic, uniform color to any black-and-white footage.
✅4 versatile, unique styles to add color to meet specific requirements.
✅You can try multiple preview options until you are satisfied with the output.
✅Multi-Scene Colorization Mode automatically segments video and selects the best reference frame for each scene.
From the image below, you can see how UniFab’s AI uses advanced deep learning to add realistic color to black and white videos, boosting vibrancy and detail. It delivers accurate, consistent colors throughout and offers several style options to match different preferences.
Full feature access! No watermark!
Open UniFab program > go to "All Features" and select the “colorizer” option. Then, upload your black-and-white video.
Click "Capture", drag the video progress bar to pick a reference frame. Use it to test 4 color styles. Click "Generate", UniFab will auto - create 4 styles for the frame. Then choose your favorite one.
Once you select the style, adjust the output parameters of the video and click on the “Start” option at the right below. The entire video will be colored according to your selected coloring style.
HitPaw Video Enhancer features B & W Colorization. Its Colorize Modeluses advanced AI to automatically convert black and white to color video. It brings new life to old footage with just one click, making restoration fast and effortless.
Supported Platforms: Windows & macOS
HitPaw’s colorization feature enhances black-and-white videos by adding color. However, the results may still lack vibrancy and accuracy, with some details appearing blurry and reducing overall sharpness. In complex scenes, the colorization process can be inconsistent, sometimes leading to unnatural or distorted colors.
Import Your Black & White Video
Click "AI Color" to choose "B & W Colorization", then upload the black-and-white video you want to colorize.
Select Colorize Model
Choose Colorize model designed to colorize your B & W video.
Preview and Save Your Enhanced Video
Click on the Preview button to see the results. If you’re happy with the outcome, click Export to save the enhanced video to your computer.
AVCLabs Video Enhancer AI offers an AI-powered colorization feature. Users can choose between two AI Models—Bright for vivid results or Soft for a more natural look. This flexibility makes it easy to turn black and white video into color.
Supported Platforms: Windows & macOS
Its Soft model struggles with natural skin tones, making faces look overly saturated and unnatural. Color distribution is uneven, with noticeable blending issues. Facial details appear blurred, and the high saturation creates a disconnect between the subject and background. While it adds color, the results lack realism and refinement.
Import B&W Film
Open AVCLabs Video Enhancer AI. Import black-and-white films by clicking or dragging them in.
Choose AI Model
Open the "Feature List" on the right side of the software. Click "Colorize" and select either the "Bright" or "Soft" model.
Adjust Settings and Export
Fine-tune the video and export parameters. Click the "Start Processing" button in the lower right corner to export the colorized black-and-white film.
HDconvert lets you turn black and white video into color online with AI-powered precision. This web-based tool makes it easy to bring old footage back to life in vibrant color, all without software downloads. Just upload your video, choose your settings, and watch as HDconvert restores your grayscale clips with stunning clarity and natural hues.
Supported Platforms: Web-based
HDconvert's colorization feature adds color to the image, but the overall effect remains somewhat grayish, with low color accuracy that makes it difficult to faithfully restore the original colors. In complex scenes, it may result in color inconsistencies or inaccuracies, affecting the natural look and overall visual quality.
Visit the HDconvert Website
Navigate to the HDconvert website. Click the 'Colorize Video with AI' button to colorize black and white video.
Upload Your Files
Add video files from your local storage or select from previously uploaded files.
Choose Output Format
Click Next to choose your preferred output format.
Choose Output Quality
Click Next to adjust the quality settings.
Adjust Additional Settings
Modify any extra settings, such as removing the audio track, before starting the colorization.
Initiate the Colorization and Download
Neural.love offers an AI feature that adds color to your black-and-white videos. Its user-friendly, web-based interface allows you to effortlessly convert black and white video to color online without any software installation. From old sports events and historical documents to old classic movies, it can colorize any video.
Supported Platforms: Web-based
Choose Colorize Video Tool
Navigate to the Neural.love website, click "All AI Tools" to choose "Colorize Video"
Upload Your Black-and-White Video
Select and upload the black-and-white video you wish to colorize.
Let AI Do the Work
Neural.love’s AI algorithm will automatically analyze and add color to your video.
Download Your Colorized Video
Once the colorization is complete, download the colorized video to your device.
Based on extensive testing, UniFab Video Colorizer AI emerges as the premier tool for converting black and white videos to color. Its advanced AI algorithms consistently deliver high-precision, natural, and vividly colored results. Compared to other tools, UniFab excels in color accuracy, minimizes artifacts, and ensures smooth color transitions. Please see the before-and-after comparison images below to observe how UniFab outperforms other tools.
Compared to UniFab, the video processed by Hitpaw exhibits noticeable color flickering, resulting in uneven overall color effects. This is particularly evident when objects are in motion, causing more pronounced color changes and leading to poor color stability in the footage, which affects the viewing experience.
Compared to UniFab, other tools may experience some degree of oversaturation during coloring, resulting in color distortion in the image and an overall unsatisfactory effect.
Converting black and white video to color has become more accessible thanks to AI-powered tools. Whether you're looking to restore old footage, add color to personal videos, or explore historical preservation, these tools provide the best solutions. For a seamless, high-quality colorization experience, UniFab Video Colorizer AI is the ideal choice, offering you the maximum flexibility to add color to black and white video with the best quality and most realistic color.
UniFab Video Colorizer AI offers a 30-day free trial with full features and no watermark, making it one of the best free options to turn black and white video into color with realistic results.
Yes, black-and-white films can be brought to life with color using modern AI technology. UniFab Video Colorizer AI makes this process seamless by automatically analyzing and applying realistic colors to each frame.
UniFab Video Colorizer AI is the best convert black and white video to color app. It uses AI-powered colorization to automatically add vibrant, natural-looking colors to grayscale footage.
Some of online tools like HDconvert can turn black and white video into color with free trials, but their features are usually limited—such as lower resolution, watermarks, or short video durations. For full-quality, watermark-free results, a paid plan is typically required.