![](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MyHeritage-Photo-Enhancer-and-Colorizer-Tool-Guide-1024x511.jpg.webp\")
![\"MyHeritage](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/MyHeritage-Photo-Enhancer-and-Colorizer-Tool-Guide-1024x511.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n
Last Updated August 28, 2020<\/span><\/p>\n<\/header>\n Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!)<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n By Patricia Hartley\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Modern technology has completely revolutionized family history research over the last 25 years. From providing access to billions of records, to connecting us with cousins from across the globe, genealogy would not be as fulfilling as it is today if it weren\u2019t for these improvements. <\/span>And now, we have another game changer to add to the mix.<\/span><\/p>\n The genealogy research site, MyHeritage, has created two advanced photo enhancing tools<\/strong> that will help you get to know your ancestors in a whole new way. MyHeritage in Color, coupled with the site\u2019s Photo Enhancer technology, can transform your old family photos into sharp and vibrant images that reveal previously hidden details. <\/span>Making these tools even more exciting is the fact that they are free to try and very easy to use. <\/span><\/p>\n Although the tools are technically separate, MyHeritage allows you to simply upload your photo to one and apply both improvements to speed up the process. And those without an active MyHeritage subscription can use the tools to colorize and enhance up to ten photos at no charge (your final results will include a MyHeritage logo watermark).<\/span><\/p>\n Make Instant Discoveries in Your Family Tree Now Imagine adding your family tree to a simple website and getting hundreds of new family history discoveries instantly.<\/b><\/p>\n MyHeritage is offering 2 free weeks of access to their extensive collection of 20 billion historical records, as well as their matching technology that instantly connects you with new information about your ancestors<\/b>. Sign up using the link below to find out what you can uncover about your family. Discover New Genealogy Records Instantly<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n Read on and we\u2019ll walk you through the steps in detail (and show you some examples), or just jump in by uploading a photo to the enhancer<\/strong> (right here) and hit the colorize button afterwards<\/strong>. You can then download the improved image with both filters applied.<\/p>\n To colorize or enhance more than ten images and remove the watermark you will need a <\/span>MyHeritage Complete subscription, which also includes access to billions of records, an advanced discoveries engine and many additional specialized tools found nowhere else. You can start a <\/span>two week free trial here <\/strong>to see if MyHeritage is a good fit for you \u2013 it will allow you to enhance and colorize unlimited images.<\/p>\n The technology for MyHeritage in Color was created by deep learning experts Jason Antic and Dana Kelley of DeOldify. \u201cDeep learning\u201d is a type of artificial intelligence technology \u2014 the same kind used for voice and facial recognition. Basically, deep learning uses computers to \u201clearn\u201d more and more about human traits. In the case of MyHeritage in Color, DeOldify\u2019s computers studied millions of real photos over two years to <\/span>learn the details of our world in color<\/span>.<\/span><\/p>\n MyHeritage licensed DeOldify\u2019s technology so its users could be among the only people in the world with the continuously-improving ability to transform old family photos in such a cutting-edge manner. In the meantime, Antic and Kelley are still making enhancements to their algorithm, so MyHeritage users\u2019 results will be even more realistic and detailed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n MyHeritage in Color takes only three to ten seconds to transform a photo into a color version and has become an incredibly popular part of the site\u2019s offerings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s good to keep in mind that just because an item of clothing or a family home is displayed in a certain color doesn\u2019t mean it was exactly the same back in the day. Colors are always a \u201cbest guess,\u201d as there\u2019s no way for the computer to know the exact colors in Aunt Betty\u2019s flapper dress or the paint on an old home. However, the technology applies what it has learned from millions of other real-life images, so there\u2019s little chance your great-grandfather\u2019s tie will show up in a 1980s\u2019 neon green.<\/span><\/p>\n 20 Billion Genealogy Records Are Free for 2 Weeks Get two full weeks of free access to more than 20 billion genealogy records right now. You\u2019ll also gain access to the MyHeritage discoveries tool that locates information about your ancestors automatically<\/b> when you upload or create a tree. What will you discover about your family\u2019s past?<\/p>\n Claim My Free Record Access Now<\/b><\/span><\/p>\n In June, MyHeritage also added its revolutionary Photo Enhancer to its toolbox. MyHeritage Photo Enhancer clarifies and sharpens blurry photos or documents. According to the MyHeritage blog, in less than two weeks of its introduction, the tool was used to enhance more than one million images. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201c<\/span>Users describe being deeply moved by seeing such crystal-clear images of family members they only knew in their later years \u2014 or perhaps had never met,\u201d <\/span>MyHeritage shared in the June 22, 2020 post<\/span>. \u201cSome were brought near tears to see their ancestors in such realism.