How to Restore Old Photos with AI (2026): Scanning, Repair and What AI Gets Wrong

How to restore old photos with AI: scan the print at 600 DPI (or photograph it flat in soft daylight), upload the scan to an AI photo restorer, and it repairs scratches, small tears, fading and mild blur in under a minute. Compare the result with the original, especially faces, and keep the untouched scan as your master copy.

AI restoration has made a job that used to take hours in Photoshop possible on a phone. It is very good at the mechanical damage old prints collect: dust, cracks, creases, faded color. It is less trustworthy with the things that matter most in a family photo, because when detail is missing it fills the gap with a plausible guess. This guide covers how to digitize prints properly, what AI fixes well and what it invents, a step-by-step workflow, and how to keep your family archive safe.

How do I scan old photos for AI restoration?

Use a flatbed scanner at 600 DPI for standard prints and 1200 DPI for wallet-size or smaller. If you don't have a scanner, a recent phone works when you avoid glare and keep the photo flat and square to the lens. AI restorers work from what you give them, so a clean, sharp scan matters more than which tool you pick.

Scanner tips

• Wipe the glass and the photo gently with a microfiber cloth; a soft brush removes loose dust.
• Scan in color even for black-and-white prints; it captures the tone of the paper and gives the restorer more to work with.
• Turn off the scanner's automatic sharpening, dust removal and color correction. Do those later, where you can undo them.
• Save as TIFF (or PNG) for the master copy. Use JPEG at high quality only if space is tight.

Phone tips

• Lay the print flat on a dark surface next to a window, out of direct sun. Turn overhead lights off.
• Hold the phone directly above, parallel to the photo, to avoid a trapezoid shape. Use the 1× or 2× lens, not digital zoom.
• Glare is the biggest problem with glossy prints. Tilt the print slightly, or shoot through the gap between two lamps placed at 45° to each side.
• Never photograph a print through glass or a plastic album sleeve. Take it out if you can do so without damage.
• Scanner apps (Google's free PhotoScan, or the Notes app's document scanner on iPhone) can crop and flatten. PhotoScan also reduces glare by combining several shots; it hasn't been updated in a while, so check it still installs on your phone.

What can AI photo restoration fix?

AI restoration handles surface damage and fading very well, and missing or blurred detail less reliably. Here's what to expect from a typical restorer:

What does AI invent when it restores a photo?

Anything the scan doesn't clearly show. When a face is tiny, blurred or damaged, the model draws a face that fits; it doesn't know what your grandmother actually looked like. The same goes for eyes, teeth, hair, jewelry, writing on signs and the pattern of a dress.

• Compare side by side. Put the restored photo next to the scan and check eyes, nose shape, smile and hairline. Ask a relative who knew the person.
• Prefer the gentler version. If a tool offers strength settings, the lighter one usually stays more faithful.
• Label restored copies (for example "1962 wedding - restored AI.jpg") so future family members know which is the original record.
• Don't use AI-restored images as evidence of what a document, sign or person looked like, for genealogy records or anything official.

How to restore old photos with AI, step by step

Scan, duplicate, restore, check, then enlarge and save. The order matters.

1. Scan or photograph the print using the settings above.
2. Duplicate the file and put the original in a folder you never edit.
3. Crop and straighten the copy so only the photo is in the frame (no scanner bed or album page).
4. Run the AI restorer. AiArter's photo restore tool repairs scratches, fading and blur in one pass. Free and paid alternatives include the restore features in Photoshop's Neural Filters, MyHeritage and Remini.
5. Check faces and fine detail at 100% zoom against the original. If something looks wrong, try the original scan in a different tool or at a lower strength.
6. Fix leftovers by hand if needed: a heal or clone brush in Snapseed, Photoshop or GIMP handles a remaining spot or two.
7. Enlarge last. If you plan to print bigger than the original, upscale the restored copy with an AI upscaler (3 credits for 4×).
8. Save and back up both the original and restored files.

For print sizes and how many pixels you need, see how to make a picture higher resolution. If the main problem is blur rather than damage, our guide on how to unblur a photo covers sharpening tools.

Can AI colorize black and white photos?

Yes, but it's a separate step from restoration, and the colors are a guess. Colorizers predict likely colors from shapes and context: skies become blue, grass green, skin a plausible tone. They can't know that a dress was red or a car was green. Dedicated options include MyHeritage In Color and the Colorize filter in Photoshop's Neural Filters.

Restore first, then colorize, so the colorizer isn't confused by scratches. Keep the black-and-white restored version too; many families prefer it, and it's the more accurate record.

How should I store original and restored photos?

Keep three copies: the physical print, the original scan and the restored file, with the digital files in at least two places.

• Prints: store flat in acid-free sleeves or boxes, away from heat, damp and sunlight. Lofts and basements are the worst places.
• Digital: one copy on a computer or external drive, one in cloud storage.
• Names: include the year, people and place in the file name, since metadata can be lost when files are shared.
• Sharing: messaging apps compress photos. Share a link to the full-size file instead if relatives may want to print it. For a quick email or chat preview, make a smaller copy with a free image compressor and keep the full-size file.

When should you use a professional restorer instead?

Use a person when the photo is irreplaceable and badly damaged, especially when faces are affected. A skilled retoucher rebuilds missing areas using other photos of the same person as reference, which an automatic tool can't do. AI is a fast, cheap first pass; a professional is worth it for the one photo of a great-grandparent that exists only in pieces.

Frequently asked questions

How can I restore old photos for free?

Scan the print or photograph it flat in daylight, then try a free tier of an AI restorer or a free editor like Snapseed, whose Healing tool removes spots and scratches by hand. Free options usually limit resolution or the number of photos.

What is the best resolution to scan old photos?

600 DPI for standard prints such as 4×6, and 1200 DPI for small prints like wallet size. That gives enough pixels for restoration and for printing at the original size or larger.

Can AI fix torn photos?

Small tears and missing corners, usually yes: AI fills the gap so the join disappears. The filled area is invented, so if the tear runs through a face, compare the result carefully with the original.

Does AI change faces when restoring photos?

It can. When a face is small, blurred or damaged, the AI predicts features, and the result may look like a different person. Always compare the restored face with the original scan.

Can I take a picture of an old photo with my phone instead of scanning?

Yes. Lay the print flat in soft window light, hold the phone parallel to it, and avoid glare and shadows. A flatbed scanner still gives sharper, more even results, especially for small prints.

Can AI colorize old photos accurately?

AI colorization looks convincing but is a guess. It predicts plausible colors for skies, skin and clothing but can't know the real colors, so treat colorized photos as an interpretation and keep the black-and-white version.