Describing The Crackton Files is either one of the great mysteries of any age — or maybe it’s a YouTube channel. You decide!

Jim Crackton explores the past through images out of the dusty reaches of time. How these images came to Crackton are kept a closely guarded secret. Rumors are he took them himself and somehow brought them back to us. They are often astonishingly high resolution, allowing explorations that some say shouldn’t be possible. Others say he accesses forbidden knowledge, with whispered incantations like “8×10 glass-plate negatives”. What can it mean?

It means we’re exploring the past, baby! And we use AI tools like colorization and animation to bring the past alive. Note that Crackton does not cheat by using AI to actually generate details. The photos are genuine high-definition views of the past.

What are we exploring? Each video has a theme, such as a city, a decade, a job or an aspect of culture. Crackton particularly likes “small history” — the details of everyday life. So join Crackton as we embark on another expedition into…

▶︎▶︎▶︎ The Crackton Files.