Samsung Galaxy S24 colorize tested: Can it really recover black and white photos?

Science & Technology

Samsung Galaxy S24 Colorize Tested: Can It Really Recover Black and White Photos?

Introduction to Samsung Galaxy S24's Colorize Feature

If you're born in the 80s like me, you probably have a bunch of old black and white family photos of your parents and grandparents that you'd love to bring back to life. Many apps and services already offer to do this kind of thing, but now the feature is available right within One UI on the Samsung Galaxy S24. I went hands-on with it to see if Samsung's new-fangled AI is really good at colorizing black and white photos or if it sucks.

Methodology

To test the feature, I used recent color photos, turned them into black and white, and then applied the colorize feature on the Galaxy S24. This way, I could compare the original color photo, the black and white version, and the colorized result.

Limitations in Using the Feature

The Colorize feature is a smart suggestion inside the Samsung Gallery app and cannot be manually triggered. This limitation affected my ability to test certain photos, like black and white sushi platters.

Success with People and Landscapes

Samsung's AI excelled in colorizing photos of people, accurately restoring skin, hair, and clothing colors. It also performed well with outdoor and landscape photos, closely matching the original colors of rivers, trees, and lighthouses.

Mixed Results with Food and Pets

The AI struggled with food and pet photos. For example, a burger photo had odd greenish shades on the patty, and a Samoyed dog photo turned too purplish. These inconsistencies suggest the AI sometimes guesses colors incorrectly.

Failures with Complex Subjects

The AI failed significantly with photos of food and flowers, often turning vibrant colors into dull or incorrect shades. Examples included strawberries turning brown and flowers losing their distinct hues.

Testing AI's Intelligence

I tested if the AI used GPS data for colorizing famous locations, but it did not. Photos of well-known buildings and places were not accurately colorized, indicating the AI lacks advanced contextual understanding.

Conclusion and Personal Opinion

After testing over 30 samples, I concluded that the Galaxy S24's Colorize feature works well for faces but struggles with other elements. It's decent for pets but inconsistent for landscapes, nature, and food. Overall, I'm a bit disappointed, as the AI often guesses colors rather than accurately restoring them.

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FAQ

Q: Can the Galaxy S24 colorize old black and white photos accurately? A: The Galaxy S24 does an acceptable job at colorizing old black and white photos of people and their faces but may struggle with everything else around them.

Q: Does the Samsung colorize feature recognize different photo elements like food or flowers accurately? A: No, the AI struggles with recognizing and accurately colorizing elements like food or flowers, often resulting in inaccurate colors.

Q: Is the Samsung colorize feature reliable for pets? A: The results for pets can be mixed. You might get decent results, but you may need to adjust the hues and temperatures to avoid excessive purple or yellow.

Q: Does the AI use GPS coordinates to better colorize famous landmarks or buildings? A: No, the AI does not utilize GPS coordinates to better colorize famous places or buildings.

Q: Is the feature more suitable for specific types of photos? A: The feature is better suited for colorizing photos of people rather than landscapes, nature, cities, meals, and other mixed-color elements.