Using Artificial Intelligence to Celebrate Local History

The rise of artificial intelligence, or “AI,” affects our daily lives. It improves the workings of healthcare, education, banking, business and so on. But it’s controversial. From “deep fake” photos and video clips all the way to fears of the rise of the robots and the destruction of mankind (a la the “Terminator” films), people see the worst in this new technology.

But what about more benign applications of AI, such as using it to enhance interest and appreciation of our local history? One local historian has decided to try it out.

John Newcombe is a local independent filmmaker who has a penchant for the history of the Crescenta Cañada Valley. He has produced several local history films over the years, including the feature length “Rancho La Cañada: Then and Now.” Newcombe is not only a great storyteller; he also has always had an eye out for what would attract a younger audience to become interested in our history. One thing he has noticed is that younger people are often turned off by black and white photos. 

John writes, “I have been working on a new idea to attract younger people to local history. I was inspired by an excellent WWII documentary on Netflix called ‘From The Frontlines,’ which utilized coloring old B&W footage to great effect. I thought, ‘What if we colored these great old photos so younger folks might be interested?’” 

Newcombe decided to delve into the new world of photo restoration and colorization using AI. He found that the programs would effortlessly convert black and white pictures into vibrant color shots that looked as though they had just been taken with a modern camera. 

“Some of these required tons of touch ups and work, while others seem to be effortless,” Newcombe said. 

What programs did he use? 

“Palette.fm is my favorite,” he said. “I think they do the best job with a lot of options; [it’s] very easy to use and figure your way around the site. Imggen.AI is great for restoring damaged photos. I didn’t discover them until recently. I wish I had found them earlier. They do an amazing job of smoothing out bad pictures.” 

The results have been nothing less than astounding.

But Newcombe is first and foremost a filmmaker. He discovered other AI programs to colorize old black and white films. Newcombe said Kolorize.cc works great for old film while MyHeritage.com has a feature to animate old photos. 

  “Immersity.AI is another excellent source. I especially like their animations,” he said. 

The results are absolutely amazing. Old black and white landscapes are rendered three dimensional, allowing the viewer to “fly” across a green and verdant turn of the century Crescenta Valley. Old portraits of La Crescenta founder Benjamin Briggs and La Cañada founder Jacob Lanterman have blue eyes and brown hair. They blink and turn to look at the “camera.”

But don’t take my word for it; see it for yourself! Newcombe has uploaded some of his work onto his YouTube channel. Go to YouTube, type in “John Newcombe Films” and you’ll find a wide variety of Newcombe’s work. The two that have been colorized and animated are “Montrose Flood 1933” and “Founding Flintridge.” Soon Newcombe will upload “B.D. Jackson: Landscape Photographer” (Jackson took many photos of early Crescenta Valley). While you are in Newcombe’s YouTube channel, be sure to watch “Hollywood and the Freeway – 1975 to 1980.” While not enhanced with AI, the film is the very entertaining story of the making of “CHiPs” and other films and TV shows during the 210 and 2 freeway construction.

Colorizing and animating historic photos and film is not without its detractors. Some say that it “changes” history. But I disagree. The original photos still exist. 

“I love B&W photography,” said Newcombe. “It can be an art form. Colorizing these images seemed like a sacrilege at first but it’s really a helpful tool to help us imagine the past.” 

I think having a medium featuring color makes history more accessible, more enticing, to those with only a mild interest in history. Tools like AI could hook a new generation on local history.