Many years ago, I was active on Twitter (now known as ‘X’ in a truly awful rebrand).

At the time I’d become obsessed with making art from manipulated photos of London that I took while walking to our old office in Clerkenwell. 

So I followed quite a lot of accounts relating to photography.

One of them was a guy who specialised in colourisation.

He would take old photos from the 1800s and early 1900s and then painstakingly add colour to them.

The result was uncanny – because suddenly you’d be staring at a photo of a person from, say, 1899, looking like they could be your aunt or uncle today.

It felt like a form of magic…. 

Bringing dead and forgotten people to life… 

Making us see them as real, breathing characters who were just like us, and not relics of a lost past.

Back in 2014 and 2015, those colourised photos would get a lot of shares and attention on social media.

The artists who made these images had skills, knowledge and tools that ordinary people simply could not access.

But a decade on, things have changed dramatically…

AI Has Revolutionised Colourisation And
Opened Up a Side Income Opportunity

There are AI-powered apps available to the public that can breathe new life into decayed and crumpled old photographs. 

It could be a grainy, blurry black-and-white shot taken in the 1800s, 1920s or 1950s… or a faded sepia polaroid from the ‘60s or 70s.

AI apps allow anyone to improve THE clarity and vibrancy of these images – but also to add COLOUR.

You can choose the colourisation settings yourself, tweaking the hues and deciding what the mood of the images will be. 

Yet unlike in the old days, you don’t need skills, experience or time to do it. 

This also gives you an exciting way to make money. 

You see, there are lots of people out there who would love to get their old photos enhanced…

Loved ones, long-passed away, brought back to life.…

Images of parents, grandparents and great-grandparents brought up-to-dates, so that younger relatives can feel closer to them….

Old photo albums of treasured experiences like family weddings, sporting triumphs, jubilees and street parties.

Images of previous homes, old workplaces, beloved pets, departed friends…

Old images of towns, villages, buildings and communities that could be brought to life for social media pages. 

You can see the appeal!?

Yet most people are not aware that AI colourisation is possible – or they don’t want to bother with the apps or spend time on it themselves. 

Which means that you could turn AI Colourisation into a nice little side income. 

How to Make Money from Old Photos

On the most basic level, you could offer to colourise and enhance old photos for friends, family and colleagues.

You could do that by reaching out to them on Facebook and whatever networks you are currently on. 

Take it up a notch, and you could offer this service to the public via Facebook groups, or using a budgeted Facebook ad campaign.

You could also target people in your local area using fliers, posters and local ads.

To get even more clients, you could offer this as a service on freelancing sites like Fivver. 

I know for a fact that one person in the USA has made at least $40,000 colouring and restoring old photos.

I’m not saying you’ll make that much – but it shows you that this is a genuine way to make money right now.

Here are some examples…

And yes, it works in this country too – although, excitingly, this is pretty new and relatively unknown over here. 

Here are some examples of UK sellers on Fiverr. 

As you can see, the price is between £5 and £17 per photo.

But the key is to find someone who needs multiple photos colourised. 

For example, maybe someone has an entire family photo album they want restored, or a set of images from a wedding.

In which case you could offer a bulk discount and price a batch of them at £100. 

How to Colourise Photos With AI

There are several AI-powered tools available for colourising black-and-white or sepia-toned images. 

Just upload your photo, the app’s cutting-edge technology will transform faded or black-and-white images into colourised photos with just a few taps.

• YouCam – https://yce.perfectcorp.com/  – it’s under $7 per month (discounted) right now for 200 credits each month (which allows you 100 photo colourisations per month). 
• HitPaw – https://www.hitpaw.net/sem/photo-enhancer-new.html You can download this for a free try, then it’s around $19.95 per month.
• MyHeritage InColor https://www.myheritage.com/incolor You can upload a limited number of photos for free before you have to pay a subscription (under $8 per month).
• Vivid-Pix https://www.vivid-pix.com/ this is software which you download and use on your computer ($49.99).
• PicsArt https://picsart.com/ you can get a suite of photo editing tools for free, including colourisation, or pay £5.83 per month for more whistles and bells, including templates and colourisation presets.
• PicWish – https://picwish.com/ – you can do free colourisations on the web, or pay a subscription for doing them on your computer, starting from $5.99 (using a similar credit system to YouCam).
• Fotor – https://www.fotor.com/ai-photo-editor/ it costs £2.41 per month for the use of their colourisation tools. 

As you can see, they all pretty much work on a similar basis, with limited free trials and monthly subscriptions from £2.41 to around £15 per month. 

