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Photo Colorization

Colorize Historical Photos in Photoshop

Phil Ebiner and Video School

4.5

Based on 179 ratings

, see reviews

Phil Ebiner and Video School

You're here to learn how to colorize (aka add color) to black and white photographs, right?

Colorization makes us realize how vibrant and colorful life was before the advent of color photography.

It's great to have you here.

This is the perfect course if you've never done colorizations, never opened Photoshop, or even if you have some experience with Photoshop but want to learn this fun skill.

My Promise to You

Read more

You're here to learn how to colorize (aka add color) to black and white photographs, right?

Colorization makes us realize how vibrant and colorful life was before the advent of color photography.

It's great to have you here.

This is the perfect course if you've never done colorizations, never opened Photoshop, or even if you have some experience with Photoshop but want to learn this fun skill.

My Promise to You

I'll be here for you every step of the way. If you have any questions about the course content or anything related to this topic, you can always post a question in the course or send me a direct message.

I want to make this the best course on how use Adobe After Effects. So if there is any way I can improve this course, just tell me and I'll make it happen.

What's this course all about?

You'll learn how to:

get a free trial of Photoshop
set up the photoshop project for colorization
choose the right brush settings
add color
colorize skin, hair, eyes, backgrounds
save your images for sharing
and much more.

Included in the course are practice sessions, where you can watch me in real time. I go over everything I'm doing, while I'm doing it. Learn by following along. Included in the course are bonus materials for you to follow along and practice. These materials include:

practice photos
Photoshop templates
Coloring cheat sheet
Skin tone charts

You'll be coloring in less than 30 minutes. But there is a lot more material that goes in depth and helps you become proficient at colorization. If you're looking for a new skill or just want to have fun, please enroll in this course. It's fun, it's therapeutic, it's hip.

With our 30-day 100% money back guarantee, there is nothing holding you back from jumping in right now and trying the course out.

Go ahead and click the enroll button, and I'll see you in lesson 1.

Cheers,

Phil

Or start a personal plan

And upskill with Udemy

What's inside

Learning objectives

Learn how to properly colorize black and white photographs
Learn a fun & new skill

Improve your photoshop skills

Learn how to properly colorize black and white photographs
Learn a fun & new skill
Improve your photoshop skills

Syllabus

Course Overview

In this lesson, you will learn more about this course. We'll go over the syllabus, what to expect, how to get the most out of the course, and talk more about photo colorization.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

Read more

In this lesson, you will learn more about this course. We'll go over the tools that I use to do my colorizations. I also show you how to get a free trial version of Adobe Photoshop to use in this course.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, you'll find supplemental materials to help you follow along with your own photo colorizations. These resources include: practice photos, Photoshop templates, skin tone charts, and the ultimate skin coloring cheat sheet.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

Here's a timelapse video that is narrated with a description of what is happening. You'll learn the basics of photo colorization and see with your own eyes, what you'll learn to do!

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go over setting up your Photoshop project for colorization success. We'll also talk about what the requirements are for choosing images.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go choosing the proper brush size and hardness.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go how we add colors to our photos. This is probably the most important lesson in this entire course! So watch it twice!

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

Test your knowledge about the basics of photo colorization! Good Luck!

In this lesson, we'll go how to color skin using the brush-on technique.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go over coloring hair.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go over coloring eyes.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go over coloring backgrounds and everything else.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this lesson, we'll go over how to save your photos to share with the world.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this practice session, I color a WWII image of two soldiers sitting in the war zone. In these practice sessions, I am coloring a photo (sometimes for the first time) and walk you through EVERYTHING I do.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this practice session, I color a photo of Aretha Franklin. In these practice sessions, I am coloring a photo (sometimes for the first time) and walk you through EVERYTHING I do.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this practice session, I color a surprise photo - check it out! In these practice sessions, I am coloring a photo (sometimes for the first time) and walk you through EVERYTHING I do.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

In this video, I share with you my favorite photo colorization community!

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

Thank you for taking this photo colorization course! I hope you really enjoyed it! If you did, please leave a review the course. If you didn't, please send me a message and let me know how I can improve it.

Check out www.VideoSchoolOnline.com for more great FREE tutorials, blog articles, and courses.

This lecture contains some amazing discounts to other courses that you might be interested in to further your knowledge.

