How to Remove Scratches from an Old Photo
Three steps from a scratched print to a clean file.
- 1
Scan or photograph the print flat
Lay the print flat and shoot it straight on, with no glare and a little of the border in frame. A flatbed scan shows thin scratch lines more clearly than a tilted phone shot, where glare can hide a mark or add a fake one.
- 2
Pick the kind of damage
Choose Scratches & Dust, Creases & Folds, Cracks & Tears or Spots & Stains. Scratches & Dust is selected by default. To remove scratches in one spot only, say where in the box, for example the white scratch across the sky.
- 3
Run it, then compare and download
Press the button and the repaired image appears next to your original. Check faces, hands and edges against the print, then use Download. Your first image is free, so choose the damage type with care before you run.

How the Tool Works to Remove Scratches
This tool repairs damage in a picture of an old photo. It redraws each damaged area by continuing the detail, texture and tone around it, so a scratch line does not become a smudge or a blur patch.
It aims to keep the print's black-and-white, sepia or color tones, and it does not colorize. It also aims to keep the people as they are and the film grain natural, with no plastic skin.
There is no brush or mask, and no batch mode: one print per run. You choose a damage type and, if you like, describe the marks in words. The result is one image at about 1024 px on the long side. It is AI output, so compare it with your original before you print or archive it.
Use it before other restoration steps. A clean repair first gives a colorizer or an enlarger no damage lines to carry forward.
Made for
- Scratched family prints
- Dusty scanned negatives
- Folded or creased photos
- Cracked or torn corners
- Stained old portraits
Remove Scratches Cleanly: Input Tips
- Scan the print flat or photograph it straight on, with no glare across the surface.
- Wipe the scanner glass first. Dust on the glass shows up as specks that were never on the print.
- Include the whole photo with a little border, so the repair has context on every side.
- Pick the preset that matches the main damage: scratches, creases, cracks or stains.
- For one stubborn mark, add a short note such as remove the white scratch across the sky, so the repair knows where to look.
- Repair first, then colorize or enlarge. Later steps can turn a scratch line into part of the picture.
- Keep the original scan. The repaired file is a separate copy.
