--- title: "Photo Restoration: Repair Old and Damaged Photos | Made" description: "Restore old and damaged photos with AI. Made repairs scratches, tears, and fading from a scanned print and returns a sharpened, recovered image." url: https://www.made.app/tools/photo-restoration --- [Tools](https://www.made.app/tools) / [Enhance & fix](https://www.made.app/tools?category=enhance) / Photo Restoration # Photo Restoration Upload a scan of an old print and Made repairs scratches, tears, fading, and other damage, sharpening the image and recovering lost detail. ## How to use Photo Restoration 1. **Scan the original** Photograph or scan the print as flat and evenly lit as possible, and keep the original file. 2. **Upload the scan** Choose the JPEG, PNG, or WebP scan and note any specific damage you want addressed. 3. **Let Made restore it** The edit model repairs damage, corrects fading, and sharpens the image. 4. **Compare against the original** Check faces and important details against your scan before sharing or printing the result. ## Photo Restoration examples Real results from Made. Use a prompt to load it into the studio above, then add your own photo. ![Faded print restored to fuller color and contrast](https://www.made.app/images/use-cases/photo-restoration/faded-prints.jpg) ### Faded prints “Restore the faded colors in this old print.” ![Heirloom family photograph repaired and sharpened](https://www.made.app/images/use-cases/photo-restoration/family-heirloom.jpg) ### Family heirlooms “Restore this family photo and recover as much detail as possible.” ![Photo with scratches and tears repaired](https://www.made.app/images/use-cases/photo-restoration/scratches-tears.jpg) ### Scratches and tears “Repair the scratches and tears in this scanned photo.” ![Water-damaged photograph cleaned up and restored](https://www.made.app/images/use-cases/photo-restoration/water-damage.jpg) ### Water damage “Fix the water damage and stains on this photo.” ![Colors recovered in a discolored older photograph](https://www.made.app/images/features/photo-restoration/color-recovery.jpg) ### Color recovery “Recover the original colors of this discolored photo.” ![Damaged areas of an old photo identified and repaired](https://www.made.app/images/features/photo-restoration/damage-detection.jpg) ### Damage repair “Find and repair the damaged areas in this print.” ## What people use it for - **Family archives** Repair scanned prints of parents and grandparents before sharing them or printing new copies. - **Scratched and torn prints** Remove scratches, creases, and tears from photos that were stored loose or in old albums. - **Faded and discolored photos** Bring back contrast and color in prints that have yellowed or washed out over decades. - **Memorials and anniversaries** Prepare a clean, presentable version of an old photo for a tribute, slideshow, or framed gift. ## Restore an old or damaged photo ### What it does **Input** One JPEG, PNG, or WebP scan of the photo, plus an optional note about the damage **Output** PNG image with damage repaired, fading corrected, and detail sharpened **How it works** Made sends your scan and instruction to the Nano Banana 2 edit model on fal.ai, falling back to Google’s Nano Banana on Replicate; inputs over 1,536 pixels are downscaled first. **Access** Set up the request on this page. You sign in to run it, and each run is priced in credits before you start. ### Formats and limits **Input formats** JPEG, PNG, WebP **Output format** PNG on the primary Nano Banana 2 path **Images per request** One scan plus one text instruction **Large-input handling** Inputs over 1,536 pixels on either side are downscaled before editing **Nature of restoration** Generative — recovered detail is plausible reconstruction, not a guaranteed record; archive the original scan Checked against the running tool on 2026-09-03. ## Questions about Photo Restoration **How does AI photo restoration work?** You upload a scan of the damaged print and Made sends it, with a restoration instruction, to the Nano Banana 2 edit model on fal.ai. The model repairs scratches, tears, and fading, sharpens the image, and returns the restored version. Google’s Nano Banana on Replicate serves as the fallback provider. **Is the recovered detail authentic?** No — restoration is generative. Where the original information is destroyed, the model reconstructs detail that is plausible, not guaranteed authentic. Always archive the original scan, and treat restored faces and fine details as an interpretation rather than a historical record. **What kinds of damage can it repair?** The workflow handles common print damage: scratches, tears, creases, fading, discoloration, and general wear, along with softness from age. Mentioning the specific damage in your request helps direct the repair. **What should I upload?** One JPEG, PNG, or WebP scan per request. Scan or photograph the print flat and evenly lit, and use the least compressed file you have. Scans over 1,536 pixels on either side are downscaled before editing. **Can it colorize a black-and-white photo?** This page focuses on repair — damage, fading, and sharpness. To add color to a black-and-white print, use the Colorize Photo tool, either before or after restoring the damage. **What format is the result?** The primary Nano Banana 2 path returns the restored image as a PNG. **Should I restore first or upscale first?** Restore first. Repair the damage at the scan’s native size, then run the result through Image Upscaler if you need a larger file for printing. Try Photo Restoration [Browse every tool](https://www.made.app/tools) ## More photo fixes [See all](https://www.made.app/tools?category=enhance) ### [Photo Colorizer](https://www.made.app/tools/colorize-photo) Natural color for black-and-white photos ### [Unblur Image](https://www.made.app/tools/unblur-image) Sharpen soft and blurry photos Before After ### [Image Upscaler](https://www.made.app/tools/image-upscaler) Sharpen and enlarge up to 4× ### [Expand Image](https://www.made.app/tools/expand-image) Extend any photo past its edges ### [Background Remover](https://www.made.app/tools/background-remover) A clean transparent cutout in one step ### [Object Remover](https://www.made.app/tools/object-remover) Erase people, cars or clutter Before After ### [Edit Text](https://www.made.app/tools/edit-text) Change the words in any image ### [Text Remover](https://www.made.app/tools/remove-text) Erase captions, dates and watermarks ### [Background Changer](https://www.made.app/tools/background-changer) Put your subject in a new scene ### [Lighting Changer](https://www.made.app/tools/change-lighting) Golden hour, studio or neon light ## Related models See what each one makes, then open it in Made. [See all](https://www.made.app/models) ### [Restore Image](https://www.made.app/models/restore-image) Repair faded and damaged photos ### [Nano Banana 2](https://www.made.app/models/nano-banana-2) Fast, everyday Google image model --- Markdown version of https://www.made.app/tools/photo-restoration. Every public Made page has one at its URL plus .md (https://www.made.app/tools/photo-restoration.md). Site summary for AI assistants: https://www.made.app/llms.txt