

The Tone filter works great for luminance corrections, as does the Curves filter. Start with whichever is in the worst shape. If the photo were in color, you’d have to decide whether to fix the exposure first or correct the color. This is all down to personal preference: some people don’t mind natural film grain, but some may not want to sharpen the image enough to bring it out. As you adjust these sliders, more noise will appear. On the right-hand toolbar, I adjusted both the Clarity and Details sliders to bring out more detail. At this point, the tones in the image are much better, but it’s still lacking in clarity. On top of the Haze Removal Look, I added Classic B&W. While this isn’t a foolproof method, using these automatic adjustments may save you time later.
Colorize old photos free software#
Some scanning software will try to automatically edit the tone and contrast when you scan the print. TIFF files are lossless and won’t degrade in quality as you edit and save the photograph during the restoration process. Save the file in TIFF format instead of JPEG. For better quality, use a flatbed scanner set to 600ppi or higher.

Sometimes, smartphone scanners don’t offer the highest resolution. You can then transfer the file to your computer for restoration. Follow the instructions in the app to digitize your image. Try to choose a spot that has diffused lighting, such as next to a north-facing window. To use them, try to brush off as much dust from your print as you can and lay it flat on a table. Two useful applications for this are PhotoScan and Unfade. To digitize most old photographs, you can use a scanning app and your device’s camera to literally take a picture of the print and turn it into a digital image. If not, smartphones now make the process even easier. If you have a scanner, you can simply scan the photographs into your computer and turn them into JPEG images. The first step to restoring photos is digitizing the prints. Using a post-processing program such as Photoshop or Luminar, you can quickly and easily restore old photos. But if you’re simply interested in restoring contrast and removing dust and scratches, look no further. Restoring old photos can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.Ĭompletely colorizing and restoring old photos can take a lot of time. While restoring old photos used to be a very time-consuming process, nowadays photo editing programs make it relatively easy. Many of us have piles of photo albums filled with old family photos just waiting to be restored.