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides practice photos, Photoshop templates, skin tone charts, and a coloring cheat sheet, which are helpful resources for beginners to learn and practice photo colorization

Teaches how to set up a Photoshop project for colorization, choose the right brush settings, and add color to various elements, which are fundamental skills for digital photo editing

Includes practice sessions where the instructor walks through the colorization process in real-time, which allows learners to follow along and learn by example

Requires Adobe Photoshop, which may require a subscription or purchase, potentially posing a barrier for some learners

Focuses on a specific technique (photo colorization), which may not appeal to learners seeking a broader understanding of Photoshop or photo editing

Uses the brush-on technique for coloring skin, hair, eyes, and backgrounds, which is a standard method in digital photo editing and manipulation

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Create your own learning path. Save this course to your list so you can find it easily later.

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Reviews summary

Mastering photo colorization in photoshop

According to learners, this course offers a clear and comprehensive introduction to colorizing historical photos using Photoshop. Many found the step-by-step instruction easy to follow, making it highly suitable for beginners or those new to the technique. Reviewers frequently praised the instructor's engaging teaching style and the practical value of the included resources like templates and cheat sheets. While some more experienced users noted it's focused on fundamental techniques and might be basic for advanced learners, the overall sentiment highlights the course's effectiveness in teaching this fun and rewarding skill, allowing students to achieve impressive results quickly.

Good basics, but not advanced.

"It's a great introductory course, but don't expect to learn super advanced techniques here."

"Covers the core method very well, though more complex scenarios or optimization weren't deeply explored."

"Perfect for learning the primary brush technique, which is the main focus. Anything beyond that might require more study."

Instructor makes learning enjoyable.

"The instructor is fantastic! His teaching style is engaging and easy to listen to."

"Phil is a great teacher. He explains things clearly and makes the process fun."

"Really enjoyed the instructor's approach. Made learning colorization very pleasant."

Provided resources enhance learning.

"The practice photos and templates provided were extremely useful for following along and practicing the techniques."

"The included cheat sheets and skin tone charts are invaluable resources that I refer back to constantly."

"Having the materials to work on alongside the instructor made a huge difference in my learning."

Excellent starting point for the technique.

"This course is perfect for beginners who want to learn how to colorize photos in Photoshop. Highly recommended!"

"As a complete beginner to colorization, I found this course incredibly helpful. It covers all the basics you need."

"If you've never done this before, this course is an absolute must-take. It simplifies everything."

Easy to follow instructions for beginners.

"The instructor is very clear and takes you step-by-step through the entire process. Perfect for beginners!"

"It's very clear, very easy to understand, and gives a great basis on how to colorize photos."

"The step-by-step instruction made a potentially complex topic very accessible. I felt confident following along."

"The course is well-structured and explains everything simply, even for someone who hasn't used Photoshop much before."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Photo Colorization: Colorize Historical Photos in Photoshop with these activities:

Brush Tool Mastery

Show steps

Practice using the Photoshop brush tool to gain proficiency before starting the course. Mastering the brush tool will make colorization easier and more enjoyable.

Browse courses on Digital Painting

Show steps

Explore different brush types and settings in Photoshop.
Practice creating smooth gradients and blending colors.
Experiment with brush size, hardness, and opacity.

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Show steps

Study color theory to make informed decisions when colorizing photos. Understanding color relationships will improve the realism and aesthetic appeal of your colorizations.

View Understanding Color: An Introduction for... on Amazon

Show steps

Read about color theory principles such as hue, saturation, and value.
Study color palettes and their emotional impact.
Analyze the color schemes of famous paintings and photographs.

Colorize a Personal Photo

Show steps

Apply the techniques learned in the course to colorize a personal black and white photo. This will help solidify your understanding and create a meaningful project.

Show steps

Select a black and white photo with good contrast and detail.
Follow the course instructions to colorize the photo in Photoshop.
Share your colorized photo with the course community for feedback.

Four other activities

Expand to see all activities and additional details

Show all seven activities

Skin Tone Practice

Show steps

Practice colorizing skin tones on different photos to improve realism. Skin tones are often challenging to get right, so dedicated practice is beneficial.

Show steps

Find several black and white portraits with varying skin tones.
Use the colorization techniques from the course to color the skin.
Compare your results to reference photos of real skin tones.

The Adobe Photoshop CC Book for Digital Photographers

Show steps

Deepen your understanding of Photoshop by studying a comprehensive guide. A strong foundation in Photoshop will enhance your colorization abilities.

View The Photoshop Elements 2020 Book for Digital... on Amazon

Show steps

Read chapters related to color correction and image manipulation.
Follow the tutorials and exercises in the book to practice new skills.
Experiment with different Photoshop tools and features.

Create a Before-and-After Showcase

Show steps

Showcase your colorization skills by creating a before-and-after comparison of several photos. This will demonstrate your progress and attract potential clients or collaborators.

Show steps

Select several of your best colorized photos.
Create a visually appealing presentation of the before-and-after images.
Share your showcase on social media or a personal website.

