// 1 credit · restore-only or restore + colorize //

AI old photo restoration for your family’s cherished memories.

Fix scratches, tears, fading, water marks, and blur. Choose restore-only to keep black-and-white or sepia, or restore and colorize when you want color.
Restore photos See repair demos
Real BringBack restoration result
Real BringBack restoration result
Real BringBack restoration result
3.1K+
Trusted by 3.1K+ Families
Restored family portrait with scratches removed by BringBack AI
Old photo with heavy scratches and water damage before restoration
Original print
Restored
Drag to inspect the repair3,100+ family archives restored
// Repair Capabilities //

Common old-photo damage. One reviewable workflow.

Explore how scratches, tears, stains, fading, and blur can respond differently—and what to check before accepting a generated repair.
AI repairing scratched old family photo before and after
Damage Type // 01

Fix Scratched & Creased Photos

Over decades, physical photographs naturally accumulate surface damage. Fine scratches from sliding against other prints, deep creases from being folded in wallets, and spiderweb cracks across the emulsion layer can obscure the faces of your loved ones.

BringBack generates a repaired digital version by interpreting damaged areas in the context of nearby pixels. Fine, isolated marks are usually easier to address than broad scratches crossing a face.

Archival Review Tip

Reconstruction can introduce plausible details that were not visible in the scan. Use the comparison slider to check hair, clothing patterns, facial features, and texture against the original.

Restoring torn old photo with AI technology
Damage Type // 02

Repair Torn & Ripped Photos

Digital restoration can reduce the appearance of a torn corner, a clean rip, or small missing pieces along an edge when the surrounding image still provides enough context.

The model estimates what may belong in a gap from the neighboring shapes, tones, and textures. That estimate is not the exact information that was physically lost.

Archival Review Tip

For the best starting point, place torn pieces as close to their original alignment as possible and scan them together on a flat, evenly lit surface.

AI fixing water damage and mold stains on old photo
Damage Type // 03

Fix Water Damaged & Stained Photos

Water rings, humidity marks, mold spots, and ink stains can cover both the paper surface and important image detail. Light, localized marks are generally easier to reduce than opaque damage across a face.

BringBack uses the visible surroundings to generate a cleaner version of stained areas. Where the original information is hidden, the output may contain reconstructed rather than recovered detail.

Archival Review Tip

Compare the result at full size, especially around faces, text, jewelry, and patterned clothing, before deciding whether it is suitable for printing.

Restoring faded and yellowed vintage photograph
Damage Type // 04

Restore Faded & Yellowed Photos

Exposure to sunlight and the natural degradation of photographic chemicals cause old photos to lose their contrast and take on a faded, yellow, or reddish tint. Detail is lost in the shadows, and highlights become blown out.

Restoration can rebalance contrast and reduce a strong color cast where detail is still present. Completely washed-out highlights and blocked shadows may not contain enough information to recover faithfully.

Archival Review Tip

Choose restore-only to keep black-and-white or sepia character, or restore and colorize when you intentionally want interpreted color.

AI sharpening and unblurring out of focus old photo
Damage Type // 05

Unblur & Sharpen Old Photos

Vintage cameras often had slow shutter speeds, resulting in motion blur or slightly out-of-focus subjects. When combined with the natural softness of old film stock, faces can lack the crispness we expect today.

AI can add definition to a soft face, but it cannot know details that the camera never captured. Strong blur and very small faces increase the chance of invented eyes, teeth, skin texture, or other features.

Archival Review Tip

Use the clearest scan available and inspect the downloaded pixel dimensions and reconstructed facial details before ordering an enlargement.

Also fixes fading, yellowing, blur, and dark exposures. 1 credit per photo.
View restoration pricing and guarantees
// The restoration workflow //

How do you restore an old photo?

Scan or photograph the print flat in even light, upload the clearest file, and choose restore-only or restore and colorize. Review every face before downloading. Each restoration uses 1 credit.
  1. A scratched black-and-white photo of a family, ready to upload
    01

    Upload scan or smartphone photo

    Scan your print flat in daylight or take a clear photo on your phone. JPG, PNG and WebP files up to 10 MB work. Clear scans provide the best starting clarity for damage repair.

  2. The same family photo restored and colorized
    02

    AI repairs damage & revives color

    Scratches, tears, water stains, and soft blur are repaired in about 30 seconds. Choose restore-only to preserve original sepia/B&W tone, or restore and colorize for natural color.

  3. Original damaged scan
    The restored photo
    OriginalArchival 4K
    03

    Compare every face & download 4K

    Drag the comparison line across each face to inspect hair, clothing, and facial features against the original. Download the full-resolution archival 4K print ready for wall framing or sharing.

// Archival Case Studies //

Old photo restoration before and after.

