OldHKinColour

Revisiting the History of Hong Kong through Colourised Images

Queen's Road Central in 1955 - Source: The UWM Libraries
About Us

OldHKinColour is a cutting-edge project that combines artificial intelligence and advanced digital techniques to revive the rich history and vibrant culture of Hong Kong. By using AI-assisted colourisation and image restoration, we bring the past to life, transforming black and white photos into stunning, full-colour visuals that offer an immersive experience of Old Hong Kong. Our team's expertise in 3D modelling, video colourisation, and digital humanities enables us to create engaging multimedia content, virtual exhibitions, and interactive displays that promote cultural preservation and celebrate Hong Kong's unique heritage. Connect with us to explore the captivating world of OldHKinColour and be a part of our mission to share and preserve Hong Kong's historical treasures.

Our Projects

Image/Video Colourisation

Photo Animation

Face Restoration

3D Modelling

Media Coverage

A Selection of Online Articles on OldHKinColour
OldHKinColour
January 3, 2024
Old Swire Images in Colour
@Swire Pacific 太古集團

Discover Hong Kong’s vibrant past through colourised photos! Today, Quarry Bay is a bustling residential and commercial district home to Taikoo Place, Taikoo Shing and Cityplaza. These iconic developments were built on the site of the former Taikoo Sugar Refinery and the old Taikoo Dockyard. Taikoo Sugar, established by Swire in 1881, remains a popular brand in Hong Kong to this day. In collaboration with Oldhkincolour, through its AI-assisted colourisation and image restoration techniques, Swire Archives is bringing these old Hong Kong pictures to life by transforming them from monochrome into vibrant, colourful images!

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OldHKinColour
October 2, 2023
OLDHKINCOLOUR為舊香港重新上色，以科技推動本地歷史保育
@Harper's BAZAAR

人無法留住時間，唯有以照片記錄珍貴的剎那，凝住當刻感受。彩色攝影以往並不盛行，我們大多時只能靠黑白照了解昔日香港，儘管能欣賞舊城面貌，缺乏顏色的相片始終有點冰冷。為此，一群有心人將科技和學術結合，將舊照片重新上色，鼓勵更多人了解香港變遷，同時推動本地歷史保育。

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OldHKinColour
August 19, 2023
【吾識港問答大賽 🛎 S1E4】
@Pomato 小薯茄

「講！你識唔識港！」 原來天水圍嘅設計同風水有關？有冇留意搭飛機返香港回程耐過去程？ 藍籌股呢個字點嚟？今集由朱Mic、阿冰、程人富、麗英為大家逐一解答！ 另外，承蒙 @oldhkincolour 借出資料圖片！佢哋透過AI同後製技術，為香港嘅舊相添上色彩、動態效果、同埋高清化！大家可以上返佢哋ig，睇下又清又彩色嘅舊香港吖～

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OldHKinColour
April 8, 2023
Reverend Stanton Speaks Again Through OldHKinColour's AI Technologies
@SPC Heritage Project 承傳保羅

OldHKinColour has astonishingly revived St. Paul's College's first principal, Reverend Vincent John Stanton, in vibrant color and motion for the Central Market exhibition. Their animation lets the Reverend deliver the opening speech, a testament to their mastery in AI-driven historical re-creation.

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OldHKinColour
December 22, 2022
“Hong Kong Memories: Miniatures & Photographs of Old Hong Kong Streetscapes”
@SCMP Young Post

The exhibition features colour versions of 20th-century images enabled by artificial intelligence. These were contributed by OldHKinColour, an Instagram account that breathes colour into the old black-and-white photos of Hong Kong.

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OldHKinColour
December 15, 2022
DesignInspire – AI為舊照片賦色，帶你細味昔日香港！
@HKTDC 香港貿發局

潮流興復古、懷舊，你又知唔知道150年前嘅 舊香港係咩樣呢？喺2019年創立嘅 Oldhkincolour 就喺世界各地搜集黑白原圖，再利用機器學習技術 同人工神經網路系統 提高佢哋嘅質素同解像度，配以後期編輯，力求將照片回復最真實色彩！經修復嘅舊相除咗紀錄唔少街道同地標呢幾十年嚟嘅變化，亦呈現當年新界居民嘅生活面貌！

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OldHKinColour
September 30, 2022
Discover Historical Treasures at the HKU Libraries Travel back in time with OldHKinColour’s Digitally Remastered Photos
@HKU - 香港大學

The team at OldHKinColour specialises in using AI and digital-editing methods to restore black-and-white historic photos of Hong Kong. They look for three things in the selection process: what does the photo tell us about the customs of those times? Does it reveal the living conditions of different social classes? Does it give us a glimpse into the urban and rural landscape of the territory?

