How to Restore Old Damaged Photos: Guide for 2026

Old photos fade, tear, and deteriorate over time. But you can bring them back to life using modern restoration techniques. This guide shows you exactly how to restore damaged photographs yourself or choose the right professional service.

Quick answer: Photo restoration involves scanning damaged photos at high resolution, then using digital tools to repair tears, remove stains, fix fading, and restore missing portions. You can do basic restoration yourself with free software or hire professionals for severely damaged images.

Understanding Photo Damage Types

Before you start restoration, identify what you’re dealing with.

Physical damage includes:

• Tears and creases
• Water damage and stains
• Mold spots
• Scratches on the surface
• Missing corners or sections
• Bent or warped photos

Chemical deterioration shows up as:

• Fading colors or yellowing
• Loss of contrast
• Emulsion peeling
• Discoloration patches
• Silver mirroring on black and white photos

Different damage types need different approaches. A simple faded photo takes minutes to fix. A torn photo with missing pieces requires advanced techniques.

DIY Photo Restoration: Step by Step

What You Need

Hardware:

• Flatbed scanner (600 dpi minimum, 1200 dpi better)
• Computer with decent processor
• External hard drive for backups

Software options:

• GIMP (free, works on Windows/Mac/Linux)
• Photopea (free, browser based)
• Adobe Photoshop (paid, industry standard)
• Affinity Photo (one time purchase, good alternative)

Cotton gloves help when handling fragile originals. Never clean old photos with water or household cleaners before scanning.

Scanning Your Photo Correctly

This step determines your restoration quality.

Set your scanner to at least 600 dpi. For photos smaller than 4×6 inches, use 1200 dpi. Higher resolution gives you more detail to work with.

Scanning settings:

• Color mode: RGB color (even for black and white photos)
• File format: TIFF or PNG (not JPEG for archival)
• Bit depth: 16 bit if available

Place the photo face down on the scanner glass. Don’t press down hard on damaged photos. If the photo is curled, let the scanner lid rest gently on it.

Clean the scanner glass with a microfiber cloth before each scan. Dust shows up clearly in your digital file.

Save your raw scan immediately. Never work directly on this file. Make copies for restoration work.

Basic Restoration Techniques

Start with these fundamental fixes that handle 80% of common problems.

Removing dust and scratches:

Open your scanned image in GIMP or Photoshop. Duplicate the background layer so you always have an original to reference.

Use the Healing Brush or Clone Stamp tool. The Healing Brush works better for small spots because it blends automatically. Sample a clean area near the damage, then paint over the spot.

For scratches, sample texture from alongside the scratch. Work in small sections. Zoom in to 100% or 200% view.

Fixing fading and color correction:

Adjust Levels first (Image > Adjustments > Levels). Move the black and white input sliders toward the center of the histogram. This restores lost contrast.

For color photos, adjust each color channel separately if one color has faded more. Old photos often lose red and cyan disproportionately.

Use Curves for more precise control. According to NARA’s photo preservation guidelines, proper tonal adjustment is the foundation of restoration work.

Removing stains and discoloration:

Create a new layer. Set it to Color blend mode. Sample a clean color from near the stain using the eyedropper. Paint over the stain with a soft brush at 20-30% opacity.

For yellow age stains, desaturate that specific color. Use Select > Color Range to select yellowish areas, then reduce saturation.

Advanced Restoration for Severe Damage

Repairing tears and rips:

Tears need the Clone Stamp tool with careful attention to detail. Work on edges first to align both sides of the tear.

Sample from one side of the tear, then clone to fill the gap. Match the texture and pattern. Tears through faces or important details need patience. Work in 10 minute sessions to stay focused.

For visible white tear lines after alignment, use the Healing Brush to blend them out.

Reconstructing missing sections:

Small missing corners can be extended from surrounding areas. Use Content Aware Fill in Photoshop or the Resynthesizer plugin in GIMP.

Larger missing sections need creative reconstruction. Mirror flip similar areas from the opposite side if symmetry exists. For backgrounds, clone similar texture.

Missing faces or unique details may need a professional. Some reconstruction becomes artistic interpretation rather than true restoration.

Fixing bent or warped photos:

Scan warped photos in sections if they won’t lie flat. Use the Transform tools to align and straighten sections.

Photoshop’s Adaptive Wide Angle filter helps with curved distortions. In GIMP, use the Perspective tool carefully.

Physical flattening works for some warped photos. Place between acid free paper under heavy books for weeks. Only attempt with stable photos, not brittle ones.

Professional Restoration Services

Some damage exceeds DIY capabilities or time investment.

When to Hire a Professional

Consider professional restoration for:

• Photos with major sections missing (over 30% of image)
• Severely moldy or water damaged photos
• Historical photos requiring archival standards
• Photos with significant sentimental value
• Multiple photos needing consistent restoration
• Daguerreotypes, tintypes, or other specialized formats

Professionals have advanced tools and years of experience reconstructing difficult damage.

