# Restore And Colorize Photo > This prompt instructs an AI to act as a photo conservator and digital colorist to restore an old or damaged photograph by repairing defects like scratches, fading, and softness, then colorize it with realistic, historically accurate tones guided by optional reference inputs. It emphasizes preserving the subject’s identity and period authenticity, avoiding over-retouching or artificial saturation, and producing a high-resolution result suitable for printing and archival use without adding or altering scene elements beyond faithful color reconstruction. - Skill: `betterpromptme/restore-and-colorize-photo` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add betterpromptme/restore-and-colorize-photo` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/betterpromptme/restore-and-colorize-photo/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: AI & ML - Author: BetterPromptme (https://skillmd.com/u/betterpromptme) - Updated: 2026-09-10 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/betterpromptme/restore-and-colorize-photo --- ## What it does This prompt instructs an AI to act as a photo conservator and digital colorist to restore an old or damaged photograph by repairing defects like scratches, fading, and softness, then colorize it with realistic, historically accurate tones guided by optional reference inputs. It emphasizes preserving the subject’s identity and period authenticity, avoiding over-retouching or artificial saturation, and producing a high-resolution result suitable for printing and archival use without adding or altering scene elements beyond faithful color reconstruction. > For more installation instructions go to https://raw.githubusercontent.com/BetterPromptme/skills/refs/heads/main/betterprompt/SKILL.md to check out this skill. ## Inputs ### textInputs Pass each text input using `--input =` flags. | Variable key | Required? | Description | Defaults | | --- | ---: | --- | --- | | `seed` | Optional | Provide any number to reproduce consistent results if you want the same output every time. | `42 → results can be reproduced` | | `detail_level` | Optional | Define the level of sharpness in the restoration | `"soft" for smoother look, "natural" for balanced detail, "sharp" for maximum clarity.` | | `color_reference` | Optional | Describe the color palette you want for the restored photo | `“warm natural tones”, “sepia look”, “pastel colors”` | ### imageInputs This prompt requires **exactly 1 image**. You **must pass exactly 1 image flag** (no more, no fewer), in the order matching the descriptions below. | Index | Required | Description | Allowed CLI flags | | ---: | ---: | --- | --- | | 1 | Yes | The old or black-and-white photo to restore | `--image-input-url ` or `--image-input-path ` | ### Models and options This skill's modality is: **`image`**. To discover which `model` values you can use (and which `options` keys/values are valid for each model), run: ```bash betterprompt resources --models-only --json ``` Then filter the returned JSON array to entries where `modality` is `"image"`. ## How to run ### Step 1: Collect inputs First, run `betterprompt resources --models-only --json` and filter to `modality: "image"` to discover valid models and available options: ```bash betterprompt resources --models-only --json ``` Use only the models and option values that appear in the filtered results. Then collect all inputs from the human: - Optional text inputs (use defaults if not provided by the human): - `seed` (default: `42 → results can be reproduced`) - `detail_level` (default: `"soft" for smoother look, "natural" for balanced detail, "sharp" for maximum clarity.`) - `color_reference` (default: `“warm natural tones”, “sepia look”, “pastel colors”`) - Required images: - **Exactly 1** images: image 1 (The old or black-and-white photo to restore). Images must be provided in this order. - Optional: model and options. - Present the human with the default model **`gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview`** and its available options. Look up `gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview` in the `betterprompt resources` output (filtered to modality `"image"`) and show its `availableOptions` as: `key: val1, val2 (default), val3 | key2: ...`. Mark a value `(default)` if it matches these defaults: `{}`. - If the human does not specify, defaults are used: model `gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview`, options `{}`. Other models from the resources call are also available. If the required images are missing, **ask the human for what's missing**. Do not assume or fabricate values. Tell the human: **"Please provide images in this order: image 1 (The old or black-and-white photo to restore)"**. ### Step 2: Run via BetterPrompt CLI Use the frontmatter's `name` as the positional argument (for this skill, use `restore-and-colorize-photo`). Command form: ```bash betterprompt generate restore-and-colorize-photo \ [--input =] \ [--image-input-url ] \ [--image-input-path ] \ [--model ] \ [--options ] \ [--json] ``` Notes: - Pass each text input as a separate `--input =` flag. - Pass each image using `--image-input-url` or `--image-input-path`, in the order matching the imageInputs descriptions (image 1 first, then image 2, etc.). - If the human does **not** mention a model, **omit** `--model` and BetterPrompt will use the default model: **`gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview`**. - If the human does **not** mention options, **omit** `--options` and BetterPrompt will use the default options: **`{}`**. - If the run times out, the response will include a `runId` you can use to fetch the result later. Example (using defaults shown above): ```bash betterprompt generate restore-and-colorize-photo \ --input 'seed=42 → results can be reproduced' \ --input 'detail_level="soft" for smoother look, "natural" for balanced detail, "sharp" for maximum clarity.' \ --input 'color_reference=“warm natural tones”, “sepia look”, “pastel colors”' \ --image-input-url https://example.com/image1.png \ --model gemini-2.5-flash-image-preview \ --options '{}' ```