Pornhub Announces “Remastured,” An Initiative That Restores Century-Old Erotic Films to Titillating Technicolor with Modern AI Technology

Pornhub Announces “Remastured,” An Initiative That Restores Century-Old Erotic Films to Titillating Technicolor with Modern AI Technology

The adult entertainment platform used machine learning and over 100,000 adult videos and images from its library to educate the AI in the subtleties in colorizing vintage porn for the modern age 

NEW YORK, N.Y. (MAY 18, 2020) – Pornhub, the premier online destination for adult entertainment, today announced the launch of “Remastured,” an innovative project that employs the latest AI (artificial intelligence) technology to restore some of the oldest – and steamiest – erotic films ever produced. The company used machine learning and over 100,000 adult videos and images from its library to colorize vintage porn for today’s modern audience. Viewers are transported back in time to experience 20th century-old erotic films featuring voluptuous Victorians and silent seductors in titillating technicolor with The Remastured Film Library. 

“Since the moment someone figured out how to record moving images, people have been making adult movies,” said Pornhub. “We thought it was important to not only preserve but modernize these films, and we are very excited to include this selection of artfully restored vintage material to our library, allowing users to indulge in old school erotica from a bygone era.”

View the SFW Remastured campaign video here.

It is common practice in film to colorize and restore even the most antique footage. However, the algorithms generally available are lacking since standard deep-learning models are trained with millions of SFW images, not nude or even pornographic ones.

By introducing the AI to Pornhub's massive content library, it learned a naughty new trick; how to detect the subtle shades of penises, nipples, and turn-of-the-century bush. Transforming these centennial masterpieces into modern content resulting in The Remastured Film Library; A collection of 20 visually stunning scenes ranging from the 1890's to the 1940's, featuring the work of film pioneers like Thomas Edison and George Méliès and elaborate plots of the modern porn aficionado's favorite categories:  co-eds, masseurs, orgies, threesomes, foursomes, spankings, cosplay, strap-ons, and more. The variety is impressive, but it’s the kinky content that will keep you coming back for more.

The process – which utilized several AI algorithms with limited human intervention – included:

• Preparation of images: noise reduction, sharpening and contrasting
• Colorizing using deep learning
• Boosting to 60 frames per second (fps)
• Rescaling to crisp 4K resolution
• Digital remastering: cleaning artifacts, stabilization, and flickering reduction
• Remastering audio or adding a new audio track

To develop the machine-learning algorithm, we paired black and white images, along with the colorized version. Through testing, the AI was able to generalize its comparative findings and colorize images provided previously to colorizing images it had never seen.

Pornhub’s “Remastured” campaign is a collaborative initiative with creative agency Officer & Gentleman and creative studio Espada Santacruz,

Pornhub has a history of supporting the preservation of early erotic films. The company previously partnered with the Museum of Sex in New York City in 2019 to present “STAG: The Illicit Origins of Pornographic Film.” Exclusively curated by the Museum of Sex, the interactive exhibition featured films demonstrating the major aesthetic and thematic trends that shaped the early history of illicit film. Later that year, Pornhub partnered with Maccarone fine art gallery in Los Angeles to present “The Pleasure Principle,” a multi-disciplinary and pan-generational all female art show where artists were invited to share work depicting their respective interpretations of pleasure. The show included work from Marilyn Minter, Louise Bourgeois, Tracey Emin and more. Most recently, Pornhub hosted the online premier of SHAKEDOWN, the critically-acclaimed documentary art film centered around the Black lesbian stripper scene in early oughts Los Angeles by filmmaker and vanguard artist Leilah Weinraub. The digital event included a viewing of  the documentary and a series of Q&A live chats with Weinraub to simulate the experience of watching the film together.