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OldHKinColour
August 26, 2022
【習慣文青】為歷史照添上顏色 讓老香港故事走得更遠
@betterme.magazine

歷史是甚麼顏色的呢？
黑色？白色？灰色？時間總是讓過去的故事慢慢變得黯淡冰冷，然而那個我們回不去的時空其實亦曾經有血有肉、充滿色彩！
於兩年前成立的專頁 @OldHKinColour 便嘗試為歷史「重新上色」。

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「Old HK in Colour」為舊照賦色 打破黑白樊籬看昔日香港 By 鄭思珩 @ The Culturist 文化者
July 6, 2022
Old HK in Colour （彩られ蘇る香港今昔）第１回 前九広鉄路鐘楼
@Hong Kong LEI

今回から始まりますコラムは、インスタグラム「Old Hong Kong in Colour」上で、古い香港の写真の色付けとアニメーション化を、教育目的で施し、公開している団体からインスパイアされました。

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「Old HK in Colour」為舊照賦色 打破黑白樊籬看昔日香港 By 鄭思珩 @ The Culturist 文化者
March 31, 2022
「Old HK in Colour」為舊照賦色 打破黑白樊籬看昔日香港
@The Culturist

一群來自香港的研究人員，兩年前在Instagram開設帳戶「Old HK in Colour」，透過人工智能（AI）及後製技術，為香港舊照添上色彩和動態效果。

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OldHKinColour
February 23, 2022
The Tech Behind @OldHKinColour - Bringing Life to Past Colonial Hong Kong
@The Beat Asia

With ground-breaking technologies and research, popular Instagram account @OldHKinColour attempts to capture the fascinating street screens of a past Hong Kong once forgotten.

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OldHKinColour
January 28, 2022
為香港舊時代上色 OldHKinColour活化舊照再說香港故事
@Culture is Culture

名為「OldHKinColour」的團隊，由研究數位人文、人工智能、符際翻譯等範疇的香港學術研究人士組成，成立一年多，在Instagram已有逾六萬追蹤者。他們處理的照片橫跨19至20世紀，反映出香港不同年代的風土人情與城市變化。

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OldHKinColour
June 24, 2021
Amazing Images of Old Hong Kong – in Full Colour
@Zolima CityMag

A group of academics is using its Instagram account, Old HK in Colour, to share an incredible collection of painstakingly enhanced and colourised photos from Hong Kong's past.

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OldHKinColour
December 9, 2020
Black and White Hong Kong Transformed by ‘OldHKinColour’
@Visualising China, The University of Bristol

The Instagram page OldHKinColour features vintage images of Hong Kong which have been colourised, or colourised and animated, with a view to promoting public education. HPC invited the team running the project, which has used some of our images, to provide an introduction to their methods and objectives.

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OldHKinColour
October 21, 2020
舊照添新色 A.I. 重現昔日香港
@Metropop

曾有人說過「六、七十年代以前的香港是另外一個世界。」隨著經濟急速發展，香港的城市面貌有著很大的改變，不少人想從舊照片中回顧昔日香港，可惜大部分都是黑白舊照，未必能反映當時最真實的一面。有見及此，網上有一班由八、九十後學術研究人員組成的團隊，在 Instagram （IG）開設帳戶 “Old HK in Colour” 分享以人工智能（A.I.）技術重塑色彩的香港舊照，並添加動態效果，讓大家可以透過色彩圖像認識香港歷史，並藉以推廣保育文化。

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OldHKinColour
September 27, 2020
Old HK in Colour: Recolouring Photo Project That Brings the Past to Life
@Time Out Hong Kong

Recolouring old photos, and even moving films, brings out more details and makes the objects or subjects come alive. And that is one of the reasons that Old HK in Colour started their recolouring project with resulting pictures published on their Instagram account @oldhkincolour – currently amassing more than 13,000 followers, with new pictures posted daily.

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OldHKinColour
July 30, 2020
Old HK in Colour: Recolouring Photo Project That Brings the Past to Life
@HomeKong

Colourization of old photographs is not new but has become increasingly more accessible with AI technology. Now giving us a glimpse of Hong Kong in the good ole’ days, complete with full colour is @OLDHKINCOLOUR.

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Contact Us

Let's explore opportunities for collaboration (e.g., exhibitions, AI projects, and public events).

Email: [email protected]

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