Colorize a Series of Historical Photos

Show steps

Undertake a larger project to colorize a series of historical photos related to a specific theme or event. This will provide extensive practice and create a valuable portfolio piece.

Show steps

Choose a theme or event for your historical photo series.
Gather a collection of relevant black and white photos.
Colorize each photo using the techniques learned in the course.
Write captions or descriptions for each photo to provide context.

Career center

Learners who complete Photo Colorization: Colorize Historical Photos in Photoshop will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Colorization Artist

A colorization artist specializes in adding color to black and white images, often historical photographs or films, to make them more engaging and relatable. This Photo Colorization Photoshop course will be directly applicable to the work of a colorization artist. The course teaches how to colorize black and white photographs using Photoshop, with detailed lessons on setting up projects, choosing brush settings, and adding color to skin, hair, and backgrounds. The practice sessions and included bonus materials, such as practice photos and skin tone charts, facilitate the acquisition of proficiency.

See salaries and explore the career path for Colorization Artist

Historical Photo Colorist

A historical photo colorist specializes in adding color to historical black and white photographs, bringing them to life and making them more relatable to modern audiences. This course is specifically designed to teach how to colorize black and white photographs using Photoshop. The course covers essential techniques such as setting up a Photoshop project for colorization, choosing the right brush settings, and adding color to skin, hair, eyes, and backgrounds. The bonus materials, including practice photos, templates, and color charts, offer great resources to help master the art of historical photo colorization.

See salaries and explore the career path for Historical Photo Colorist

Photographic Restorer

A photographic restorer specializes in preserving and restoring old or damaged photographs. This course will be useful for those looking for the skills to restore old photographs using digital techniques. The course teaches how to colorize black and white photographs, which helps in digital restoration projects. The course content on choosing the right brush settings, adding color, and colorizing specific elements like skin and hair, are directly applicable to photographic restoration. This Photo Colorization Photoshop course provides a practical understanding of digital tools and techniques that are essential for restoring photographs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photographic Restorer

Photo Retoucher

A photo retoucher enhances and manipulates images to improve their quality or create specific effects. This often involves tasks such as removing blemishes, adjusting colors, and improving sharpness. Learning how to colorize historical photos using Photoshop, as taught in this course, is directly applicable to the work of a photo retoucher. The course provides practical skills in color manipulation, brush settings, and saving images, all crucial for achieving professional retouching results. Understanding how to add color and adjust tones helps build a foundation in the broader skills needed for photo retouching, and the practice sessions build mastery.

See salaries and explore the career path for Photo Retoucher

Restoration Technician

Restoration technicians work to repair and preserve items of cultural or historical significance. This work can include photographs. This course teaches how to colorize black and white photographs, which is beneficial for digital restoration projects. The course content on choosing the right brush settings, adding color, and colorizing specific elements like skin and hair, are directly applicable to photographic restoration. This course provides a practical understanding of digital tools and techniques that are essential for restoring photographs. This will improve the impact of their work.

See salaries and explore the career path for Restoration Technician

Image Editor

An image editor is responsible for modifying and enhancing digital images. This Photo Colorization Photoshop course helps build a foundation in color correction and manipulation. The course teaches how to add color to black and white photographs, which is beneficial for restoring old images or creating artistic effects. The skills taught in this course such as setting up Photoshop projects, choosing brush settings, and colorizing various elements, enhance their ability to deliver high-quality image editing services. The practice sessions further solidify these skills, offering real-time experience.

See salaries and explore the career path for Image Editor

Digital Painter

Digital painters create original artwork using digital tools and software. Colorization is a key technique in bringing new life to old photos, which can be an interesting element of a painting. This course, which teaches how to colorize black and white photos in Photoshop, helps gain a specific skill that can be applied in digital painting projects. The course covers necessary aspects of colorization, including choosing brush settings, adding color to various elements like skin and hair, and saving images for sharing. All of it enhances the painter's ability to create visually appealing and creative digital art.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Painter

Digital Artist

Digital artists create artwork using digital tools and software. Colorization is a key technique in bringing new life to old photos. This course, which teaches how to colorize black and white photos in Photoshop, helps one gain a specific skill that can be used in digital art projects. The course covers essential aspects of colorization, including choosing brush settings, adding color to various elements like skin and hair, and saving images for sharing. All of it can enhance an artist's ability to create visually appealing and historically accurate digital art. The course will be useful for an aspiring Digital Artist.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Artist

Film Colorist

Film colorists manipulate and enhance the colors in film and video footage to create a specific mood, style, or aesthetic. The skills taught in this course may be relevant for a film colorist. It focuses on colorizing black and white photographs in Photoshop, which will enhance knowledge of color manipulation and image editing techniques. Learning different colorization techniques such as how to set up projects, choose brush settings, add subtle color, and work with skin tones may contribute to a greater appreciation for color theory.

