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Old Photo Restoration AI

Lovino's old photo restoration AI repairs scratches, creases, tears and fading in a scanned or photographed old photo. Auto mode costs 2 credits and works on the 3 free daily credits. The Pro engines, on paid credits, can also add natural colour to a black-and-white photo.

Try Old Photo Restoration AI

2 credits per photo · Auto works on the free daily credits (1 run a day) · Pro engines use paid credits

  • The repaired photo: a woman with curly hair sips from a cup while holding a phone, with no creases left
  • A sepia photo of a woman holding a cup and phone, covered in creases, scratches and dust
  • The same black and white photo with the scratches removed and the face kept
  • A scratched black and white photo of a young man in a denim jacket in a park
  • A young man in a denim jacket in a park, restored and colourised from a black and white photo
  • The repaired portrait of the smiling woman with the torn corners filled in

What is Old Photo Restoration AI?

Old photo restoration AI takes a damaged print and returns a cleaner copy. You add a scan or a phone photo, choose Auto or a Pro engine in the Old photo mode of Photo Enhancer, and Lovino repairs the damage in one run while it keeps the faces. Every engine costs 2 credits, and only Auto runs on the free daily credits.

How to use Old Photo Restoration AI

Diagram: upload a scratched, creased or torn old photo and Lovino repairs it in one run, keeping the face. Auto costs 2 credits and may or may not add colour; Pro engines, on paid credits, are the ones meant to colorize. Before and after examples.
How old photo restoration works: a damaged photo in, a repaired photo out.
  1. 01

    Scan or photograph the old photo

    A flat scan works, and so does a phone photo taken in even light. Keep the whole print in frame and avoid glare.

  2. 02

    Upload it in Old photo mode

    Open Photo Enhancer, switch to Old photo mode, and add the file.

  3. 03

    Choose Auto or a Pro engine

    Auto is the default. The Pro engines, Nano Banana 2 Lite and Nano Banana 2, take optional instructions and can colorize a black-and-white photo. Every engine costs 2 credits.

  4. 04

    Generate and compare

    Lovino repairs scratches, creases and torn corners in one run and keeps the face. Check the result against the original before you save it.

Real before and after results

Every photo here is an AI-made portrait that we damaged on purpose, so no real person or family photo appears. Each repaired photo is a real Lovino result, shown next to the damaged copy that went in. Two of the three Auto runs came back in colour even though Auto is not built to colorize, so do not count on colour from Auto.

  • The repaired photo: a woman with curly hair sips from a cup while holding a phone, with no creases left
    Auto engine

    2 credits

    Auto repair removed the damage and also added colour in this run. Repaired copy of the cafe portrait.

    No prompt: the Auto engine takes only the image

  • A sepia photo of a woman holding a cup and phone, covered in creases, scratches and dust
    Damaged input

    The damaged input, made by adding wear to an AI-made portrait.

  • The same black and white photo with the scratches removed and the face kept
    Auto engine

    2 credits

    Auto repair: scratches gone, stays black and white.

    No prompt: the Auto engine takes only the image

  • A scratched black and white photo of a young man in a denim jacket in a park
    Damaged input

    The damaged input: a black and white AI-made test photo.

  • A young man in a denim jacket in a park, restored and colourised from a black and white photo
    Nano Banana 2

    2 paid credits

    Pro engine (paid credits): repairs and adds natural colour to a black and white photo. Same scratched input as the Auto result above.

    Restore this old photograph. Remove scratches, dust, creases, stains and tears, and repair torn or missing areas. Reduce blur and grain, and bring back natural contrast. Restore faded colour, and colourise a black-and-white photo with natural, realistic colours. Keep every person's face, expression, pose and clothing, and the whole composition, exactly the same. Do not add, remove or restyle anything.

  • The repaired portrait of the smiling woman with the torn corners filled in
    Auto engine

    2 credits

    Auto repair: tears filled in. This run also added colour.

    No prompt: the Auto engine takes only the image

  • A black and white portrait of a smiling woman with torn-off corners and a crease
    Damaged input

    The damaged input: torn corners and a crease on an AI-made test portrait.

Restore old photos with AI: what gets repaired

Auto is built for scratches, damage and faded colour. The Pro engines are told to remove scratches, dust, creases, stains and tears, fill in torn or missing areas, reduce blur and grain, and bring back natural contrast.

Both are told to keep the faces, expressions and poses as they are. The model has to guess what is missing from a torn corner, so a repaired area is a plausible fill, not a recovered original.

