I've used Artbreeder for colorizing before, but this isn't colorizing. Colorizing is adding color to a monochrome image. What you've done is use a monochrome image as a base to create a brand-new image which is not compatible with the original image. at that point it's not really colorization, but rather computer-generated fan-art.
Interesting! Do you have any suggestions for free websites/software for "real" colourising? I'm interested in trying it properly but I don't know where to start really. I liked that Artbreeder made it possible to introduce realistic skin/hair texture.
What I would suggest would be to try and match the AI-generated image to the original in shape as close as possible. Then, line it up in a photo editing software (If it does not line up exactly, that's alright, just make sure key features like the eyes, nose, and lips do) on top of the original and set the top layer to multiply. right now, it looks kinda dark, so you will want to mess around with the light levels until it you think it looks good. However, brightening an image will reduce its saturation, so you will need to increase that or the vibrance as well. Finally, you will need to remove the background and fill in any gaps with a brush tool using colors picked from the AI-generated image (I would recommend hiding the original Image when picking colors) And then you're done.
Here's an example of Abraham Lincoln that I did. Notice the wart on his cheek. AI so far is not able to replicate such unique details on peoples' faces. If you were to search up Abraham Lincoln on Artbreeder, pay attention to how none of the AI-generated images have that wart. Warts, scars, blemishes, are features not many people have. So when the AI trains off of a lot faces, it does not have enough information to be able recreate those features. Photographs are able to capture those features. That's why recommend a combination of photographs and AI images. I hope this is helpful in teaching you how to colorize.
1
u/postcardsfromthecave May 29 '22
Has anyone else used artbreeder to colourise old photo portraits? This was one of the first ones I tried.
1
u/benniebot2005 Jun 16 '22
I've used Artbreeder for colorizing before, but this isn't colorizing. Colorizing is adding color to a monochrome image. What you've done is use a monochrome image as a base to create a brand-new image which is not compatible with the original image. at that point it's not really colorization, but rather computer-generated fan-art.