See salaries and explore the career path for Film Colorist

Web Designer

Web designers plan, create, and code internet sites and webpages, many times using Photoshop. This course may be useful to web designers seeking to expand their breadth of Photoshop skills. This course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs, which will enhance knowledge of image editing techniques. Web designers may use historical photos on their websites, such as for designing a website for a historical society. The course will cover the techniques involved in correctly colorizing a variety of photos.

See salaries and explore the career path for Web Designer

Graphic Designer

Graphic designers create visual concepts for advertising, marketing, and media. This course may be useful due to the prevalence of Photoshop in the graphic design field. The course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs in Photoshop, which can contribute to designing visually engaging images for various media. Instruction in setting up projects, choosing brush settings, adding color, and working with skin tones may help in various design projects. The lessons on saving images for sharing is also valuable.

See salaries and explore the career path for Graphic Designer

Multimedia Artist

Multimedia artists create animation, visual effects, and other visual images. Skills in Photoshop are important to multimedia artists. While this course is very specific, it may be useful for expanding Photoshop skills. The course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs, which helps improve one’s knowledge of image editing techniques. The course will cover the techniques involved in colorizing a variety of elements, which is useful for creating engaging visual content.

See salaries and explore the career path for Multimedia Artist

Digital Compositor

Digital compositors combine visual elements from different sources to create seamless images or scenes for film, television, or advertising. While the work of a digital compositor may often involve combining visual effects, the skills in this course may be useful. The course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs in Photoshop, which helps expand one’s knowledge of color manipulation and image editing techniques. Instruction in setting up projects, choosing brush settings, adding color, and working with skin tones may contribute to a compositor's ability to seamlessly integrate various elements.

See salaries and explore the career path for Digital Compositor

Museum Technician

Museum technicians assist in the care and preservation of museum collections, including photographs. While the roles of a museum technician and photo colorist may not be directly related, the course may enhance a technician's skills in digital image handling and restoration. This course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs, which helps build a basic foundation in image manipulation. An understanding of Photoshop and color manipulation helps one make informed decisions about preserving and presenting historical photographs. It is very helpful to have a visual background when working in a museum.

See salaries and explore the career path for Museum Technician

Archival Specialist

An archival specialist is responsible for preserving historical records and documents, including photographs. While this role is not directly related to colorization, this course may enhance an archival specialist's skills in digital image restoration. The course focuses on colorizing black and white photographs, which helps improve one’s understanding of image editing techniques. An understanding of Photoshop and color manipulation helps to make informed decisions about preserving and presenting historical photographs.

See salaries and explore the career path for Archival Specialist

Reading list

We've selected two books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Photo Colorization: Colorize Historical Photos in Photoshop.

Cover image

Cover image

The Photoshop Elements 2020 Book for Digital...

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Comprehensive guide to using Photoshop, covering a wide range of tools and techniques. While not specifically about colorization, it provides in-depth knowledge of Photoshop's features. It useful reference tool for understanding the software and improving your overall Photoshop skills. This book is commonly used by industry professionals.

The Photoshop Elements 2020 Book for Digital...

The Photoshop Elements 2020 Book for Digital...

Cover image

Cover image

Understanding Color

Save

Provides a solid foundation in color theory, which is essential for effective photo colorization. It covers color relationships, color psychology, and how colors interact with each other. While not specific to Photoshop, it provides the theoretical background to make informed color choices. This book is valuable as additional reading to deepen your understanding of color.

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers...

Understanding colors (Korean Edition)

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

Understanding Color: An Introduction for Designers

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Rating

4.5

Effort

2.5 total hours

Via

Udemy

Instructors

Phil Ebiner

Video School

Language

English

Traffic lights

Read about what's good

what should give you pause

and possible dealbreakers

Provides practice photos, Photoshop templates, skin tone charts, and a coloring cheat sheet, which are helpful resources for beginners to learn and practice photo colorization

Teaches how to set up a Photoshop project for colorization, choose the right brush settings, and add color to various elements, which are fundamental skills for digital photo editing

Includes practice sessions where the instructor walks through the colorization process in real-time, which allows learners to follow along and learn by example

Requires Adobe Photoshop, which may require a subscription or purchase, potentially posing a barrier for some learners

Focuses on a specific technique (photo colorization), which may not appeal to learners seeking a broader understanding of Photoshop or photo editing

Uses the brush-on technique for coloring skin, hair, eyes, and backgrounds, which is a standard method in digital photo editing and manipulation

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