What is the best AI tool to restore old photos?
What is the best AI tool to restore old photos?
Updated October 23, 2026 · By Tyler Bennett
The best AI tool to restore old photos depends on what the photo needs: MyHeritage for family archives, with tools to enhance, colorize and animate faces, Topaz Photo for a desktop workflow with dust and scratch removal and face recovery, and Sloosh for a one-step repair, where its Restore an Old Photo Space fixes tears, creases, stains, fading and colour casts and can colourise the result for 1.79 credits a run (Sloosh, Oct 2026). For any tool, compare the result with the original before you share it.
Quick picks by use case
- A family archive in one place: MyHeritage, with Photo Enhancer, In Color and Deep Nostalgia.
- Many scans, full control, on your own computer: Topaz Photo, a desktop app for Mac and Windows.
- One damaged print, fixed in one step: Sloosh Restore an Old Photo.
- Heavy damage, with extra photos of the same people for likeness: Sloosh Vintage Photo Restorer and Reveal.
- A restored photo that moves: Sloosh Still Life or MyHeritage Deep Nostalgia.
- A larger file for printing: Sloosh Image Upscaler or Topaz Photo's upscale.
What does a good photo restoration need?
A good restoration repairs the damage and keeps every face exactly as it was. The checklist below works with any tool.
- A good scan. Scan the print flat, or photograph it straight on in even light with no glare. The tool cannot recover detail the scan missed.
- Repair before colour. Fix tears, creases, scratches and stains first, then decide on colour.
- Faces unchanged. AI can "improve" a face into someone else. Check eyes, mouths and small faces in group photos against the original.
- Honest colour. AI colourisation is an estimate. Clothes, eyes and hair colour may be wrong, so ask a relative who remembers.
- Keep the original. Save the untouched scan next to the restored copy, and label which is which.
- Enough resolution to print. Upscale only after the repair, or the tool will sharpen the damage too.
[old print] -> [scan flat, even light]
|
v
[repair: tears, creases, stains, fading]
| |
v v
keep black and white colourise (estimate)
| |
+---------+----------+
v
[compare faces with original] -> [upscale]
|
v
[print or share] (optional: animate)
The photo restoration order: scan, repair, colour, check faces, then upscale.
How we compared
We read each vendor's own product pages on October 23, 2026 and recorded what each says about repair, colour, animation, platform and price. We did not run the same photo through every tool. Several vendor pages did not state free limits, and the table says so.
AI photo restoration tools compared
| Tool | Repair | Colour | Animate | Platform | Price stated | Checked on |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MyHeritage | Photo Enhancer | In Color | Deep Nostalgia | Web | Not stated on the pages read | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Topaz Photo | Dust and scratch, Recover Faces, denoise, sharpen | Balance Color | Not listed | Mac and Windows desktop | From $199 a year (Personal) | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Remini | Photo enhancer | Not stated | Not stated | Web | Not stated | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Sloosh Restore an Old Photo | Tears, creases, scratches, stains, fading, colour casts | Colourise or keep B&W | No | Web | 1.79 credits a run | Oct 23, 2026 |
| Sloosh Still Life | Dust, scratches, tears, fading | Colour or B&W | 4 or 8 s video | Web | 9.95 credits a run | Oct 23, 2026 |
MyHeritage
MyHeritage groups its photo tools for family history. Photo Enhancer uses deep learning to enhance family photos, In Color colorizes historical photos and restores faded colours, and Deep Nostalgia animates the faces in still family photos (MyHeritage, Oct 2026).
- Best for: families building an archive alongside a family tree.
- Watch out for: the pages we read do not state free limits or which features need a Premium plan. Check before you upload a large collection.
Topaz Photo
Topaz Photo is a desktop app for Mac and Windows, usable on its own or as a plugin. For archival images it removes dust and scratches, adjusts lighting and colour, and restores sharpness, with tools including Dust & Scratch, Recover Faces, Super Focus and upscale. The Personal plan is listed at $199 a year (Topaz Labs, Oct 2026).
- Best for: photographers and archivists processing many scans with fine control.
- Watch out for: it is a subscription desktop app, which is more than a one-off family photo needs. The page we read lists no colourise or animate tool.
Remini
Remini Web describes itself as a photo enhancer and takes photo and video uploads. Its web page does not list restoration, colorization or pricing details, so check the app before you rely on it for damaged prints.
- Best for: quick enhancement of a soft or blurry photo.
Sloosh: restore, then bring it to life
Sloosh is an AI video and image studio for creators, filmmakers and brand teams. It has three Spaces for old photos, each a single form.
- Restore an Old Photo: upload a scan or a clear phone photo of a print, then choose Colourise or Keep black & white. Tears, missing corners, creases, scratches, stains, fading and colour casts are repaired, and the Space is told to keep every face, expression, hairstyle and outfit as it was. 1.79 credits a run.
- Vintage Photo Restorer and Reveal: add up to 10 more photos of the same people to help keep real facial features, pick how far to go (Gentle, Balanced or Full) and the rough era, and optionally make a before-and-after reveal video. 11.94 credits a run.
- Still Life: restores an old portrait and animates it into a 4 or 8 second video, with a motion of Gentle, Smile, Look up or Wave. 9.95 credits a run.
Watch out for: Colourise adds natural, true-to-era colour, which is an AI estimate, not a historical record. Small faces in group photos can drift, so compare the result with the original. Sloosh has no free plan; a new workspace gets 20 starter credits once.
How to restore an old photo in Sloosh
- Scan the print. Scan it flat, or photograph it straight on in even light with no glare.
- Open the Space. Go to sloosh.ai/spaces/restore-an-old-photo and sign in.
- Upload and pick colour. Choose Colourise, or Keep black & white to clean and sharpen it without adding colour.
- Press Generate. The button shows the cost, 1.79 credits, before you spend anything.
- Check the faces. Compare every face with the original, then run the result through the Image Upscaler (0.75 credits, 4x the width and height) if you want to print it large.
Frequently asked questions
Can AI restore old photos?
Yes. AI restoration tools repair tears, creases, scratches, stains and fading, and many can colourise black-and-white prints. Sloosh's Restore an Old Photo does this in one run for 1.79 credits; results still need a check against the original.
Can AI colourise a black-and-white photo accurately?
Not exactly. AI colourisation estimates plausible colours from the scene, so skin, hair, clothes and eyes may not match reality. Treat it as an interpretation and check with someone who remembers the people or place.
Will AI change the faces in my old photos?
It can. Good tools aim to keep faces unchanged, and Sloosh's Space is told to keep every face, expression, hairstyle and outfit as it was. Small faces in group photos are most at risk, so zoom in and compare.
How do I scan an old photo for AI restoration?
Use a flatbed scanner if you have one. Otherwise, lay the print flat, photograph it straight on in even daylight with no glare, and crop to the edges. A sharper input gives a better repair.
Can I animate an old photo?
Yes. MyHeritage's Deep Nostalgia animates faces in still family photos, and Sloosh's Still Life restores a portrait and animates it into a 4 or 8 second video with a gentle movement, a smile, a look up or a wave.
Is there a free AI photo restoration tool?
Some tools have free tiers, but the vendor pages we checked did not state their limits. Sloosh gives a new workspace 20 starter credits once, enough for about ten Restore an Old Photo runs.
Bottom line
For a family archive with colour and animation, MyHeritage keeps everything in one place. For many scans and fine control on your own computer, Topaz Photo fits. For a single damaged print fixed in one step, with an option to animate it afterwards, Sloosh's Restore an Old Photo and Still Life Spaces do the job for a few credits.
Restore an old photo in Sloosh