Q:Which programs do you use?

A:Most of the times I use neat to remove noise, Photoshop or GimP for various modifications and recolored to apply the actual colours.

Q: Which are the basic steps of the procedure to colorise a black ‘n white picture?

A: First, you need to have a very good idea of the actual colours of all objects included in the photo. For aircraft you can find colour profiles on the Internet, but you always need to check whether they correspond to the actual model before you start. Most of the times, there are variations or mistakes in the profiles and you need to do further research. Online forums are good for this, as there are always kind people, who have access to information that you may not have. The same applies to the “background” of the image. For example, if you colourise a 1940 photo of a soldier in Pindos, you need to identify the types of trees to find their correct colours.

From then on the basic procedure is:

- Neat to remove noise, especially if the photo is grainy

- Judicious use of copy-paste inPhotoshop or Gimp to remove damaged bits. Sometimes, it’s useful to change the contrast/brightness a bit to be able to tell the boundaries between different colours more easily. That’s useful in the next step.

- Recolored lets you define the colours of each part of the photo. That’s the most time-consuming part. It usually takes several hours. Here’s an example of how it works:

- Photoshop or GiMP again. This time to fix mistakes, correct balance of colours, change contrast and possibly add some special effect.

Q: Could you give us an example of that procedure?

A: These are Greek F-84G Thunderjets in flight.

I use Photoshop to fix damages on the photo by copy-pasting from neighbouring areas of the photo:

Then, I start with recolored. First a quick green/blue choice to get some instant gratification. Seeing the first colours is always very satisfying.

Two hours later:

I’m finished with Recolored a few hours later:

Time to bring out the white a bit and fix the rough edges. For the latter, I select these edges and use the blurring tool of Photoshop:

Last, I fix some mistakes, change the balance of colours by making it a bit less green, some “diffuse glow” effect to make it look more dramatic and my signature.

Q: Where can we find your current work?

A: Most of my work you can find in my blog: http://greek-war-equipment.blogspot.com . The main work there is the research on each piece of military equipment of Modern Greece. I do the colourisations mainly to give a more individual style in my blog and because they seem to bring these old machines back in life. History seems less bleak and possible less boring when seen in colour.

Thank you George!!!