Fix a scratched photo with Auto

Auto is the quick route. It takes only the image, with no prompt, and costs 2 credits. In the scratched black-and-white example, the lines and dust are gone and the photo stays black and white. The torn-corner example had its corners filled in.

Because Auto works on the free daily credits, you can test one photo a day before you spend anything. The 3 credits cover 1 run.

Colorize an old photo with a Pro engine

If you want colour on a black-and-white photo, choose a Pro engine. It is told to colourise with natural, realistic colours while keeping the person's face, clothing and pose. The Pro example above came from the same scratched input as the Auto one.

Auto is not built to add colour. In our three Auto examples, two came back in colour and one stayed black and white, so you cannot choose the outcome on Auto.

Scan tips and what to do next

A better file in gives a better repair out.

  • Scan flat and square, or photograph the print in even light with no glare.
  • Keep the whole print in the frame, edges included, so torn corners can be repaired.
  • Save the original scan. Compare it with the result before you replace anything.
  • For a large print, run the repaired photo through the Image Upscaler afterwards.

Auto or a Pro engine

AutoPro engines
Credits22
Free daily creditsYes, 1 run a dayNo, paid credits only
Extra instructionsNo, it takes only the imageYes, optional, up to 500 characters
Colour on a black-and-white photoNot built for it. It may or may not add colourTold to add natural colour
EnginesA repair model built for damageNano Banana 2 Lite or Nano Banana 2

What Lovino does and does not do

Lovino doesLovino does not
DamageRemoves scratches, creases and stains, and fills torn cornersRecover detail that is not in your scan
FacesAsks the model to keep faces, expressions and clothingGuarantee a likeness: always compare with the original
ColourAdds natural colour with a Pro engine, on paid creditsKnow the true colours: they are a realistic guess
SizeReturns one repaired photo per runEnlarge the photo: use the Image Upscaler for that

What it can't do

  • Repaired areas are a guess. The model invents detail where the print is torn or missing, so check faces and fine detail against the original.
  • Colours added to a black-and-white photo are plausible, not true to the day it was taken.
  • Auto does not promise colour. Only the Pro engines are told to colorize, and they use paid credits.
  • Heavy damage, tiny faces and very blurry prints can give weaker results. Run it again or try a Pro engine.
  • It processes one photo per run and does not enlarge it.

Start free. Scale anytime.

One credit system across Studio, Flow and every tool. Cancel anytime.

Save 20% on yearly plans
PlanPer monthCredits
Free$03 credits per day
Plus$7.9950 credits per month
Pro$19.99200 credits per month
Max$44.99500 credits per month
See pricing

Questions, answered.

Is old photo restoration AI free?

Partly. Auto costs 2 credits and works on the 3 free daily credits, which cover 1 run a day. The Pro engines cost 2 credits too but use paid credits only. Credits come from a paid plan or a credit pack. Plans start at $7.99 a month, and a starter pack is $2.99 for 15 credits.

Can AI colorize an old black-and-white photo?

Yes, with a Pro engine on paid credits. It is told to add natural, realistic colour and keep the face and clothing. The colours are a guess, not a record. Auto is not built to colorize and may or may not add colour.

What damage can it fix?

Scratches, dust, creases, stains, tears, fading, blur and grain. Torn or missing areas are filled in with a plausible guess.

Will it keep the faces the same?

It is told to keep every face, expression, pose and piece of clothing. A repair is still AI-made, so check a family photo closely against the original before you rely on it.

What is the difference between Auto and Pro?

Auto takes only the image and runs on free credits. A Pro engine takes optional instructions of up to 500 characters, is told to colorize black-and-white photos, and needs paid credits. Both cost 2 credits.

How do I scan an old photo for restoration?

Scan the print flat at a decent resolution, or photograph it in even light with no glare and the whole print in frame. Both scans and phone photos work.

Can it make my old photo bigger or sharper?

The Pro engines are told to reduce blur and grain, but no engine enlarges the photo. For a bigger file, run the repaired photo through the Image Upscaler.

Does it work on faded colour photos?

Yes. Auto is built for scratches, damage and faded colour, and the Pro engines are told to restore faded colour as well as repair damage. Results depend on how much colour is left in the print.

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Ready to try Old Photo Restoration AI?

2 credits per photo · Auto works on the free daily credits (1 run a day) · Pro engines use paid credits. No purchase is made until you confirm a generation.

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