Best AI Tools for Fixing Old Family Photos?

[MALAIKA Jahangeer]

Hi all,

I’ve been scanning and restoring some old family photos recently and wanted to ask what AI tools you’ve found most effective for this. I tried a few different ones and was surprised by how much detail some can bring back without making faces look unnatural.

For example, Airemini did a pretty good job of balancing sharpness and color accuracy on a couple of 90s prints I tested: airemini.com

Curious to hear what others here use for realistic photo restoration. Do you prefer AI-based solutions or traditional editing software?

 

[New Wrycuda]

Hi all,

I’ve been scanning and restoring some old family photos recently and wanted to ask what AI tools you’ve found most effective for this. I tried a few different ones and was surprised by how much detail some can bring back without making faces look unnatural.

For example, Airemini did a pretty good job of balancing sharpness and color accuracy on a couple of 90s prints I tested: airemini.com

Curious to hear what others here use for realistic photo restoration. Do you prefer AI-based solutions or traditional editing software?

That AI software looks impressive, but I’ve mainly dealt with the restoration of very old B&W photos so that they are presentable in historical publications.

I use PhotoStyler, a program that was distributed with Canon scanners. An old program that still runs with Windows 11…

• Removing spots or filling gaps and reconstructing backgrounds (cloning tool).
• Expanding tonal range (several tools).
• Adding text to old maps.
• Eliminating coloured artefacts due to ageing.
• etc.

 

[Ellinor William]

Photoshop’s newer restoration filter is solid too, especially for scratches and creases. I usually scan at high resolution, run the photo through an AI tool (Topaz per say) for a light cleanup, and then do final tweaks manually in Photoshop or GIMP. The combo keeps the photo looking natural instead of over-processed.

 

[Linahira]

AI tools have come a long way for photo restoration. Along with Airemini, options like Remini, Topaz Photo AI, and Adobe Photoshop’s AI tools do a great job of enhancing detail without over-processing. For best results, I usually combine AI restoration with light manual edits in Photoshop or Lightroom to keep things natural.