How to restore old photos with AI: a complete guide and comparison

If you've rescued an album from the trunk and want to bring it back to life, today I'll tell you how to restore old photos with Artificial Intelligence without complicating your life. Modern solutions have taken a huge leap forward, but there are nuances: conversational models like ChatGPT, Copilot o Gemini They don't process real images to retouch them.So, it's time to use specialized external tools.

There are quite a few services that do it automatically and quite well. Some allow Try it for free and then they ask for credits or a subscriptionThis is common because visual processing is resource-intensive. I'll present the most prominent options, explain what to expect from each based on my experience, and finish with two. practical step-by-step guides using MyHeritage and Image Colorizer, which have delivered very solid results in real-world tests.

AI tools for restoring old photos

When we think about restoration, we talk about Reduce blur, clean scratches, and improve color and detail without losing the original charm. The following platforms offer different approaches: some excel at portraits, others color better, or remove signs of aging more finely. Here's a selection of realistic prints for you to choose from.

• MyHeritage (myheritage.es/photo-enhancer): In comparative tests, it achieves the best balance. It effectively enhances sharpness and treats faces with care.Its damage correction module does a very fine job with cracks and scratches. It can be overdone if faces are tiny or ambiguous, and the generated close-ups tend to "imagine" details when the original face is very blurry. As a bonus, it automatically detects faces and allows you to zoom in on each one with a single click.
• Image Colorizer (es.imagecolorizer.com/colorize): Offers very good restoration and coloring resultsThe photos gain sharpness, faces look natural, and it cleans up imperfections effectively. Sometimes, when coloring, it might add a slightly brighter tone than intended, but overall it's excellent for rescuing photos. black and white and aged negatives.
• Remini (app.remini.ai): This is the company behind the technology used by MyHeritage, although performance here is more inconsistent. It improves the resolution and overall clarityHowever, it's not the best option for removing deep scratches. On the other hand, it offers plenty of style adjustments for faces and skin tone.
• Aiease (aiease.ai/app/restore-photo): If sharpness is your concern, It performs very well by increasing the definition.However, its ability to erase scratches is limited, and it doesn't excel at colorizing black and white photos. For simply improving resolution, it's an alternative worth considering.
• PicWish (picwish.com/photo-enhancer): It is designed to focus, reduce noise, enhance details, and automatically colorizeIt's ideal for photos that are blurry or faded. It does have limitations: currently, it doesn't repair scratches, stains, or torn corners, although it allows you to restore up to five images per day for free and supports JPG, JPEG, and PNG formats. The process is 100% automatic and converts to HD with a single upload.
• Vance.ai (vanceai.com/workspace): Here, its ability to excels is remove scratches with cleaning and his steady hand when applying color. In group photos with many people, he can distort small faces or those in the background; in portraits or scenes with fewer people, he shines more.
• hotpot.ai (hotpot.ai/restore-picture/create): Shine by removing marks, cracks and scratchesHowever, the free mode produces such a small output that you have to upgrade (by paying) if you want a high-resolution copy. Its blurring isn't as refined as some others.
• XNUMX features you (flexclip.com/es/ai/old-photo-restoration): It performs very decently Reconstructing blurred facesWith the usual caveat: if faces are far away, it may over-reflect them. Its anti-scratch tool is also quite consistent.

Beyond the name of the tool, it's worth knowing that each engine of IA prioritizes different aspectsSome are conservative with the original grain, while others reshape facial features more aggressively when information is lacking. That's why it's a good idea to try two or three and stick with the result that best respects the atmosphere of the photo.

In the field of restoration, the important thing is that the photograph regains its presence without looking like a different image. My recommendation is Always activate scratch repair and facial enhancement When available, colorize carefully if the original is monochrome. Often, a slight correction of color and contrast is enough to achieve a beautiful and believable copy.

Serious restoration services strive eliminate visible defects while preserving authenticity of the shot. Ultimately, the idea is to erase the marks of time, maintain the texture and, if appropriate, enhance the essential (faces, gaze, details of the clothing) without going overboard.

If you enjoy tinkering, you'll find these features in Lists of useful free AI toolswhere they are compiled alongside other creative tools. However, remember that free apps usually have limitations: size, number of images per day, or watermarks; even the smallest limitations will require paid plans for high-resolution export.

