By Madyson DeJausserand on October 31, 2022

Not only are the images colorized, but the people in them also move thanks to AI.

AI technology has proven to be a useful tool for some artists; from creating portraits of historical figures like Cleopatra to generating images that capture what deceased pop icons would look like if they were still alive today. For the creators behind the YouTube channel Mystery Scoop, AI is used to render lifelike movement, enhancing their incredibly restored portraits.

One of the channel’s videos, titled 19th Century Portraits Brought to Life, showcases some of their best work. Using programs like Photoshop and enlisting the help of colorists such as Klimbim and Lorenzo Folli, the photos are “given a quick restoration” and are colorized. Then, using “the latest tools in AI technology,” facial motions are added. The resulting video is a rolling gallery of old black-and-white portraits that are transformed before your eyes. They are turned into candid, colorized moments, complete with blinking and smiling.

AI technology has proven to be a useful tool for some artists, and the YouTube channel Mystery Scoop showcases how it can bring people back to life.

Knowing that these people once posed for the image and would have never imagined this sort of technology, fans have commented on how emotional the videos have made them.

More: 19th-Century Black-and-White Portraits Brought to Life w/ AI