Four BringBack outputs, including two where AI falls short. Each note says what was repaired and what was reconstructed, so you know what to check on your own photo. A restoration like these uses 1 credit.
Old sepia portrait of a couple with crack lines across both faces and chips of missing emulsion
Original
The same couple portrait restored, with cracks and missing chips repaired and color added
Restored
Case Study // 01Restore + colorize

Cracked, chipped sepia portrait of a couple

Repaired Detail

A network of cracks across both faces and jackets, plus chips of missing emulsion at the top edge and below the man's collar, were filled. Facial structure, hairstyles, the necklace, and the tie survived intact.

Check Before You Keep It

The sky, foliage, and clothing colors are interpreted, not recovered. The area under the large chip near the jacket was reconstructed from its surroundings.

Faded sepia photo of a family of six on a porch with a large water stain and a missing chip over one child
Original
The same family group restored and colorized, with the stain removed and the missing area rebuilt
Restored
Case Study // 02Restore + colorize

Faded, stained family group on a porch

Repaired Detail

Heavy fading, a large water stain across the doorway, corner wear, and a missing chip over the child on the right were repaired. All six faces were kept recognizable.

Check Before You Keep It

With six people, each face occupies a small part of the frame, so zoom in on every face. The green lawn and trees on the right are AI interpretation; the original background there is unreadable.

Small, dark, cracked snapshot of five children, only 259 pixels wide
Original
The children's snapshot brightened and enlarged, with some crack lines still visible
Restored
Case Study // 03Restore + colorize

Dark, cracked snapshot from a tiny scan

Repaired Detail

Exposure, contrast, and color were lifted, and the image was enlarged more than four times from a 259-pixel-wide source.

Check Before You Keep It
// AI Limit

This is where AI struggles. Fine cracks across the lower half are still visible, and with so few source pixels the boy on the left came out looking older than in the original. A larger rescan of the print would give the model far more to work with.

Why AI changes faces→
Low-resolution, noisy early digital-camera photo of a woman holding a compact camera
Original
The same digital photo restored at about three times the resolution with sensor noise removed
Restored
Case Study // 04Restore only

Early digital-camera photo: noise and low resolution

Repaired Detail

Sensor noise and compression softness were removed, and the photo was enlarged about three times, from 467 to 1392 pixels wide. Old digital photos need restoring too.

Check Before You Keep It
// AI Limit

The eyes now look toward the camera instead of to the side, an expression change the original did not have. Compare eye direction, hair, and skin texture before keeping a result.

Denoise & unblur photos→
Want to see how we evaluate models objectively? Our restoration benchmark scores identity, damage repair, and invented detail across diverse historical prints.
Explore our restoration benchmark & methodology
// Restoration Modes //

Two clear paths. You control the color.

Choose whether to preserve the authentic silver-halide or sepia chemistry of your print, or reconstruct natural, period-appropriate color. Color is an artistic option—never forced.
Restored black and white vintage photograph preserving authentic tone
Preserve Original Tone
Mode // 01Authentic Preservation

Restore Only

Repairs tears, scratches, mold, and blur while strictly preserving the authentic silver-gelatin, sepia, or original developer chemistry. Ideal for family archivists, historical genealogists, and framed legacy prints.

Preserves authentic monochrome & sepia chemistry without alteration
Eliminates cracks, creases, and emulsion flaking across faces and clothing
Zero synthetic or interpreted color applied
Restored and colorized vintage photograph with natural colors
Archival Color
Mode // 02Living Memory

Restore & Colorize

Repairs all physical surface damage and synthesizes natural, period-appropriate skin tones, clothing dyes, and environmental warmth. Ideal for bringing passed generations closer to young family members.

Rebalances faded chemical dyes and lifts deep shadow contrast
Context-aware skin, eye, hair, and garment palette synthesis
Reviewable side-by-side with slider before downloading

Pre-Scan Best Practices

Higher-resolution source scans provide significantly more genuine facial detail for the reconstruction model.

  • Flatbed scanner: 300+ DPI uncompressed TIFF or high-quality JPG yields optimal clarity.
  • Smartphone capture: Shoot flat in natural window daylight with no harsh overhead glare.
  • Frame removal: Remove photos from glass frames to eliminate reflection hot spots.
  • Avoid compression: Never upload screenshots or images re-saved from messaging apps.

When Physical Conservation is Required

BringBack creates a restored digital file. Certain rare physical prints require an accredited conservator.

  • Fragile museum artifacts: Flaking emulsion requiring chemical stabilization by a conservator.
  • Legal & forensic evidence: Court proceedings requiring chain of custody and zero interpretation.
  • Destroyed structural regions: Photos where over 80% of facial structure is missing entirely.
  • Original physical prints: When you need the paper artifact itself repaired, rather than a digital scan.
Each photo restoration costs 1 credit, regardless of whether you choose Restore Only or Restore & Colorize. Credits never expire.
View restoration pricing & guarantee
// Every tool //

One archive for the whole family, priced per photo.

Credits work across every tool and never expire. You always see the cost before you start.
// Gentle Motion for Family Photos //

Watch them blink, smile and look at you once more.

