Time paints old photos with ages, scratches, and tears. These old scratched photos can act as a forgotten connection to that past. With the photo scratch removal tools progressing further ahead these days, it is lucky that they can fix old photo damaged photos, making your timeless memories look new again. Learn here how to remove photos scratch free online.

Issues With Old Photos

Taking photos from the past, we are instantly back to moments we coveted. However, these memories often come with flaws that time has left behind:

  • Faded photo: Images are dull and some colors have faded and made the images look old.
  • Wrinkled, torn, scratched photo: Wrinkles, tears, and scratches damage the beauty of the photo. 
  • Image with the color cast: Many photos will eventually have an unnatural yellow or green tint.
  • The surface is textured: Scanning grainy or uneven surfaces makes photos look faulty.
  • Part of the photo is missing: It is often the case that photos have lost one or more edges or parts of them have been lost altogether.
  • Out-of-focus photos: Those cherished moments are blurry images, which makes it hard to relive in detail.

How to Digitize Old Damaged Photos for Restoration

If you have old photos, the first step is to digitize them so you can repair the damaged old photos and keep them on modern devices such as smartphones and computers. Converting physical photos into high-quality digital ones not only makes it so easy to fix any damage with the online photo scratch remover tools but also protects against possible loss of media in storing your treasured memories digitally. Here’s how you can digitize your old photos:

Step 1: Visit the Google Photoscan page on the App Store (for iOS) or Google Play (for Android). Download and install the Google Photoscan app.

Step 2: Open this app. Tap the ‘Start Scanning’ button.

Step 3: Put your old photo on a flat surface with good lighting and lay your camera from your phone on top of the center of your photo.

Step 4: To get the best scan quality, just follow the on-screen instructions to capture.

Step 5: Once finished reviewing the image, save it to your phone or upload it to cloud storage, like Google Photos, to get to it whenever you need.

Step 6: Now, with the digital version of your photo ready, you can efficiently fix the scratches, fading, and other damages to photos using online photo scratch remover tools.

Top 5 Old Photo Scratch Removal Online Free

There are many photo scratch remover tools available. This section shares the top 5 best tools for handling scratches removal, all with different features, to help you repair old photo scratches and restore your cherished memories to life.

AiPassportPhotos 

AiPassportPhotos is an advanced online tool that makes restoration of aged, scratched, and damaged photos easy. Its strong AI algorithms can improve the image quality automatically, get rid of scratches, tears, and spots, and colorize black and white images. If you want to protect family photo memories or colorize historical photographs, this old photo scratch removal tool is a simple way to restore your favorite photos with a few clicks.

Steps to Restore Old Photos Using AiPassportPhotos:

Step 1: Go to AiPassportPhotos photo restoration.

Step 2: Upload the picture that you want to restore.

Step 3: The AI will automatically repair the photo without manual operations.

Step 4: After processing, click the Download button at the top right to save it on your computer. 

Colorize

Colorizer is an AI-driven solution that repairs and restores old damaged photographs online free. It can easily colorize your photos and remove scratches to let you better keep it. The only downside is that the often pop-up ads are a bit annoying.

Steps to Repair Old Photos:

Step 1: Go to the platform.

Step 2: Upload your photo that you want to repair.

Step 3: Click on the Upload and Start button to start the process, and the AI will automatically do the task for you.

Step 4: After that, you can download high-quality, restored photos to preserve or share.

Hotpot.ai

Hotpot.ai is also an AI-based solution for repairing old damaged photos at high speed. It can automatically eliminate scratches, beatify, sharpen colors, and make white and black images come alive. For users with light-restoring requirements, this is an appropriate tool. However, the daily limits are only twice, so it may not be enough for heavily used users. The price is $0.02- $0.25 per image after the free trial.

Steps to Restore Photos with Hotpot.ai:

Step 1: Visit the website.

Step 2: Click the upload button and select the desired photo.

Step 3: Make sure you check Has Scratch and click the paper plane icon to start.

Step 4: After getting the result, download and save the image. 

Nero

It’s easy to work with and offers old and damaged photographs a new lease on life with Nero AI Photo Restoration. It will remove scratches and colorize your photos so that they look as freshly bright as ever. Nero Lens also has an app that can restore your photos on mobiles operating iOS and Android.

Steps to Restore Photos with Nero AI Photo Restoration:

Step 1: Click Upload your photo to upload photos on the platform.

Step 2: From scratch fix to Colorize and Face Enhancement, you can now select your restoration option to customize it as per your needs.

Step 3: Wait Seconds, let the AI process your photo.

Step 4: Download the enhanced image after restoration is complete.

Imglarger

Just like Colorize, Imglarer’s repair tool can use cutting-edge AI to automatically repair old, scratched, or damaged photos. This tool doesn’t just clean out imperfections such as scratches or stains. It also brings back the clarity and vibrancy of the photos, giving your treasured memories new life. Its automatic way of processing guarantees the security of professional results in seconds, which is ideal for saving family photos without any manual effort.

Removing the Scratches from Old Photos:

Step 1: Upload your photo. The supported formats are JPG, PNG, and WebP.

Step 2: To do this, click the ‘Upload and Start’ button, and the tool will clean up the photo automatically, removing scratches.

Step 3: Drag the slider to see the before and after effects and click ‘Download’ to save your restored image.

Tips to Save Old Photos

Using Acid-Free Albums or Sleeves is effective, but your photos need to be preserved well in the long run, too. Even restored photos can suffer damage again without proper care. Here are a few practical tips to keep your photos safe:

  • Store in a Cool, Dry Place: Keep photos away from direct sunlight, humidity, and extreme temperatures. These will cause fading, warping, and deterioration of photos over time.
  • Use Acid-Free Albums or Sleeves: Using acid-free materials preserves photos from chemical reactions that can otherwise damage photos and keep them intact for years.
  • Digitize Your Collection: Upload and scan your photos and store them on secure digital platforms or devices like USB. With this, if the physical copies get damaged, you’re insured that you won’t lose your cherished memories.

FAQ

Can deep scratches be removed completely?

Of course, AI-based tools can remove scratches from photo easily. Most scratches can be erased without any trace, but severely damaged areas may feature some imperfection.

How to fix a cracked picture?

If it’s cracked, scan the photo at high resolution and upload the digital copy to an AI restoration tool. It will repair cracks in the image and leave the details the same, all automatically.

How can I clean up an old picture?

As it stands, an old photo can be cleaned up digitally with AI tools. Put your picture on an image restoration tool, and it will automatically repair stains and other imperfections and improve colors and sharpness. If it is a physical photo, gently wipe it with a soft, lint-free cloth before scanning for physical copies.

Conclusion

These web-based photo scratch removal sites allow you to repair precious memories with only a few clicks. From creased photos to scratched photos, using tools such as AiPassportPhotos, Colorize, and Hotpot.ai, old photos can be repaired easily and efficiently. By digitizing your images you can guarantee that the memories of your family will be clear and whole for many years to come. Don’t let the effects of time spoil your precious time, and begin your photo restoration right now.

By Dolores Xiao

I am a content creator and marketer with over 5 years of professional writing experience. I hold a bachelor's degree in communications and have a natural curiosity about technology, as evidenced by my technology blog. As an avid traveler, I draw upon adventures in over 10 countries to inject unique cultural perspectives into my articles and social media campaigns. I thrive on developing engaging content that informs and inspires audiences.