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Like MyHeritage in Color, MyHeritage Photo Enhancer leverages state-of-the-art machine-learning technology created by the Remini mobile app to increase the resolution of digital images. The enhancer brings small, blurry, pixelated or low-resolution images into sharp focus, revealing incredible detail and lifelike results. <\/span><\/p>\n In single and group photos, the tool even pulls out individual faces for closer inspection \u2013 and this is where it really shines. The featured image on this article, also shown below, showcases a single face that was enlarged, enhanced and colorized using the enhancer first and then the colorizer tool.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Below is the original, full-size image this face was pulled from, as well as the enhanced version.<\/p>\n The background received much less impressive enhancement than the face did, although once the image was downloaded and opened at 100% the improvements were much more apparent. Most importantly though, blowing up the new image shows a clear and colorful face \u2013 unlike the original when enlarged.<\/p>\n With either of these options, you\u2019ll next click the orange \u201cUpload photo\u201d button to upload a photo stored on your computer or use the \u201cdrag and drop\u201d option to click a photo on your desktop and drag it into the tool\u2019s frame.<\/span><\/p>\n Although MyHeritage in Color or MyHeritage Photo Enhancer are two separate features within MyHeritage, they are extremely complementary, and it\u2019s entirely possible (and recommended) to use both tools on each of your historical photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Conveniently, whichever tool you begin with, either MyHeritage in Color or MyHeritage Photo Enhancer, you\u2019ll be offered the option to also apply the other feature. For example, after I enhanced this photo of my great-great-grandfather, I had the option to click the button above the image to colorize it as well. It doesn\u2019t matter if you colorize first, then enhance, or enhance, then colorize. The results will be exactly the same. So don\u2019t worry \u2014 there\u2019s truly no right or wrong place to start.<\/span><\/p>\n I couldn\u2019t resist using both tools on the photos I uploaded, but we\u2019ll step through each feature individually. If you start out on either the Photo Enhancer or the MyHeritage in Color page, the enhancement or colorization begins automatically after your photo is uploaded. <\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019re starting with a photo stored in MyHeritage you can simply click the appropriate button above the selected image to make the magic begin. In fact, you\u2019ll see a virtual magic wand circling your photo while it\u2019s processing!<\/span><\/p>\n Here are some old photos from my collection that I enhanced myself:<\/p>\n Isn\u2019t this detail incredible? With this enhancement I can see my great uncle\u2019s teeth and light-colored eyes, which weren\u2019t visible in the tiny group photo.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Next, I wanted to see the results of enhancing a photo of fewer people, so I chose a photo of my grandparents.<\/span><\/p>\n The enhanced image is indeed sharper. And clicking on the individual image of my grandmother reveals details like the laugh lines around her eyes.<\/span><\/p>\n If you look closely at the two photos, my grandmother\u2019s eyeglass lenses and the reflection from the glass appear more clearly in the large photo than in the individual one, although the nose piece from her eyeglasses is evident in the smaller image.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Honestly, this doesn\u2019t bother me much. Seeing those laugh lines is more important to me on a personal level because they reveal a part of my grandmother\u2019s character that isn\u2019t shown in all the other pictures, where she\u2019s always stern and unsmiling. Also, we have to remember that the enhancement technology is still developing, and any picture could possibly have minor flaws.<\/span><\/p>\n My next step was to colorize each photo that I had just enhanced. As mentioned earlier, there\u2019s no certain order to follow \u2013 you can colorize first then enhance, if you\u2019d like, or just use one of the two tools.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n I started with the photo of my grandparents that I had just enhanced.<\/span><\/p>\n In May 2020, MyHeritage announced new colorization settings that allow you to further customize your colorized photo. The new settings let you adjust contrast, color saturation, rendering, and colorization model. Here\u2019s a summary of how <\/span>MyHeritage explains each option<\/span>:<\/span><\/p>\n Contrast:<\/b> If you feel the MyHeritage in Color algorithm has over-exaggerated the contrast that makes some features stand out more clearly, you can deselect the \u201ccontrast enhancement\u201d option.<\/span>Saturation:<\/b> This feature adjusts the intensity of the colors in your photo. If you find the colors are too bright, you can decrease the saturation, or vice versa.<\/span>Rendering: <\/b>According to MyHeritage, rendering is \u201cthe process of generating your colorized image,\u201d which the algorithm performs automatically. Choosing to manually render your image using the slide will produce slightly different results.<\/span>Colorization model:<\/b> Although most photos will look amazing with the program\u2019s default colorization settings, some might look better using the alternative colorization model, especially those that appear to have problems, like \u201cdead-looking\u201d skin or parts of the photo that remain in the original state.<\/span><\/p>\n To access the new Colorization settings, click the \u201cgear\u201d icon to above and to the left of your colorized photo. In this picture of my grandparents, I chose the most extreme of each of these settings. The result wasn\u2019t terrible, but obviously spending some time trying to find a happy medium would have produced better results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Clicking on one of these photos in your gallery takes you back to the screen with the before\/after slider image you saw when your results first appeared.