Choosing a Restoration Service

What to look for:

Ask for before and after samples. Real samples, not stock photos. The quality should be consistent across different damage types.

Check their process. Good services scan at professional resolution, work in layers, and provide both corrected digital files and the original scan.

Get pricing upfront. Most charge per photo based on damage level. Basic restoration runs $25 to $75. Complex work costs $100 to $300 per photo.

Verify they return your originals safely. Insured shipping both ways protects irreplaceable photos.

Red flags:

• No physical address or phone number
• Suspiciously cheap prices
• No sample work shown
• Rush pressure to commit
• Poor communication response time

Top Services in 2026

Memory Fortress specializes in severe damage and historical photos. Higher priced but exceptional quality.

EverPresent offers tiered pricing for different restoration levels. Good for multiple photos at varied damage levels.

Nations Photo Lab provides basic restoration bundled with printing services. Cost effective for simpler fixes.

Local camera shops often have restoration services or partnerships. Supporting local businesses builds relationships for future work.

Check current reviews before selecting any service. Quality can change with staff turnover.

Preserving Photos After Restoration

Restoration means nothing if you lose the results.

Digital preservation:

Follow the 3-2-1 backup rule. Keep three copies on two different media types with one offsite.

Use external hard drives plus cloud storage. Google Photos, Dropbox, and dedicated photo services work. Don’t rely solely on cloud services as terms change.

Save files as TIFF or PNG for archival quality. These formats don’t lose quality over time. Create JPEG copies for sharing but keep master files in lossless formats.

Name files clearly: “Grandma_Wedding_1952_restored.tif” beats “IMG_0001.tif”. Include dates and subjects.

Physical print preservation:

Print restored photos on archival quality paper using pigment inks. Dye inks fade faster.

Store prints in acid free sleeves and boxes. PET (polyester) sleeves are best for long term storage.

Keep photos away from direct sunlight, humidity, and temperature extremes. Basements and attics are terrible storage locations.

According to the Library of Congress preservation recommendations, ideal storage conditions are 65-70°F with 30-40% relative humidity.

Software Comparison Table

Software	Cost	Best For	Learning Curve	Key Features
GIMP	Free	Budget conscious users	Moderate	Full featured, active community
Photopea	Free	Quick browser edits	Easy	No installation needed
Adobe Photoshop	$10/month	Professional results	Steep	Industry standard, most tutorials
Affinity Photo	$70 one time	Photoshop alternative	Moderate	No subscription, powerful tools
Adobe Lightroom	$10/month	Batch processing	Easy	Great for color correction

Common Restoration Mistakes to Avoid

Over editing: Restored photos should look natural, not over processed. Resist the urge to make everything perfect. Some aging adds character.

Working on original scans: Always work on copies. Keep your raw scan untouched as backup.

Using JPEG for master files: JPEG loses quality with each save. Use PNG or TIFF for working files.

Ignoring color profiles: Set your software to sRGB color space for consistency across devices.

Skipping test prints: Colors look different on screen versus print. Do small test prints before printing large sizes.

Not saving layer files: Save your work with layers intact (PSD or XCF files). You’ll want to adjust details later.

Rushing the process: Good restoration takes time. Working tired leads to mistakes. Take breaks during long sessions.

Restoration Time Estimates

Setting realistic expectations helps planning.

Damage Level	DIY Time	Professional Time	Typical Cost
Light fading only	15-30 minutes	1-2 days turnaround	$25-40
Dust, scratches, fading	1-2 hours	3-5 days	$50-75
Tears, stains, moderate damage	3-5 hours	1-2 weeks	$75-150
Severe damage, missing sections	8+ hours	2-4 weeks	$150-300
Historical archival restoration	N/A (requires professional)	4-8 weeks	$300-500+

Your first restoration takes longer as you learn tools. By the fifth photo, your speed doubles.

Special Photo Types

Black and white photos:

Convert to grayscale mode after restoration for clean results. Working in RGB gives more control during editing.

Silver mirroring (metallic sheen on dark areas) is difficult to fix. Angle your scan to minimize glare. Multiple scans at different angles can be combined.

Color photos from 1960s-1980s:

These fade fastest. Red dye fades first, leaving cyan casts. Adjust red channel separately in Curves.

Kodachrome slides hold color better than prints. Scan slides if available instead of prints made from them.

Polaroids:

Scan quickly as the image layer can separate. Handle by edges only.

Polaroid damage often includes chemical streaks. Clone stamping from similar areas works better than color adjustment.

Sepia tone photos:

Preserve the sepia tone or convert to true black and white. Either is valid. For sepia, adjust in the red/yellow channels.

Artificially adding sepia to black and white photos is easy but wasn’t the original look. Match the restoration to the photo’s actual history.

Tools and Resources

Free learning resources:

YouTube channels like Phlearn and Piximperfect offer detailed restoration tutorials. Search for specific damage types you’re facing.

GIMP documentation provides written guides for each tool. More thorough than video tutorials for reference.