Nine gentle animation styles, from a slow blink to a small wave. Each clip lasts a few seconds and stays close to the photo, so it still feels like them.
Warm Gaze
Smile + Look Around
Gentle Smile
Subtle Blink + Head Tilt
Smile + Wave

Restored first, then animated

The large clip is the couple from the top of this page, restored and then animated with Warm Gaze. Restore a damaged photo before you animate it and the faces come out clearest. Clips are silent and a few seconds long.

10 credits per animation.
Explore photo animation
// Pricing //

Pay once. No monthly subscription.

Restoring a photo costs 1 credit, a family portrait 2, an animation 10. Credits never expire.

Restoration Starter

One-time payment

$4.99one-time

Low-risk way to restore a few important photos. Not enough credits for animation or hug video.

  • Up to 4 photo restorations
  • OR up to 2 studio family portraits
  • OR up to 2 add/remove person edits
  • Does not include animation or hug video
  • High-resolution master downloads
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

4 credits$1.25 each

Restores up to 4 photos. Credits never expire.

Start with restorations

Value Pack

Most Popular

$9.99one-time

Enough credits for restorations plus animation or family reunions.

  • Up to 20 photo restorations
  • OR up to 2 photo animations
  • OR up to 10 studio family portraits
  • OR up to 10 add/remove person edits
  • Full animation & reunion unlock
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

20 credits$0.50 each

Best value for photo restoration + realistic animation.

Bring memories to life

Family Pack

Best Value

$21.99one-time

For whole albums and multi-person projects.

  • Up to 60 photo restorations
  • OR up to 6 photo animations
  • OR up to 30 studio family portraits
  • OR up to 30 add/remove person edits
  • OR up to 3 Nostalgic Hug videos
  • Lowest price per credit
  • 30-day money-back guarantee

60 credits$0.37 each

Best value for whole albums and multi-person projects.

Preserve family history
30-day money-back guarantee · Credits never expire · No subscription
// Compare approaches //

Choose the restoration approach that fits.

AI, manual restoration, and basic editors solve different problems. Use the level of control your photograph actually needs.

BringBack

Automated AI archival restoration
Recommended
Best Fit
Common digital repairs
Media Handling
Stored in My Media
Turnaround Time
Generated after upload
Cost Per Photo
1 credit
Photo Animation
Separate 10-credit tool
High-Res Output
Depends on the source
Ease of Use
Choose mode and review
// Bottom lineFast, reviewable workflow
1 credit per photo restoration. Review facial and texture detail before downloading.Credits never expire
// FAQ //

Questions about restoring your family photos.

Everything you need to know about AI photo restoration and how BringBack works.

BringBack can reduce some water marks, ink stains, and mold spots when enough surrounding detail remains. Opaque damage may hide information that cannot be recovered, so the model may reconstruct a plausible replacement that should be compared with the original.

The tool can add definition to a soft face, but strong blur or a very small face gives it less reliable information. Reconstructed eyes, teeth, skin texture, and other details may differ from the person you remember.

Scan torn pieces flat and as close to their original alignment as possible. The model uses surrounding shapes and texture to reduce cracks and fill gaps, but large missing areas may need a manual restoration specialist.

Yes. Choose restore and colorize when you want damage repair plus interpreted color, or choose restore-only to retain black-and-white, sepia, or the source photo's existing color treatment.

We process uploads to deliver the feature you requested (restore, animate, reunite, etc.). Generated media is stored in your account so you can download it later; you can delete media anytime from My Media. Third-party processors (hosting, payments, AI inference) handle data only as needed to run the service. See our Privacy Policy for processors and retention details.

Yes. Use restore-only to keep the original black-and-white, sepia, or color character. Colorize only when you explicitly want color — AI color is an interpretation, not historical proof of original dyes.

When facial detail is missing, damaged, or very low resolution, AI may reconstruct plausible features rather than recover the exact original face. Always compare the result to the original before sharing or printing.

One restoration uses 1 credit. The Restoration Starter pack is $4.99 for 4 credits. Credits never expire. Failed generations that the system can detect may be refunded automatically.

A flat scan or a well-lit phone scan on a dark surface works well. Avoid glare from glass frames when you can. Higher detail helps, but we do not require a specific DPI claim — upload the clearest file you have.

Many restorations print well at common sizes (for example 4×6 or 5×7). Output quality depends on the input resolution and damage. Check the downloaded pixel dimensions before ordering large prints.

Yes. Restoring first usually improves faces for animation. Animation costs 10 credits (not covered by the 4-credit Starter pack alone).
// Start with one print //

Every photo in the shoebox can come back.

Restoring a photo costs 1 credit, credits never expire, and you see the result beside the original before you download.
Restore a photoSee credit packs
  • A creased 1950s portrait of a couple, restored
  • A 1962 family photo at home, restored in colour
  • A faded family photo on a porch, restored