Is AI photo restoration free to try?

Yes, AI photo restoration is free to try. Each restoration uses account credits, and the Generate button shows the cost before you start.

Can I restore photos of other people?

Upload only photos you own or have permission to restore, such as prints from your own family album. If a picture belongs to an archive, a photographer or another relative, ask first, and respect the privacy of the people shown.

Light clean-up or Full restoration: which should I choose?

Choose Light clean-up for dust, specks and faint scratches on an otherwise healthy print. Choose Full restoration when the photo also has creases, stains, tears or heavy fading. If you are unsure, run both and compare them at full size.

Should I colorize an old photo while restoring it?

Restore first with Keep original, then colorize a copy. Colorize adds plausible colors to a black-and-white photo, but it cannot know the real color of a dress or a car. For more color options, run the restored file through Colorize Image.

Which files can I upload, and how large is the restored copy?

Upload a JPG, PNG or WebP up to 20 MB, such as a flatbed scan or a phone photo of the print, and pick 2K or 4K under Output. To restore scanned image files from an archive, start from the largest scan you have rather than a resized copy.

What is the best software to restore old photos?

The best old photo restoration software is the one that fixes the damage and keeps the person recognizable. Test the same scan in a few AI photo restoration tools and compare faces, grain and lettering at full size. This one runs in the browser, so there is no photo restoration app to install; antique photo restoration of valuable prints may still call for a professional retoucher.

How to clean old pictures before scanning?

This tool restores the digital copy, not the paper. Remove loose dust with a soft blower brush, never wipe or wet the surface, and hold prints by the edges. Yellowed photos with stuck emulsion or mold need a photo conservator; scan them as they are and let the restoration handle the copy.

Do I need an AI photo restoration prompt?

No. The Restore level, Color and Face detail settings build the instructions for you, so there is no prompt box on this page. In a general editor such as AI Photo Editor, a good old photo restore prompt names the damage to remove and what to keep: face, pose, clothing and the original tones.

Where to get old photos copied after restoring them?

Send the 4K file to a local or online photo lab and check its print sizes and paper options. If you need to know where to get old pictures copied from fragile originals, ask whether the lab scans prints by hand. Old photo sharing sites and old photo storage sites often compress files, so keep your full-resolution copy too.

AI Photo Restoration · Restore Old Pictures and Faded Family Photos

Upload a scan of an old photo, choose Light clean-up or Full restoration, and keep the original tones or colorize. Compare faces at full size, then save a 2K or 4K restored copy.

Common old photo problems

Fine-tune

Restore level

Color

Face detail

Output

Example

scratched black-and-white portrait of a woman by a window (after)

scratched black-and-white portrait of a woman by a window (before)

Reference example. It is not a result generated from your upload.

Old Photo Restoration That Respects the Original

Old photo restoration starts with what survives in the print. Upload a scan and the AI photo restorer removes dust, scratches, creases and color casts, then rebuilds contrast that has faded over the decades. Light clean-up handles surface marks; Full restoration also tackles tears, stains and heavy fading, so you can restore pictures of grandparents, weddings and school days without turning them into new pictures.

Photo restoration AI fills gaps with informed guesses, so a missing eye corner or a torn collar is reconstructed, not recovered. That is also why restoring old photos differs from recreating old photos, where you stage a new shot in the same pose. If you are learning how to restore old pictures, start here: the page works as all in one image restoration for mixed damage, and the table below points to focused tools for blur, grain or poor lighting.

Photo Restoration Before and After: Six Old Photos Restored

Scratched Black-and-White Portrait

Hairline scratches and worn corners cross a studio-style portrait. Full restoration clears them while keeping the curls, the embroidered blouse and the soft window light.

Faded 1970s color photo of a couple on a garden bench, before and after restoring (after)

Faded 1970s color photo of a couple on a garden bench, before and after restoring (before)

Faded 1970s Color Snapshot

A magenta cast has washed out a couple on a garden bench. Keep original brings back green leaves, pink roses and natural skin tones instead of inventing a new palette.

Creased old group photo of four people on a porch, before and after restoration (after)

Creased old group photo of four people on a porch, before and after restoration (before)

Creased Group Photo on a Porch

A fold and a torn edge run through four people. Full restoration rejoins shirts, dresses and porch posts; check the faces where the crease crossed.

