How to restore old photos with AI image restoration and repair.

Old photographs capture unforgettable moments, historic scenes, and precious family gatherings – but their quality can fade over time. That’s where photo restoration comes in. In the past, you had to go to specialist designers to do this; now you can restore old photos digitally yourself using AI.

In this guide, we’ll show you how you can use Adobe Firefly to improve image quality and restore photos.

What you'll learn

What is photo restoration?

Photo restoration is the process of restoring old photos to enhance their quality. Over time, old photos can fade, lose colour, and even lose some of the details. But there are image restoration techniques that can bring them back to life, while preserving the image’s authenticity. Some things photo restoration involves are:

Repair: Fixes scratches, smooths cracks, stains, or tears.
Colour: Adds colour to black and white photos or restores any discolouring of colour ones.
Enhance: Refines details such as facial features if they’ve worn out over time.
Clean: Polish up any grain or visual fading.

It’s much more than just restoring old photos – photo restoration helps you restore cherished memories and preserve them for future generations.

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Why use AI to restore your old photos?

Using AI to restore your old photos allows you to restore and enhance your old photos digitally, rather than taking them to a shop to be repaired physically.

All you need is a digital device and to scan and upload your photos to the AI platform. Then, just create your instruction prompt and watch them transform. There’s no technical expertise or previous photo restoration experience required – it’s a fast, efficient, and accessible way to bring life back to your old memories.

Some of the key benefits of using AI for photo restoration include:

Time-saving automation: Restore photos in moments in just a few clicks.
Consistent results: Apply the same style across multiple images.
Damage detection and repair: Automatically remove scratches, creases, and marks.
De-noising capabilities: Reduce grain and visual noise in low-quality images.
Facial detail enhancement: Sharpen and refine faces while keeping them natural-looking.
Colourisation: Add colour to black and white photographs.

Now it’s possible to do photo restoration online for free with Adobe Firefly. You can restore your photos with the AI Photo Editor or change images to a new style with Generative Match.

Experiment with digital photo restoration in a few easy steps to repair your old photos and enhance photo quality yourself.

How to use Adobe Firefly for free AI photo restoration and repair.

Restoring old photos is a simple process that combines AI tools with easy manual controls. Follow these steps for free AI photo restoration and repair:

1. Scan your old photo.

Start with a high-quality scan – use a scanner instead of taking a picture with your phone. Higher resolution scans can result in better quality results.

2. Upload to Adobe Firefly’s AI photo editor.

Once you scan the image, upload it to Adobe Firefly’s AI Photo Editor. To do this, select ‘Your device’ to search for the scanned photo, then select it.

3. Repair and refine your photo with the AI enhancement tools.

You can repair your photo in a flash with Adobe Firefly. Auto-retouch, recolour, remove unwanted objects, change backgrounds, and enhance the image’s overall clarity.

4. Make your final manual edits.

You can use the basic editing tools for cropping, adjusting brightness/contrast, and spot removal for adjusting imperfections.

5. Save and export your restored image.

Export your restored photo in high-quality formats like PNG or TIFF for long-term preservation – or JPEG for easy sharing. You can also print your photos to frame, share them digitally with loved ones, or add them to a digital collection.

Tips for achieving the best photo restoration results.

There are a few key things to keep in mind to help you get the best results when restoring old photos, for example:

Clean the original before scanning: Remove dust and debris gently with a soft, dry cloth. This prevents unwanted marks appearing on the scan, helping to reduce corrections later.
Scan with high resolution: High-resolution scans are more likely to capture fine details, which helps to provide the AI with better-quality images.
Start with AI enhancements, then refine manually: Use AI for major photo repairs first, then fine-tune with manual edits to achieve more natural-looking results.
Experiment with different tools and settings: Try out enhancement levels, colour correction, and retouching options to get the best results.
Consider colourising black and white images: Adding colour to old black and white photos can add a fresh perspective to them, making them more vivid and ’real’.
Maintain original authenticity: Don’t overdo it. Remember – you’re not creating a brand-new photo, rather revitalising old ones. Look to preserve the original authenticity rather than a complete overhaul.