Family and archival-photo projects
People creating visually engaging color interpretations of old photographs while keeping the original scan intact.
Independent tool overview
Palette at a glance
Palette.fm is an AI photo colorizer for turning black-and-white images into customizable color versions through filters, text guidance and reference images.
Visit the official Palette site ↗
- Best for
- Fast, customizable black-and-white photo colorization
- Input
- Single photos or bulk image workflows
- Maximum web download
- Up to 5000 × 5000 pixels on paid credits
- Starting price
- Free watermarked previews and one trial credit
Overview
What Palette is
Palette.fm is a focused browser tool for adding plausible color to monochrome photos. Users upload an image, compare more than 20 color filters and refine the result with descriptive guidance rather than manually painting every region. Paid credits remove the Palette logo and allow full-resolution downloads up to 5000 by 5000 pixels.
Palette also exposes image and video colorization APIs for developers and bulk workflows. The service is useful for family photos, creative projects and production experiments, but generated color is an interpretation—not reliable evidence of the original clothing, objects, skin tones or environment.
Use cases
Who Palette is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Creative color exploration
Designers and creators comparing different palettes before choosing a look for a project.
Bulk and application workflows
Developers or production teams integrating image colorization through the API or processing larger collections.
Capabilities
Core Palette features
One-click AI colorization
Generates a color interpretation from a black-and-white image without requiring manual masks or brush work.
Color filters
Provides more than 20 standard filters, ranging from conservative color choices to more vibrant looks.
Text-guided adjustment
Lets users describe desired colors and scene details to steer a new colorization.
Reference-image guidance
The API can use another image as a color reference to approximate a chosen palette.
High-resolution downloads
Paid web credits unlock logo-free results at full resolution up to the site's stated 5000 by 5000 pixel limit.
Image and video APIs
Separate developer plans support automated prompts, multiple resolutions, bulk image processing and video-frame colorization.
Process
How the Palette workflow works
Step 1
Preserve the source
Keep an untouched high-quality scan before uploading or applying any generative restoration workflow.
Step 2
Generate several interpretations
Try conservative and vivid filters, then use short factual descriptions to guide important colors.
Step 3
Inspect difficult regions
Check faces, hands, hair, uniforms, foliage, signs and small objects for color bleeding or implausible choices.
Step 4
Download and label honestly
Export the chosen resolution and identify the result as AI-colorized when historical or documentary context matters.
Cost
Palette pricing and free plan
Palette's consumer web app offers free watermarked previews plus one full-resolution trial credit. Current paid options include a $72 annual subscription for 480 credits and a $49 one-time pack for 75 credits. API plans use a separate credit system and pricing.
Free
$0
Unlimited lower-resolution previews with a logo plus one trial download credit.
- One logo-free full-resolution trial credit
- Unlimited previews capped at 500 × 500 pixels
- More than 21 filters and custom color guidance
Subscribe
$72 per year
Recurring web plan for regular high-resolution colorization.
- 480 credits per year
- One credit per logo-free full-resolution photo
- Unused credits roll over up to the plan's stated limit while active
Pay once
$49
Non-recurring web credit pack for occasional projects.
- 75 full-resolution photo credits
- Credits available for two years
- Limited ads
Image API
Free to $169 monthly
Separate developer pricing for automated image colorization.
- Basic includes 200 API credits
- Paid plans start at $39 monthly
- Resolution determines credits consumed per image
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
Palette strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- A focused interface produces multiple color options quickly without advanced editing skills.
- Text and reference guidance provide more control than a fixed one-click colorizer.
- Free previews make it possible to judge the style before paying for a full-resolution download.
- API and bulk options extend the same engine beyond individual browser uploads.
What to consider
- The model invents plausible colors; it cannot recover historically verified colors from a monochrome source alone.
- Free previews are watermarked and limited to 500 by 500 pixels.
- Complex scenes can show bleeding, inconsistent objects or inaccurate skin, clothing and background colors.
- Consumer web credits and API credits use different plans and should not be treated as interchangeable.
- Users should confirm that they have permission to upload and alter any image containing private or copyrighted material.
Compare
Palette alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Design
Finegrain Image Enhancer
Choose Finegrain for open-source, diffusion-based enhancement and upscaling rather than dedicated historical colorization.
Explore Finegrain Image Enhancer →Content Creator
Krea
Choose Krea for enhancement, generation and editing inside a broader managed creative suite.
Explore Krea →Design
Magnific AI
Choose Magnific when high-detail upscaling and creative enhancement matter more than a focused colorization workflow.
Explore Magnific AI →Questions
Palette FAQs
What does Palette.fm do?
Palette.fm uses AI to create customizable color interpretations of black-and-white photos through filters, text guidance and, in supported API workflows, reference images.
Is Palette.fm free?
Yes. The free web plan provides unlimited watermarked previews capped at 500 by 500 pixels and one trial credit for a logo-free full-resolution result.
How much does Palette.fm cost?
As of August 29, 2026, the web app lists 480 annual credits for $72 per year and a 75-credit one-time pack for $49. API pricing is separate.
Are Palette.fm colors historically accurate?
Not necessarily. The system generates plausible colors from visual context and user guidance, so the result should be treated as an interpretation unless colors are verified from independent records.
What happens to uploaded photos?
Palette's privacy overview says uploaded files are used to provide the service and deleted shortly after results are delivered, unless the user explicitly provides them as feedback.
Bottom line
Our Palette verdict
Palette.fm is one of the more approachable dedicated colorizers because it combines immediate previews with useful control over the palette. It is a strong fit for creative and family-history projects, provided users preserve the original and clearly distinguish an attractive AI interpretation from documentary fact.
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