Yellowed Antique Headshot

Yellowed paper, foxing spots and a stained border surround a formal portrait. The restored copy returns neutral grays and clean edges, a typical antique photo restoration job.

Black-and-white garden portrait restored and colorized, before and after (after)

Black-and-white garden portrait restored and colorized, before and after (before)

Black-and-White Photo, Colorized

A garden portrait restored first, then colorized. The dress, flowers and skin get plausible colors, but the real ones are unknown, so label the result as colorized.

Soft color portrait of an older man in a reading chair, before and after face detail (after)

Soft color portrait of an older man in a reading chair, before and after face detail (before)

Soft Portrait with Face Detail

A slightly soft color photo of an older man in a reading chair. Face detail firms up his eyes, glasses and knit cardigan without changing his expression.

How to Restore Old Photos in Four Steps

Scan or photograph the print

Scan at 300–600 DPI on clean glass. With a phone, hold it parallel to the print and light it from both sides so glare does not hide the damage.

Choose a restore level

Light clean-up handles dust and faint scratches. Full restoration also repairs creases, stains and fading. Leave Color on Keep original for the first pass.

Check faces and fine detail

Zoom into eyes, mouths, lettering and fabric patterns. If a face looks too smooth or unfamiliar, run it again with Face detail off.

Save the restored copy

Pick 2K for screens or 4K for larger prints, then download. Keep the untouched scan, and colorize a separate copy if you want color.

Restoring Old Photos: What Each Setting Changes

Light Clean-Up or Full Restoration

Not every old picture needs the same strength. Light clean-up removes dust, specks and hairline scratches and changes the least. Full restoration also repairs creases, stains and lost contrast. Try both on a treasured print and keep the one that fixes the damage with the fewest changes.

Keep the Original Tones or Colorize

Keep original is the safe way to restore old images: black-and-white stays black-and-white, and faded color prints regain their own colors. Colorize adds plausible color to a monochrome photo. It is an interpretation, so share colorized old images with a note, or use Colorize Image for more color control.

Face Detail On or Off

Faces are where an AI photo restorer can overreach. With Face detail on, soft or small faces get firmer eyes, lips and hair; with it off, the original softness stays when a face is already readable. In group photos, check every face, not only the front row.

2K or 4K for Screens and Prints

2K suits sharing, on-screen albums and an old picture challenge post; 4K gives more pixels for a larger print or a tight crop. More pixels do not add historical accuracy, so check faces and lettering before you order prints of old photos restored with AI.

Which Restoration Tool Fits the Damage?

Damage in the photo	Focused tool	Best for
Scratches, tears and water stains	Repair Damaged Photo	Picking one damage type, such as creases or water damage
Black-and-white original	Colorize Image	Adding plausible color after the repair
Motion blur or missed focus	Unblur Image	Blur that restoration alone cannot fix
Film grain and noise	Denoise Image	Grainy scans and high-ISO snapshots
Slightly soft edges	Image Sharpener	Crisper edges on a photo that is mostly in focus
Small or low-resolution scan	Image Upscaler	More pixels before printing a small old pic
Dark or uneven exposure	Fix Photo Lighting	Underexposed scans and harsh shadows

Old Photo Restoration Tips from Scan to Archive

Find the best original first

If you are wondering how to find old photos worth restoring, ask relatives for original prints and negatives. An original usually holds more detail than a copy saved from old picture websites.

Scan at 300–600 DPI

A good scan gives the AI real texture to work with. Trying to restore images from a screenshot or a tiny thumbnail rarely works; enlarging them first only magnifies the blur.

Repair first, colorize later

Restore with Keep original and save that file. Colorize a copy afterwards, so you always keep a faithful black-and-white version.

Compare Face detail on and off

For portraits, run both settings and compare at 100% zoom. Keep the version that preserves the person’s age, expression and grain.

Watch where folds cross details

Creases through eyes, jewelry, buttons or printed lettering are where the AI is most likely to invent detail. Check those spots before saving.

Archive the scan and the restoration

Store the untouched scan next to the restored file. Old photo hosting sites often compress uploads, so keep full-resolution copies on your own drive too.