How to Colourise Black and White Photos on iPhone
Cleanr by MRVL includes a dedicated B&W colourisation tool that adds naturalistic colour to black and white photos in one tap on your iPhone. The feature uses advanced colour mapping to restore photos without manual brushing or complicated settings.
What is B&W Colourisation in Cleanr
Colourisation is the process of adding colour information to a black and white or faded photograph. Cleanr's colourisation feature uses CIColorCube LUT (Look-Up Table) technology to map grayscale values to realistic colours automatically. Unlike manual colourisation, which requires painting each section by hand, Cleanr analyses the image and applies colour intelligently. This works best on photos with clear subjects, faces, or landscapes where the app can infer likely colours. Old family photos, vintage portraits, and historical images see the most natural results. As of June 2026, Cleanr processes colourisation requests without needing subscriptions for your first two daily colourisation attempts.
How to Colourise a Photo Step by Step
Open Cleanr on your iPhone and tap the plus icon to import your black and white photo. Once the image loads, scroll down the tools menu and select 'Colourisation'. The app will process the image for a few seconds, then display the coloured version side by side with the original. If you like the result, tap 'Save' to export. If the colours don't look right, you can try again or use the Adjustments tab to tweak saturation, warmth, or hue to refine the output. For photos that need further work, Cleanr also includes old photo restoration tools that remove dust, scratches, and fading before or after colourisation.
When Colourisation Works Best
Colourisation produces the most natural results on portraits, landscapes, and photos with recognisable subjects. Black and white photos of faces benefit most, since the algorithm has learned from millions of real skin tones and facial features. Landscapes with sky, grass, or water also respond well because these elements have predictable colour ranges. Photos with ambiguous subjects, abstract scenes, or very faded originals may produce less convincing results. If the first attempt doesn't match what you expected, you can adjust the saturation or warmth using Cleanr's Adjustments sliders to dial in the look you want.
Beyond Colourisation: Photo Restoration Features
Cleanr pairs colourisation with a full restoration toolkit for older photographs. The app includes JPEG cleanup to remove artefacts and grain, night denoise for grainy scans, and photo unblur to sharpen soft images. You can also remove dust, scratches, and blemishes using the object removal tool before colourising. This means a badly damaged old photo can be cleaned up, sharpened, and then coloured in one workflow. Picture frames in vintage and Polaroid styles can add context to restored images, making them feel intentional rather than just digitised scans.
Free vs Paid Colourisation Limits
Cleanr's free plan includes 2 colourisation attempts per day, with no watermark on exports and no subscription required. This is enough for casual users who occasionally want to colour an old family photo. If you need unlimited colourisation, Cleanr Plus costs £3.99 per month or £29.99 per year and includes unlimited attempts, batch processing of up to 10 photos, and HD export. Cleanr Pro and AI Pro tiers add advanced tools like HSL colour adjustment, tone curves, and selective masking for users who want finer control over how colours are applied.
Why Choose Cleanr for Colourisation
Most single-purpose colourisation apps require subscriptions or add watermarks to free results. Cleanr includes colourisation as one of 22 tools in a complete photo editor, so you're not paying for a feature you'll use once. If your coloured photo needs object removal, background change, or text overlay, those are all in the same app. Cleanr also strips EXIF data for privacy, doesn't push dark patterns or credit systems, and offers commercial licensing on Pro tier for users who want to sell edited photos. For faith creators, Cleanr's Faith Mode includes warm presets and scripture overlays designed for Christian social media content.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Cleanr's colourisation feature free?
Yes. Cleanr's free plan includes 2 colourisation attempts per day with no watermark. Upgrade to Plus (£3.99/mo) or Pro (£7.99/mo) for unlimited colourisation and batch processing.
How accurate is Cleanr's B&W colourisation?
The CIColorCube LUT technology produces naturalistic results on photos with clear subjects, especially portraits and landscapes. Faded, damaged, or ambiguous images may need colour adjustment afterward using the Adjustments sliders.
Can I adjust the colours after Cleanr colourises my photo?
Yes. After colourisation, you can use Cleanr's Adjustments tab to tweak saturation, warmth, brightness, and other properties. AI Pro tier adds HSL colour and tone curves for more granular control.
What formats does Cleanr export coloured photos in?
Cleanr exports as JPEG or PNG. Free tier exports at standard resolution; Plus tier and above unlock HD export for higher quality.
Can I batch colourisation multiple photos at once?
Yes, on Plus tier and above. Cleanr batch processes up to 10 photos on Plus (£29.99/yr), 50 on Pro (£59.99/yr), and unlimited on AI Pro (£99.99/yr).
Do I need a subscription to use Cleanr?
No. Cleanr's free plan includes daily limits on colourisation, background removal, object removal, and other tools, but no watermark or ads. You can pay once (Core Lifetime at £4.99) or subscribe for unlimited access.