How to Fix Old Photos in Photoshop for Great Results

Photos filled with precious memories are often stored in the depths of basements or in boxes in the attic. These are old images printed on cheap photo paper, which are guaranteed to become covered with cracks, creases, and stains over time.

At this point, there are two options: consign the photo to oblivion or seek the help of a digital photo specialist who, for a hefty fee, will help you get rid of the signs of aging. Fortunately, new technologies offer alternative solutions: you can restore, retouch, or even colorize an image using the latest features in Adobe Photoshop.

Don’t feel like reading the whole breakdown right now? Here’s a tighter, more practical summary of what actually changed.

Key Takeaways

• A clean scan is half the restoration. Use gloves, wipe the scanner glass, remove dust gently (microfiber or compressed air), and never try to flatten creases with water or heat.

• Start non-destructively. Open the scan, duplicate the layer, and do all restoration on the copy so you can always compare against the untouched original.

• Neural Filters are the fast first pass, especially the Photo Restoration filter. Keep the strength controlled, because it can over-darken tones or erase real details like buttons and fabric marks.

• Healing tools finish the job, with two roles: Healing Brush when you want control over the sampled area, Spot Healing when you want speed and are okay with Photoshop choosing the texture source.

• Colourisation has two practical routes. Manual overlay-based colouring gives the most accurate control; AI colourisation is faster, then you refine saturation, balance, and exposure afterward.

• Detail recovery needs targeted sharpening and upscaling. Use Super Zoom for small scans, Smart Sharpen for eyes/hair/fabric, and Camera Raw sharpening when auto-scratch removal softens the image.

• Export smartly for the future. Save a layered PSD for revisions, then export a JPG for sharing/printing, or store a cloud document if you want easy access across devices.

Final Verdict: The best results come from a staged process—scan clean, let AI handle the heavy damage first, then manually repair what it misses, and only then sharpen, colourise, and export with layers preserved.

Preparing Your Old Photo for Restoration 

Photo restoration is done using online editors, so you need to prepare the physical photo before scanning it. If you don't want to go to a specialized photo lab, you can do it yourself if you have a flatbed scanner.

Below is a plan of action for home scanning:

1. Prepare everything needed. You will need gloves, a clean microfiber cloth, or a handkerchief for cleaning. Also, install the software for your scanner and check that it is working properly in advance.

2. Decide on the quantity. If you need to scan dozens of photos, it is better to do several batches of 5 at a time. The likelihood of making a mistake in such conditions is lower, and it will be more convenient to work with the files when transferring them to a digital editor.

3. Wipe the scanner. The good quality of the original image accounts for 50% of the success of the future restoration. Therefore, before you start scanning, make sure that there is no dust, stains, or greasy fingerprints on the surface of the tablet.

4. Start cleaning. Gently brush the dust off the photo with the same napkin or brush. If the photo looks stable enough, you can use compressed air to speed up the process.

5. Scan the photo. Carefully place the photos on the scanner, wearing medical gloves. Greasy fingerprints on the photo will interfere with future editing, so it is essential to use hand protection.

Physical creases in the image should not be smoothed out with water or an iron, as this can cause irreversible damage. Leave imperfections for later stages of restoration, where artificial intelligence algorithms will deal with them.

Essential Photoshop Tools for Photo Repair 

The basis of Photoshop photo restoration is built on a combination of a neural filter and spot editing tools. Artificial intelligence processes the scene, removing surface details and clearing the way for careful manual intervention.

Applying the Restore Photo Filter Effectively 

Before you start editing, open the digital image you received in Photoshop, then create a duplicate layer. All further editing will be done on the copy, so the original file will remain unchanged.

To start processing the image using AI, select the duplicate layer, find the “Filter” section, and select “Neural Filters.” The menu that appears will display all the artificial intelligence filters available for your version of Photoshop.

Move the slider next to “Photo Restoration” to adjust the effect for a specific image. Depending on the color of the original file, applying filters may change the sepia to a more neutral black and white version. Make sure that the darkening is not too strong, as this may affect the coloring stage of the image.

The filter has a considerable impact on the content of the image, which is why some prominent details, such as shiny buttons or black marks on clothing, may be automatically removed. For a smoother automatic change, consider alternatives to Photoshop.

