Restore an old, damaged photograph
Repairs cracks, scratches, fading and water damage on a scanned print while keeping the person's real face.
The prompt
101 wordsRestore this damaged photograph. Repair all scratches, creases, tears and missing emulsion, and remove dust, spots and water stains. Rebuild any torn or missing areas by continuing the surrounding detail naturally. Correct the fading and colour cast so contrast and tonal range look like a well-preserved print. Recover fine detail in hair, fabric texture and the eyes. Keep every facial feature, proportion and expression exactly as they are in the original — do not beautify, slim, re-age or otherwise change the person's face. Preserve the original grain and the photograph's period character. Output at the same aspect ratio, sharp and clean.
Getting the best result
- 1
Scan at 600 DPI or higher first — restoration cannot invent detail that was never captured.
- 2
The 'do not beautify' sentence matters. Without it, most models quietly smooth skin and reshape faces, and relatives notice immediately.
- 3
If the result looks plastic, add: 'retain visible film grain and natural skin texture'.
Where to use it
Paste this into any AI image tool that accepts a text instruction — upload your photo first, then paste the prompt as the edit instruction. The wording is deliberately explicit, because the constraints are what stop the model drifting away from what you asked for.