Commons:Colorization

From Wikipedia:

Hand-coloring refers to any method of manually adding colour to a black-and-white photograph, generally either to heighten the realism of the photograph or for artistic purposes.

Colorized images are also found on Commons in Category:Hand-colored photographs. To colorize an image using software like Photoshop or GIMP, in general you select parts of the image that should be the same color and.. add color to them.

Colorized images are within the scope of Commons. Wikimedia Commons is not Wikipedia. When historical accuracy is not of the utmost importance, a colorized image is more enticing than a black-and-white photograph. Such a publication, for example in a magazine, a history book for young children or a documentary can be educational and thus in scope. Also, keep this quote in mind before you start defending historical accuracy:

That picture, with color, showed me that colorists are not adding color to black-and-white reality. They’re removing a black-and-white filter from our perception of the past.

— Wolfgang Wild, in: Color brings new perspective to classic photos. But, why do it?

A few things to consider

Strive to use realistic colours. This poorly colorized image has an unnatural "jaundiced" skin tone.

• Do not upload images that were recently colored by others! The colorization may be protectable by copyright and we err on the side of caution with that.
• Do not overwrite black and white originals with your colorized image! Read the policy on overwriting files first. You may want to try derivativeFX.
• Add {{Retouched|colorized|editor={{subst:REVISIONUSER}}}} and (if the original is in the public domain) {{PD-retouched-user|{{subst:REVISIONUSER}}}} to the file description page. DerivativeFX can help with that.
• If you are coloring an image that isn't available on Commons yet, also upload the black and white original.
• If the quality of the original is poor, forget it. You will probably not get a satisfactory result. This includes images that appear to be sharp but have poor contrast.
• If the original has sepia toning, convert it to greyscale first.
• Too little is better than too much. Avoid unicorn barf.
• To accurately color an image you will need a source for the right colors. You could use other photos and videos, even if they lack a free license. Colors are not protected by copyright. Also link/describe the sources you used for the color.

Examples

• 
  Lynda Carter as Wonder Woman
• 
  Colors based on a nearly identical but unfree photo
• 
  Migrant Mother by Dorothea Lange
• 
  Colorized by John Boero
• 
  Bunyip
• 
  Colorized by CryptoTom

Guides

Feel free to add any good guides you know to this list. Or better yet, go to how to colorize an image and write one.

• Photoshop Essentials: Colorizing a photo with multiple colors in photoshop
• Make tech easier: How to colorize black and white photos with GIMP
• GIMP - Selective Colorization