How to restore a photo with MyHeritage

MyHeritage has become a go-to tool because It combines improved sharpness, facial care, and damage correction. with a clear workflow. To get started, go to their enhancement module at myheritage.es/photo-enhancer.

On the main screen you'll see a large orange button to upload the image. Click on it. Upload a photo and select the file you want to process. With that simple action, an automatic analysis will begin, and after a few seconds or a couple of minutes, you'll have the results. a first version with optimized faces and sharpness.

When the first pass is complete, two key controls appear at the top: "Restore colors" y "Correct"The first attempts to recover the color of washed-out shots and, in black and white photos, applies a restrained colorization that avoid fantastical effectsIf the original portrait is monochrome and you want a very faithful look, it might be worth leaving the B/W as is or applying a light touch of tone.

The button "Correct" It's what really takes off the experience: clean cracks, stains and scratches in a surprisingly natural way. There's nothing more to do: when you activate it, the system repairs the problem areas and gives you a before-and-after view to compare in real time where it has worked.

A practical advantage of MyHeritage is that It automatically detects all faces present in the image and displays them as thumbnails below the canvas. If you click on one, it can generate a closer view of that face with greater definition. Be mindful of expectations: if the face is very far away or there is little information, the AI ​​will tend to Reconstruct features and "guess" detailswhich is sometimes noticeable in eyebrows, eyes or skin that are too perfect.

After fine-tuning your copy, you can download it. Keep in mind that the platform allows a few free restorations Then it prompts you to purchase credits or a subscription to continue working or to export in a larger size. This is normal: the cost of processing old images is not trivial.

Extra tip: If you're going to photograph a physical copy with your phone to upload it, make sure you do so in good lighting and without reflections. The higher the initial quality, the better. Automatic restoration will be betterIf you have a scanner, 600 dpi And the uncompressed format (or low-compression JPG) is a plus; check the best photo scanner software to get the most out of it.

How to restore a photo with Image Colorizer

Image Colorizer is especially competent when working with black and white photographsHowever, its engine also performs very well at sharpening and correcting imperfections. Open es.imagecolorizer.com/colorize and press the button. "Add black and white image" to upload your photo.

When you upload it, the interface will offer you two colorization options: default o CustomThe first is the fastest and usually produces balanced results; the second lets you write a short prompt with positive and negative instructions (for example, "blue skies, natural skin tones" in positives, and "avoid saturated greens" in negatives) to guide the interpretation of color.

Before you begin, you'll see switches for additional functions. I recommend activating them. facial restoration y scratches whenever your copy needs it, and add scale-up If you want a larger result. With these boxes, the tool not only colors, but also refines features and cleans up imperfections on the paper.

Once you've decided, click on "Get up and start"In a few minutes, depending on the work queue and size, you'll have the result. Depending on the chosen settings, the output may vary: custom colorization allows for more flexibility, while automatic colorization... He is usually prudent and consistent.

In terms of performance, Image Colorizer tends to return sharp faces, defined contours, and softened scratchesOccasionally, you can add a more striking tone to an object, but nothing that will ruin the overall aesthetic. If you prefer, export the image and fine-tune the color and contrast in your favorite image editor.

Practical tip: For very yellowed or sepia-toned prints, colorization plus color correction can work wonders; if you like, compare with How to restore old photos with Microsoft Photos.

If instead of these two you prefer an even more automated workflow, PicWish offers a very direct path: You upload the photo and the system automatically adjusts it.It removes blur, reduces noise, and enhances details. It can colorize black and white with a natural look and supports common formats (JPG, JPEG, PNG). However, it doesn't currently repair scratches or broken edges, and its free plan usually costs... limit to five images per dayFor blurry or faded scenes, it performs phenomenally well.

Other platforms like Vance.ai, Hotpot.ai, or FlexClip fit well into the rotation when you need aggressive scratch removal (Vance, Hotpot) or when you want to rescue faces out of focus (FlexClip). If the photo is a group shot with many small faces, test with caution and compare because some networks tend to distort subtle details in the background.

Finally, don't forget the preservation plan: always keep an intact copy of the original in a external hard driveIt exports at the highest available resolution and names the files with the date and a description. These are simple gestures that They protect your family archive. in the long term and avoid overwriting previous work.

After trying several tools and seeing their quirks and strengths, what works best is mixing common sense and patience: Choose the service based on the main problem. (scratches, blurriness, color), let the AI ​​do its magic and review the result with a critical eye to maintain the essence of the photo without unnecessary artifice.