How do they convert b/w films into colour?

[shaan_aragorn]

i've seen a film which was orignally black and white but after 50 years or so they made it colour. how did they do it?

 

[Danger]

They basically just 'paint' every element with the colour that they think belongs there. It's all pretty much computerized now, so things like shading remain undisturbed.

 

[shaan_aragorn]

But, how does the computer know if this particular dress was blue or say red?
How are colours decided?

 

[Evo]

But, how does the computer know if this particular dress was blue or say red?
How are colours decided?

In some cases it might be known what color a famous dress was, but for most, they just arbitrarily pick a color.

 

[Astronuc]

There are sometimes color pictures (stills) for advertisements, or paintings of the actors or actresses in character.

Otherwise, someone has to go off grey scales.

 

[ray b]

color stills and movie posters
plus popular colors at that time [or at the time of conversions]
plus whatever ''they'' think looks good
or read a grays scale of a known color [red rose] and convert other stuff to like colors
as it is art not science what ever they want is the color it winds up being

 

[shaan_aragorn]

but a second has 25 frames, do they paint every frame? that will take enormous amount of time and money

 

[Danger]

It's certainly an involved process, but it's done digitally now. When thinking of doing it manually, though, don't forget that things like 'Fantasia' were not only coloured, but also drawn by hand... one frame at a time.

 

[shaan_aragorn]

wow, how much time does that take?

 

[Danger]

I can't find anything definitive. IIRC, there were at least a dozen artists working on Fantasia for a couple of years. It was originally supposed to be just Mickey Mouse directing 'The Sorceror's Apprentis', but they had to add the other pieces to make it profitable. It progressed in fits and starts.
Snow White was in production for 3 years, but I don't know how much of that was the artwork or how many artists were involved.

 

[mgb_phys]

I don't know if this is the techniques used in hollywood but this demonstration is amazing http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~yweiss/Colorization/

 

[Danger]

Wow! I've tried to keep up with things, but I've sure never seen anything that sophisticated. Nice link.

 

[FrogPad]

I don't know if this is the techniques used in hollywood but this demonstration is amazing http://www.cs.huji.ac.il/~yweiss/Colorization/

wow... ..............

 

[Danger]

Hey, Shaan;
This just popped up on 'How Stuff Works' today.
http://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/question184.htm"

 

[DaveC426913]

It's certainly an involved process, but it's done digitally now.

Modern software is smart enough to track objects from frame to frame. So you tag one frame with the colours you want, and the computer does the rest. That's a huge simplification, but it's not like they have to colour every frame.

 

[Danger]

But, as the link mentions, it has to be checked every dozen frames or so. The process that Mgb phys brought up is way beyond what is currently being used commercially.

 

[Barry_Sandrew]

Check out Legend Films, Inc. (http://www.legendfilms.com) if you want to see the latest colorization technology. The company just completed "It's A Wonderful Life" in high definition for Paramount Pictures and will be released on standard DVD November 9th, 2007.

The Legend Films process involves the separation of foreground and background elements in each cut of each scene (cut = a camera shot). The foreground elements (objects that move independently from the background) are colorized from a key frame (single fully designed frame) in each cut of a scene. The color (masks) is automatically transferred from one frame to the next (24 frames/sec in film) using new and very innovative pattern recognition algorithms. The backgrounds are processed separatedly as single frames. The Legend Films process elimintates all the foreground objects and creates a single frame that represents all the background elements. The single frame has all the information related to camera movement and parallax. Once the foreground elements are all colorized, the single background frame is used to automatically place the background color to all frames in the cut.

Every frame must be colorized in this manner. Optimization is a fun way to colorize a single photograph but the process cannot provide the detail and pipeling thru-put to efficiently colorize an entire feature film containing more than 150,000 to 175,000 frames.

The application of color is a one to one replacement of gray scale dynamic range with a range of color selected by a creative designer. Every object in each frame requires a color mask within which there is a spectrum of color designated for highlights, midtones and shadows.

Hope this helps.

Barry

Barry B. Sandrew, Ph.D.
Founder/COO, CTO
Legend Films, Inc.

 

[Danger]

Thanks, Barry. That's a great post. I don't have time right now to check out that site, but it looks very interesting.

 

[Math Jeans]

I believe they do it by shooting in red and green filters and putting the filterso together afterwords. If I am not mistaken, that makes it color.

EDIT: nvm. I think Barry put me in my place.

 

[baywax]

So todays coloured b/w films are nothing like the hand tinted photos of the 1800s. Those were pretty cool too.

