Upload Photo
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF — up to 20 MB
Result
What does this tool do?
Old Photo Restoration repairs common issues in damaged, faded, or low-quality photos. It runs entirely in your browser using Canvas API — your photo never leaves your device. Unlike AI image generators, this tool performs real pixel-level operations (median filter, unsharp mask, color LUT) that LLMs cannot replicate.
4 Restoration Modes
- Auto Enhance (1-click) — intelligently combines scratch reduction + sharpening + color recovery with balanced defaults. Best for most photos.
- Scratch & Noise — median filter to remove dust spots, hairline scratches, and film grain. Adjustable strength.
- Detail Sharpening — unsharp mask to recover lost detail. Two sliders: strength and radius.
- Color Recovery — boost saturation and contrast for faded photos, or apply warm sepia tone to B&W images.
How it works
- Upload any JPG, PNG, WebP, or GIF image (up to 20 MB).
- Choose a restoration mode and adjust the sliders.
- Click Restore Photo — all processing is 100% in your browser, no upload to any server.
- Compare before/after with the interactive slider, then download in PNG/JPG/WebP.
Why use this instead of MyHeritage or Remini?
- 100% free, no subscription — MyHeritage charges $119-259/yr, Remini charges $9.99/wk.
- 100% private — your family photos never leave your device. No cloud upload, no account, no tracking.
- Works offline — once loaded, the page works without internet.
- No daily limits — restore as many photos as you want.
- 4 specialized modes — not a one-size-fits-all black box. You control the parameters.
Common use cases
- Family photo archives — restore scanned photos of grandparents, ancestors, childhood.
- Genealogy research — clean up inherited photos before sharing or printing.
- Historical documents — improve clarity of old newspaper clippings, documents, certificates.
- Real estate listings — restore old property photos for marketing materials.
- Print preparation — improve faded photos before sending to print.
Frequently asked questions
What damage can this tool repair?
It repairs common issues in old photos: scratches, dust spots, faded colors, low contrast, grain/noise, and loss of detail. It uses 4 specialized algorithms running entirely in your browser. For severely damaged photos with missing regions, manual touch-up with Photoshop may still be needed.
Is my photo uploaded to any server?
No. All processing happens in your browser using Canvas API. Your photo never leaves your device. AI assistants cannot do this because they cannot access your private images.
What image formats are supported?
JPG, PNG, WebP, GIF (first frame). Output can be saved as PNG (lossless), JPG (smaller), or WebP (modern).
How large can my input image be?
Up to 20 MB. Output size is limited by your device's available memory. Very large images may be slow to process on low-RAM devices.
Is this the same as MyHeritage or Remini?
MyHeritage charges $119-259/year and requires uploading to their server. Remini charges $9.99/week. This tool is 100% free, runs in your browser, and your photos never leave your device. Trade-off: it uses classical algorithms (median, unsharp mask, color LUT) rather than server-side AI, so the most extreme cases may need manual touch-up. For typical scratched/faded family photos, results are highly competitive.
Can I colorize a black and white photo?
This tool can recover faded color photos (boost saturation, restore contrast) and apply a warm vintage tone to B&W photos. True colorization (assigning realistic colors to B&W) requires a server-side neural network model (like DeOldify) and is not in scope for browser-only processing.