<\/span><\/p>\n You can also download a copy of your enhanced or colorized image to your computer. Clicking the \u201cDownload photo\u201d button that appears immediately after your photo is transformed, or the download icon (the first icon above and to the left of your image when you click into an already-transformed photo) gives you three options. You can download the original photo, the enhanced or colorized photo, or a comparison.<\/span> The comparison download is pretty neat. It\u2019s just what it sounds like \u2014 a side-by-side or top-and-bottom comparison of the original and new photos. Here are some examples:<\/span><\/p>\n Remember, if you want to colorize or enhance more than a few images, or don\u2019t want them watermarked, you\u2019ll need a subscription. A free trial is available here.<\/p>\n For nearly 30 years\u00a0Patricia Hartley<\/strong> has researched and written about the ancestry of her personal family lines, those of her extended family and friends and of historical figures in her community. She has a B.S. in Professional Writing and English and an M.A. in English from the University of North Alabama and a M.A. in Public Relations\/Mass Communications from Kent State University.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" New Tool is Changing the Way We See Old Photos: Here\u2019s How to Use It Last Updated August 28, 2020 Ancestry 50% Off Gift Memberships for Black Friday (Gift to Anyone, Even Yourself!) By Patricia Hartley\u00a0 Modern technology has completely revolutionized family history research over the last 25 years. From providing access to billions of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":286,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[2],"class_list":["post-285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-genealogy-guides","tag-db"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":308,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/285\/revisions\/308"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}How to Access and Use MyHeritage in Color and the New Photo Enhancer<\/h1>\n
How the Technology Works<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Comparison](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Comparison-of-Enhanced-and-Colorized-Photo-1024x511.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"Comparison](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Comparison-of-Larger-Image-MyHeritage-Colorizer-and-Enhancer-scaled.jpg\")
![\"MyHeritage](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Dropdown-Menu.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"MyHeritage](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Enhance-Photo-Intro-Page-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Colorization](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colorize-Intro-Page-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Select](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Photos-from-Family-Tree-Profile.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript>
When you click on a photo already stored in MyHeritage, you\u2019ll be presented with a screen that offers both enhancing and colorization options.<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Enhance](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Enhance-or-Colorize-options-inset-1.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript>Enhance, Colorize or Both?<\/span><\/h2>\n![\"Colorize](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colorize-option-after-enhancing.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\nPhoto Enhancer in Action<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Enhancing](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Enhancing-Process-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Your](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Enhanced-Photo-is-Ready-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Enhanced](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Enhanced-Photo-Detail-2.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"Before](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/After-Enhance.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"Close](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Click-on-Face-Enhance.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\nNow Let\u2019s Colorize!<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"Colorized](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colorized-Lucy-and-Lando.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript>Again, the results were astounding! I can see the green of the shrubs and the rosiness of my grandmother\u2019s smile.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNew Settings in MyHeritage in Color<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"photo](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Colorization-Settings-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/My-photo-gallery.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"Download](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Download-Options.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript><\/p>\n![\"Side](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Photo2500002-Comparison.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript> ![\"top](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Comparison-scaled.jpg\")
![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/www.whogenealogydna.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/Social-Sharing-Options.jpg\")
<\/picture><\/noscript>For the family historian, MyHeritage in Color and MyHeritage Photo Enhancer are amazing developments. If you\u2019ve ever needed a good reason to get your historical photos together, digitize them, and add them to your family tree in sharp, vivid color, this is it!<\/span><\/p>\n