Brush and texture packs:

Free texture packs help reconstruct damaged backgrounds. Sites like Textures.com offer free tier access.

Custom brushes speed up repetitive work. Create brushes from your photo’s texture for seamless cloning.

Hardware upgrades worth considering:

Graphics tablets (like Wacom) give better control than a mouse. Entry level tablets start at $40.

Color calibration tools ensure prints match your screen. X-Rite ColorMunki costs around $120.

Multiple monitors let you view the original and restoration simultaneously.

Batch Restoration Workflow

Restoring multiple photos from the same era and condition speeds up with standardized workflow.

Organize first:

Group photos by damage type and era. Similar damage uses similar fixes.

Name and number files before starting. “Johnson_Family_1965_01” through “Johnson_Family_1965_47” keeps order clear.

Create action presets:

Record repeated adjustment sequences as actions (Photoshop) or scripts (GIMP). Apply initial dust removal and level adjustment to all photos at once.

Customize each photo after batch preset application. No two photos are identical.

Quality control process:

View every restored photo at 100% zoom. Check edges and details.

Print test copies at small size (4×6) to verify color accuracy.

Compare restored version to original. Make sure you improved it rather than just changed it.

Ethical Considerations

Restoration involves choices about authenticity.

How much restoration is appropriate?

For historical documentation, minimal intervention preserves authenticity. Remove obvious damage but keep signs of age.

For personal display, more aggressive restoration is fine. Family members want to see faces clearly, not debate historical accuracy.

Never claim heavy reconstruction as the original photo. Note significant changes if the photo has historical importance.

Adding or removing people:

Removing people from photos changes historical record. Only do this for personal family reasons, never for historical photos.

Adding people from other photos creates false memories. This crosses from restoration to fabrication.

Colorizing black and white photos:

Colorization is interpretation, not restoration. The original contained no color information.

If colorizing, research accurate colors for clothing, locations, and objects. Guessing creates historical fiction.

Note colorized photos as such. Don’t present them as original color photos.

Summary

Restoring old damaged photos preserves family history and brings memories back to life. Start with proper scanning at high resolution (at least 600 dpi). Use TIFF or PNG formats for archival quality.

Basic restoration fixes fading, dust, and scratches using free tools like GIMP or browser based Photopea. Learn the Clone Stamp and Healing Brush tools first. These handle most common damage.

Advanced restoration tackles tears, stains, and missing sections. These require patience and practice. Consider professional services for severely damaged photos or those with major sentimental value.

Always work on copies, never original scans. Save work in progress with layers intact. Back up restored files following the 3-2-1 rule: three copies on two different media with one offsite.

Expect 1-5 hours per photo for DIY restoration depending on damage severity. Professional services cost $25-300 per photo with 1-4 week turnaround.

Store both digital files and any prints in proper conditions. Control temperature, humidity, and light exposure to prevent future damage.

Start with your least important damaged photos to practice techniques. By your fifth restoration, you’ll work twice as fast with better results.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can badly damaged photos be restored?

Yes, even severely damaged photos can be restored. Professional services can reconstruct missing sections up to 40-50% of the image using advanced techniques. Photos with water damage, tears, stains, and fading are all repairable. However, completely blank or black sections with no detail cannot be recreated accurately without reference images. The more original detail remaining, the better the restoration results.

How much does professional photo restoration cost?

Professional photo restoration typically costs $25-75 for basic repairs like fading and minor scratches. Moderate damage including tears and stains runs $75-150 per photo. Severely damaged photos requiring extensive reconstruction cost $150-300. Historical archival restoration reaches $300-500 or more. Prices vary by service provider and damage complexity. Many services offer bulk discounts for restoring multiple photos from the same collection.

What resolution should I scan old photos at?

Scan old photos at minimum 600 dpi for standard restoration work. Use 1200 dpi for photos smaller than 4×6 inches or if you plan to print enlargements. Higher resolution captures more detail for restoration but creates larger file sizes. For archival purposes, 1200-2400 dpi is standard. Save scans as TIFF or PNG files rather than JPEG to preserve maximum quality without compression artifacts.

Is it better to restore photos myself or hire someone?

Restore photos yourself if damage is minor (fading, dust, light scratches) and you have time to learn basic software tools. DIY costs only time and potentially software subscriptions. Hire professionals for severely damaged photos, historical images requiring archival standards, or when you lack time to learn restoration techniques. Professional work ensures consistent quality across multiple photos and handles complex damage like major tears or missing sections better than beginners.

How do I remove yellow stains from old photos?

Remove yellow age stains by adjusting color channels in photo editing software. Open the image in GIMP or Photoshop, then use Curves or Levels to reduce the yellow/red channels while maintaining proper exposure. For localized stains, create a new layer set to Color blend mode, sample clean tones nearby, and paint over stained areas at low opacity. The Hue/Saturation tool also works by selecting yellow tones specifically and reducing their saturation. Test adjustments on a copy before applying to your master file.