Black and white photos are always recolored. Éphé pieces are painterly works in created with our Éphémère aesthetic, which means color is part of what brings the image to life—so your finished art will not stay black and white.
When you upload a black and white photo, the generation reads the tonal values in your image (the lights, darks, shadows, and highlights) and interprets them in the palette you choose. The result is a full-color, painterly piece that still carries the feeling and composition of your original photo—often in a way that feels especially beautiful, because the art gets to decide the color.
A few things to know:
- Every palette works. Any of our six palettes—Original, Muted, Golden, Moody, Vintage, or Vibrant—can be paired with a black and white photo. Golden, Muted, and Vintage are especially lovely for older or heirloom photos. Vibrant or Moody can give a black and white photo surprising new life.
- Old or low-resolution scans work. If the original is a scan of a printed photo, the piece will still feel rich—just start with the clearest version of the scan you have.
- You can re-generate to try a different look. If the first palette isn't quite what you imagined, use Re-generate with new style (while signed in) to try a different brushwork or palette on the same photo.
If you'd specifically like a black-and-white or desaturated finished piece, email us at hello@ephe.art. It's not part of the standard experience, but we're happy to talk through bespoke options.