Using the Healing Brush and Spot Healing Tools

If damage or inaccuracies remain in the image after applying filters, using tools to make local corrections is what you need. Using the Healing Brush tool in the process of photo restoration in Photoshop enables you to remove minor damage in a matter of seconds.

Regardless of the potential benefits of this tool, it should be used with caution: it works by copying surrounding pixels, so the slightest carelessness can result in two scratches instead of one. In this case, the user selects the area to be copied.

The Spot Healing Brush tool offers almost the same functionality, but with automated texture selection. The algorithm itself determines where it is best to borrow pixels from, so the user can simply watch as damage and physical creases disappear into the new background of the image. The only drawback is the lack of full control over the process.

Techniques for Colorizing Black and White Photos

Most old images are sepia-toned or black-and-white, which makes it difficult to see facial features and individual details of the scene. There are two ways to change this by adding vivid, saturated colors:

1. Using the overlay mode. A lengthy process of manual coloring, in which each element of the image must be processed separately. This makes it possible to achieve the most accurate color reproduction.

2. Applying a neurofilter. An algorithm based on artificial intelligence will automatically add color to the frame. The user only needs to adjust the saturation, color balance, and exposure.

The most optimal option in terms of speed and accuracy for old photo restoration Photoshop with color restoration is to first process the image using AI, and then manually change the color using the layer system. 

After coloring, blurred or overexposed areas may appear in the photo. Use the “healing brush” tool to remove them. You can improve the display settings by adjusting the brightness and contrast sliders, but you can only get rid of such spots in manual mode or by using more powerful AI tools such as Luminar.

Enhancing Details and Fixing Damaged Areas

If the original image you are editing has other flaws, the tools listed above may not be enough to completely eliminate the effects of aging. The solution to such situations can be found in other tabs of the Photoshop interface. If the photo is too small for restoration or export, use the “Super Zoom” neural filter to increase the magnification while preserving the quality of the details.

The Smart Sharpen filter will emphasize the eyes, hair, and fabric texture if they appear blurred after restoration. And the “Sharpness setting” in the “Camera Raw Filter” tool will reveal other details that have been affected by automatic scratch removal.

Integration with the Luminar Neo plugin for Photoshop lets you use the “Face AI” and “Skin” AI features to comprehensively improve faces in images. Competent composition of the listed tools, as well as unhurried restoration using local changes, will help you achieve a level of quality for your photo that is indistinguishable from modern images. 

Exporting and Saving Your Restored Image 

By default, files processed in Photoshop are saved in PSD format, even if the original image had a different resolution. To convert the document back into an image, go to the File menu, select Save As, and choose JPG in the bottom row.

If you plan to return to editing this image in the future, it makes sense to save it a second time as a Photoshop file. This way, you will “preserve” the layers you have created, leaving yourself the option to return and change them at any time later.

Another option for saving the restored image is to send it to the cloud. To do this, select “Save as Cloud Document” from the “File” menu, and the image will be automatically added to the Adobe server.

Tips for Achieving High-Quality Prints from Restored Photos

Photoshop expert and instructor Jesus Ramirez insists that a digital pen and graphics tablet are essential for getting the most out of Adobe's restoration tools. The logic is that a pen makes it easier to create natural strokes when making local edits.

Ramirez adds that if you don't have the right equipment on hand, it's better to reduce the brush size and make many small strokes than to paint over a large area with a fill. This way, you can achieve a highly organic color transition, making the colored photo indistinguishable from a full-color one.

To be able to undo or completely hide the changes made with strokes, you need to create multiple separate layers during restoration. Yes, this can interfere with navigation, but by sacrificing convenience, the user gains maximum flexibility for adjusting the image.

When you find that Adobe's algorithms aren’t powerful enough to automatically restore a photo, don't torture them. It's better to use Luminar Neo's scratch and blemish remover tool. The specialized Photo Restoration AI module, which appeared in recent updates, offers three processing options: comprehensive restoration, crack and dust removal, and realistic colorization of black-and-white photos. In just a few clicks, a hopeless old photo can be transformed into a scene that you won't be ashamed to post on social media.

Effective Recovery of Precious Images

The latest technologies have declared war on the effects of time, making it possible to preserve the beauty of vintage photographs for decades to come. The use of AI algorithms combined with manual editing tools removes 99% of scratches, stains, and creases, restoring old photos to their original pristine condition.