Updated Oct 4, 2026
The short answer
To restore old photos with AI, add the photo (or a phone picture of the print), tap Restore and wait about 20 seconds: the old photo restoration removes scratches, cracks, dust and stains, fixes fading and blur, and colorizes black-and-white or sepia pictures with natural colors, while keeping every face and pose as it was. It is free for 3 photos a day after signing in, and the restored photo downloads at no cost. Afterwards the same photo can go into a short video: Bring to Life makes the person blink, smile and look at the camera, and with a second photo the two of you can share a hug or a slow dance (videos use credits).
Old photo restoration in about 20 seconds
Every family has them: a wedding picture gone yellow, a grandparent's portrait with a crease across the face, a box of black-and-white snapshots nobody has looked at in years. Restoring old photos used to mean a scanner, hours of retouching or paying a studio per picture. Here the AI photo restoration does it from one photo: add it, tap Restore, and it comes back sharp, clean and in natural color, with every face kept exactly as it was.
How to restore old photos free
- Add the old photo. A digital copy, or a phone picture of the print taken flat, in daylight, without flash.
- Tap Restore photo. Sign in once (it takes a tap with Google); the restoration takes about 20 seconds.
- Compare and download. Drag across the photo to see before and after, then download the restored version. You can restore 3 photos a day for free.
What the AI photo restoration fixes
- Damage: scratches, cracks, creases, dust, stains and small tears.
- Age: fading, a yellow or sepia cast, washed-out contrast.
- Softness: blur and grain, so faces look sharp again.
- Color: black-and-white and sepia photos are colorized with natural skin, hair, clothes and backgrounds.
- What it keeps: the people. Faces, expressions, poses and clothes stay as they were, only restored.
After restoring: bring old photos to life
A restored photo is a start. Under the result, three buttons take it into the video maker on this page:
- Make it move. The Bring to Life effect (animate old photos): the person in the photo blinks, smiles softly, tilts their head and looks at the camera.
- Hug them. Add a photo of yourself and the two of you share a gentle hug, the same as the memorial hug for a loved one who has passed away.
- Dance together. Add your photo for a slow dance, like a father-daughter dance at a wedding.
The videos take a few minutes and use credits; the restoration itself stays free.
Tips for restoring old photos
- Photograph the print well. Flat, in daylight, straight from above, no flash, no glare: the restoration can only work with what the camera sees.
- One person per photo works best for videos. For a hug or a dance, crop each person from a group picture.
- Restore before you animate. A sharp, colorized photo gives a far more lifelike video than a faded one.
- Keep the original. The restored copy is a new file; your original photo is not changed.
More ways to remember someone
Make a gentle AI hug with a deceased loved one, a warm AI hug with anyone close to you, or see all AI video effects.