Restore old photographs without changing the people in them
The AI photo restoration tool repairs the damage that time has done to a scanned or photographed old print, including scratches, tears, creases, stains, fading and noise, and sharpens soft detail. With colour turned on, a black-and-white photo receives natural, period-appropriate colours. With colour turned off, the photo stays in black and white.
Faces and identities are preserved
Restoration should not alter the people in a photo. The tool is instructed to keep every person's face, age, expression, hair and clothing exactly as they are, without beautifying or slimming anyone, and to keep the original composition and photographic character.
Colour is optional
Colour is on by default and adds natural colours that fit the era of the photo. It can be switched off for a cleaner black-and-white print. The colours are the AI's best interpretation. They are plausible, but not a record of what people actually wore.
Preparing a good scan
The best available copy should be used. Prints should be scanned flat at a high resolution, or photographed in even daylight without glare or reflections. A sharper source gives the restoration more to work with.
Photos suited to restoration
Family portraits
Wedding photos, school pictures and portraits that have cracked, faded or yellowed can be repaired.
Places and history
Old pictures of a hometown, a house or an event can be cleaned up for a family album, a local history page or a talk.
Colour for black and white
An old black-and-white photo can be shown in natural colour, with skin, clothes and backgrounds coloured to suit the period.
How to restore an old photo
Scan or photograph the print
Upload a JPG, PNG or WebP of the photo, as flat and evenly lit as possible.
Choose colour and add details
Keep “Add colour” on to colorize, or turn it off to keep the photo monochrome. Details that are hard to see but known, such as the colour of a dress or a car, can be entered in the box.
Generate
Check the credits shown on the button, then generate the restored photo.
Compare and save
Switch between the restored version and the original, download it, and find it in History later.
How credits work for photo restoration
A restoration is one high-quality AI generation, priced by the selected resolution, with one price per image.
Before you click, the Generate button shows how many credits this run costs. Automatic settings are priced at the most expensive possible tier. A successful generation is charged exactly the quoted credits. Failures caused by us or blocked by our content checks cost nothing. If the generation service does not charge for a failure, neither do we. If it does, you pay for the actual usage, capped at the quote, and the record shows the charge.
If a restoration fails, the result area shows the reason and whether anything was charged. When the failure is on our side or our content check blocks the photo, no credits are taken.
Restoration is one of the AI tools included with every credit pack. They remain available for as long as the paid credits are valid.
See credit packs and pricingFrequently asked questions
Need more information? Email us at support@arumi.ai.
Will restoration change the faces in the photo?
The tool is instructed to keep every face, age, expression, hairstyle and outfit exactly as they are and not to beautify anyone. The result should be compared with the original, especially on small or badly damaged faces.
Can the photo stay black and white?
Yes. With “Add colour” switched off, the photo is repaired and sharpened but stays black and white.
Are the colours accurate?
They are natural, period-appropriate colours chosen by the AI. They look plausible, but the real colour of a dress or a car cannot be known from a black-and-white picture.
What damage can be repaired?
Scratches, small tears, creases, stains, fading, noise and softness. Missing pieces of a face or a large torn-off corner are much harder, because the AI has to invent what is missing.
How much does a restoration cost?
Credits depend on the selected resolution, with one price per image. The price appears on Generate before it is clicked, and this page shows examples at today's prices.
Can I choose the resolution?
Yes. Match photo is selected first, and 1K, 2K or 4K can be chosen instead. Match photo uses the smallest of 1K, 2K and 4K that holds as many pixels as the photo, so no detail is lost. The result follows the shape of the photo, and the credits on Generate change with the selected resolution.
Restore a photo
Upload a scan at the top of this page and check the credits before generating.