Are coloured b/w films allowed anywhere in the south, or is there a separate theatre for those? ;)

 

[Barry_Sandrew]

Modern software is smart enough to track objects from frame to frame. So you tag one frame with the colours you want, and the computer does the rest. That's a huge simplification, but it's not like they have to colour every frame.

Hey Dave... Don't assume it's a "huge simplification" because it has been done. The patents are published. Yes, we have a people watching the masks tracking from frame to frame. If the computer makes an error or if an object like a hand comes from behind something it has to be identified by a colorist, but then the algorithm updates and takes over. The backgrounds are done automatically as described without human intervention. If you are ever in San Diego I'll be happy to demo.

FYI - It's A Wonderful Life was restored and color produced this summer for release by Paramount November 13th, 2007.

Barry

 

[DaveC426913]

Originally Posted by DaveC426913
Modern software is smart enough to track objects from frame to frame. So you tag one frame with the colours you want, and the computer does the rest. That's a huge simplification, but it's not like they have to colour every frame.

Hey Dave... Don't assume it's a "huge simplification" because it has been done.

Sorry, communication disconnect.

I was saying" 'my explanation of the process is hugely oversimplified compared to what they actually have to do, which is a lot more complicated'.

 

[Barry_Sandrew]

Sorry, communication disconnect.

I was saying" 'my explanation of the process is hugely oversimplified compared to what they actually have to do, which is a lot more complicated'.

Fair enough Dave. I'm sometimes confronted with techies who doubt the achievement. it's certainly frustrating but I pass it off as beyond their level of understanding. If you look at a Legend Films production it should be obvious that one can not accomplish that level of detail and quality within a 6 week production schedule without very innovative technology. There are examples on our site that look great though they don't justice to the final high def product.

 

[mgb_phys]

FYI - It's A Wonderful Life was restored and color produced this summer for release by Paramount November 13th, 2007.
Barry

Why ?

 

[Barry_Sandrew]

Why ?

Suffice it to say that all the B&W classics Legend Films colorizes sell 10 to 100 times the number sold in black and white. There most certainly is an audience that prefers the choice.

One huge advantage to colorization that escapes most people is the fact that it subsidizes the restoration of the black and white version. There is no incentive for any distributor of public domain DVDs to transfer public domain films to high defintion and then do complete restorations. All DVDs released by Legend Films include both the restored B&W versions as well as the colorized versions. They are the best B&W versions available anywhere.

Capra actually wanted to colorize "It's A Wonderful Life". In fact, his signed contract to colorize the film (using the first, infierior colorization process) is currently held by Michael Agee of Hal Roach Studios. The company Capra approached, Colorization, Inc. decided to do the colorization without him because it was in public domain and they were not obliged to pay him an upfront fee to colorize the film. Not a smart move on the part of Colorization Inc. because it made an adversary out of an ally.

The special effects icon, Ray Harryhausen chose to colorize his black and white classics with Legend Films so that he could finaly see his films the way he originally envisioned them... in color using his own color design.

Hope this helps...

 

[mgb_phys]

Sorry that was a bit film-snob remark.
There are definitely some films where the director obviously wanted realism and if colour had been available he would have used it. But there are some films where the black and white imagery worked so well and are so iconic that to put colour on them so they can run as a cable channel after midnight cheap filler material seems sad.

Thank you for your work in preserving and restoring these works of art.

 

[DaveC426913]

Have they colourized Citizen Kane yet?

(Surely every filmophile purist and aspiring director would die of apoplexy. )

 

[mgb_phys]

No but don't be surprised if they CGI it to remove any cigars/cigarettes and to change any guns into walkie-talkies.
It also needs a new ending that opens up the possibility of a sequal or trilogy.

 

[DaveC426913]

No but don't be surprised if they CGI it to remove any cigars/cigarettes and to change any guns into walkie-talkies.
It also needs a new ending that opens up the possibility of a sequal or trilogy.

Han published first!

 

[Barry_Sandrew]

Have they colourized Citizen Kane yet?

(Surely every filmophile purist and aspiring director would die of apoplexy. )

Ted Turner had me do a colorized sample of Citizen Kane in the early 90's, I imagine it was more for the shock value than to evaluate wheter to do it. He was like that.

That exercise convinced me that, not only are there are movies that should not be colorized but also movies that CAN NOT be colorized. The film simply didn't take color well because there was so little luminance and what color it did take, detracted rather than added to the film.

I believe this is the exception rather than the rule but clearly that film will always stay in black and white, as it should.

To answer any critics of Ray Harryhausen's colorization of his own classics, he said that some movies should not be colorized and others definitely are enhanced by the process done right. The key is knowing the difference.