How to scan old photos before AI restoration

Check whether the print can be scanned safely

Look for brittle edges, heavy curling, loose material or a print stuck to an album page. Do not force a fragile photograph flat or pull it free just to use a scanner. An overhead camera setup or help from a photograph conservator may be more appropriate.

Use clean hands and suitable handling materials, support the print and avoid touching its image area. Never feed an irreplaceable photograph through an automatic document feeder. The scanner surface should be larger than the complete print so the lid cannot crush an overhanging edge.

Sources and further reading: National Archives

Capture the whole photograph in even light

For a stable loose print, follow the flatbed scanner’s instructions and position the image side toward the glass. Clean the scanner glass according to its manufacturer’s guidance. Do not apply household cleaning products to the photograph itself. Include the edges in the initial capture.

If you photograph a print instead, keep the camera parallel to it, use even light and avoid glare. Check the corners for focus and distortion. Take another exposure if the preview is blurred or reflective; editing cannot reliably undo every capture problem.

Sources and further reading: National Archives

Photograph a print with your phone

If a scanner is unsuitable, use the camera to make a careful copy. Support a stable print safely, keep the lens parallel to it and use even light from the sides. Start without flash and move the light or camera setup if a glossy surface reflects it. Do not force a fragile print flat or detach it from an album for a better frame.

Check the entire picture and all four corners before editing. A sharp center with soft corners can reveal a tilted camera or an unsuitable distance. Keep enough resolution for the face and fine detail, retake a blurred or reflective capture, and save an untouched master. AI restoration cannot reliably recover information that the capture never recorded.

Keep a master before making a smaller working file

Choose a scanning resolution based on the physical print, visible detail and intended output. Check a trial scan at actual pixel size. Raising a software interpolation setting is not the same as capturing additional optical detail; there is no single resolution that suits every photograph.

Retain the highest useful original scan separately, using a suitable archival format such as TIFF if your scanner supports it. AIPhotoRetouch accepts JPG, PNG and WebP, so create a compatible working copy when needed. Do not overwrite the master with a compressed export.

Prepare the working copy without erasing evidence

Rotate and crop the working copy only as needed, leaving enough context to understand the photograph. Keep inscriptions or dates in a separate reference capture if you crop them from the image. Avoid repeated screenshots and repeated JPG saves between editing steps.

Do not blur the scan before restoration in an attempt to hide scratches. Blur can remove real texture along with damage. Start with the clearest honest source and note which areas are damaged, rather than treating every speck or permanent facial mark as an error.

Restore a copy and choose color deliberately

In AIPhotoRetouch, choose Restore and review the displayed 3-credit cost. Leave colorization off to retain the existing black-and-white or color appearance. Add natural color only when you want an interpretation; inferred colors are not evidence of the original scene.

Google sign-in includes 3 welcome credits, enough for one quality edit if spent that way. Keep the scan alongside the result. A successful edit can still change a face, garment or handwritten detail, so do not treat technical completion as historical verification.

Check the result and preserve the originals

Inspect every face, meaningful mark, piece of writing and area where a scratch crossed a feature. Prefer a modest improvement to a convincing reconstruction that changes someone’s appearance. Label substantially reconstructed versions when sharing them as family history.

Keep the physical print and multiple copies of your digital master in separate storage locations. Digitizing makes access easier; it does not eliminate storage failure or replace the original. Save the restored version under a different filename so the capture remains recoverable.

Remini alternatives for old photos and natural portraits ↗

Common questions