At the lowest end of the scale, you could easily pay for 2 months of subscription by colourising ONE photo at the cheapest price of £5.

So the financial risk is very low – and you can always cancel your subscription after a year.

If you’re unsure, give a couple of free trials a go, or use the free online colourisation tools, and see how you get on. 

All the above tools are designed for everyday users who don’t have tech skills, so they should be easy enough to use – simply follow the instructions for the specific tool you’re using to upload or import the black-and-white or sepia-toned images you want to colourise. 

You may need to adjust settings or provide guidance to the AI algorithm, such as specifying the dominant colours or providing reference images.

Of course, like all new tools, these might take a bit of getting used to, so have a bit of patience!

Here is some technical advice to bear in mind….

• Scanning Old Photos: If you’re working with physical prints, you’ll need to scan them at a high resolution (at least 300 dpi) to ensure good image quality. If you already have digital copies of the old photos, that’s even better.

 

• Getting the size right: Some AI colourization tools may require specific image formats or sizes. Check the tool’s requirements and convert or resize your images accordingly. 

 

• Exporting: Once you’re satisfied with the results, export the colourized images in the desired format (e.g., JPEG, PNG) and deliver them to your clients or friends. You can share them digitally or offer printed copies.

The hardest part of the process won’t be the colourisation, but finding customers.

Here are some tips…

Where to Find Paying Clients

Use a few free trial colourisations on some old black and white photos (ask a family member to borrow some if you don’t have any).

Create a sample portfolio of images to showcase what you can do.

Now set up a Facebook Page for your service. 

Select “Business or Brand” and click “Get Started”.

Enter the name of your business, e.g., “[Your NAME] Colourisation Services”.

Type a word that describes your business (e.g., “Photography/Videography”) and choose the most appropriate option suggested by Facebook.

Next, fill in your business details. 

You can choose to hide your address but still set the location to appear to local clients.

Use some of your sample photos to showcase your work in your first post. 

If possible, do some free colourisations for a few friends, colleagues of family members – then post the results AND get them to say nice things about the service.

Invite everyone you know on Facebook to ‘like the page’.

You can then start using targeted ads on Facebook to find customers, based on location, age, and other factors you input.

Also look for local historical groups and other places where people often share old historical photos.

You could also share your colourisations on networks like Instagram and Tiktok.

And if you want to go ‘old school’ then distribute flyers and business cards to your local area,

You could offer your services to local historical societies, libraries, or family history groups for free – this can be a compelling way to build up your credibility very quickly. 

Once you’ve got your social media up and running, then you can extend your reach globally by setting up a profile on the freelancing site Fiverr. Com.

You can use your portfolio effectively here to attract buyers.

More Ways to Sell Your AI Colorization Services

1. Etsy: Known for handmade and vintage items, Etsy also allows sellers to offer digital products and services. You can create listings for your AI colorization service, showcasing your portfolio and pricing. Etsy has a large user base, which can help you reach potential clients.
2. Upwork: Another popular freelancing platform, Upwork allows you to create a profile highlighting your AI colorization skills. Clients can find you through the platform’s search function, or you can proactively bid on relevant projects posted by clients.
3. Your Own Website: Consider creating a dedicated website for your AI colorization service. This gives you complete control over your branding, portfolio presentation, and pricing. You can use website builders like Squarespace, Wix, or WordPress to create a professional-looking site without needing extensive technical skills.
4. Local Business Partnerships: Reach out to local businesses that might have a use for colourised historical photos, such as restaurants, pubs, or hotels with a rich local history. Offer your services to help them enhance their decor with colourised images of their establishment or local landmarks.

How Much To Charge For Your Service 

If you plan to offer this as a service, your pricing structure should be based on factors like the number of images, turnaround time, and any additional services you might offer (e.g., retouching, framing).

I recommend you look on Fiverr to see what others are charging, and for what levels of input, and then decide based on that. 

But based on the average of £10 per photo, with just 10 colourisations per week you’d make £100 a week.

With 30 colourisations at £12, that’s £360 a week.

It only takes seconds to get the photo colourised by AI – and even factoring in the resizing, uploading and exporting, you’re looking at only a couple of hours a week to earn that money. 

And the only cost at your end would be a £2.41 – £15 per month subscription.

You could potentially add value by offering to get photos printed and framed – something for which you could charge a premium. 

One thing, though… 

Be mindful of copyright laws and obtain necessary permissions if you plan to work with copyrighted images.

So… what do you think?

Let me know your thoughts and – if you do give it a try, tell me how you get on!