19th-Century Portraits Restored With AI Gives a Glimpse of What the Original Photographer Saw

Mystery Scoop Restores Old Portraits Using AI Technology

AI technology has proven to be a useful tool for some artists; from creating portraits of historical figures like Cleopatra to generating images that capture what deceased pop icons would look like if they were still alive today. For the creators behind the YouTube channel Mystery Scoop, AI is used to render lifelike movement, enhancing their incredibly restored portraits.

One of the channel’s videos, titled 19th Century Portraits Brought to Life, showcases some of their best work. Using programs like Photoshop and enlisting the help of colorists such as Klimbim and Lorenzo Folli, the photos are “given a quick restoration” and are colorized. Then, using “the latest tools in AI technology,” facial motions are added. The resulting video is a rolling gallery of old black-and-white portraits that are transformed before your eyes. They are turned into candid, colorized moments, complete with blinking and smiling.

Overwhelmingly, this video has received positive feedback. Many took to the comments to discuss the idea of legacy and living long after you’ve passed away. One viewer thanked Mystery Scoop, saying, “I don't know why, but I was brought to tears while watching this as if for a moment we observed exactly what the photographer did as they looked through the viewport on that day so many decades ago.” They continue, “These were real people who meant something to someone at some time. Even if we don't know them, and we don't know what type of person they were, we briefly were given the honor of standing in on this moment in their lives, and just for a few seconds, they mattered again to somebody.”

Whether it’s a painted portrait from the 17th century or a photograph from the 80s, each image on their channel is meticulously crafted into a slice-of-life moment that provides viewers with an idea of what the artist or photographer saw. Some of their videos provide historical background on a particular era, person, or event, while others simply embrace the impressiveness of their creations. The Mystery Scoop team seeks to “infuse still pictures, statues, and paintings with realism,” to give fans a “unique viewing experience.”

Scroll down to experience some of Mystery Scoop’s incredible restoration pieces.

AI technology has proven to be a useful tool for some artists, and the YouTube channel Mystery Scoop showcases how it can bring people back to life.

The team uses tools like Photoshop to restore and colorize old portraits. Then, using AI, facial motions like blinking, smiling, and looking away are added.

 

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A post shared by Mystery Scoop (@mysteryscoop)

The resulting videos are incredibly crafted slice-of-life moments that give the viewer an idea of what the artist or photographer saw.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mystery Scoop (@mysteryscoop)

Knowing that these people once posed for the image and would have never imagined this sort of technology, fans have commented on how emotional the videos have made them.

 

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A post shared by Mystery Scoop (@mysteryscoop)

Mystery Scoop says they want to give fans a “unique viewing experience,” but it seems they have also done the unimaginable: brought the dead back to life, even if just for a moment.

 

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A post shared by Mystery Scoop (@mysteryscoop)

h/t: [PetaPixel]

Mystery Scoop: Youtube | Instagram | Tiktok

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Madyson DeJausserand

Madyson DeJausserand is a Video Editor at My Modern Met Academy and a Contributing Writer at My Modern Met. She is also an award-winning filmmaker who graduated from Oakland University with a BA in Cinema Studies with a specialization in Filmmaking. Her passions for filmmaking and art bleed into her everyday life and she devotes her time to developing her voice as a filmmaker, writer, artist, and editor.
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