A Roundup Of Photo Restoration Software And Apps Available In 2022

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The further we move into the digital age, the fewer clues we have on what to do with our old photos. Some people keep on storing them in boxes and photo albums without realizing that physical copies of their treasured photos can’t last forever. One of the best solutions is to render your old photo archive digital and keep it safe somewhere on your hard drive or cloud. 

But it won’t be a good idea to preserve old photos as they are - damaged and faded. The pictures need healing and restoration and this is when a photo restoration program will come in handy. Since this is a very niche field, it might be tricky to find the perfect tool for the job so in this article, we’ll go over the best programs that will help you restore old images to their former glory. Hopefully, by the end of this roundup, you’ll have a clear preference. Let’s get started. 

PhotoGlory

Kicking off our list is PhotoGlory, one of the best software to restore old photos on the market. This AI-driven program allows for both manual and automatic picture repair. PhotoGlory has a sleek interface and a user-friendly workflow which means it is suitable for both newbies and pros. There are tools for manual removal of scratches, stains and rips, as well as an automatic feature that fixes them all with a click. Another plus of having an advanced AI under the hood is the automatic colourization feature. PhotoGlory allows you to colourize black and white images in a snap - and even do it in batches. The software also offers tools for manual colourization in case you want to set your own accents. There are also over a hundred stylish photo filters, instruments for boosting faded colours, and a text tool for making captions and date stamps. The biggest downside to this old photo restoration app is that it only has a Windows version. 

SoftOrbits Photo Retoucher

Another niche program on our list is SoftOrbits Photo Retoucher. This photo restoration software heavily relies on its AI to repair old images. This means that you only need to open your old image within the program, and its neural network will do the work for you - get rid of creases, dust, scratches and other flaws. This also sadly means that you have very little control over the changes - there are very few manual tools to polish the restoration in case the AI fails in some way. But on the bright side, SoftOrbits Photo Retoucher comes with an automatic colourization feature that rarely misses. 

Retouch Pilot

Retouch Pilot is widely considered to be one of the best photo restoration apps for newbies. That is all thanks to its clear interface, an abundance of built-in tutorials, and an uncomplicated workflow. However, the downside to this approach is the lack of really powerful tools for image restoration. Retouch Pilot is only capable of easy fixes of creases, blobs, rips, and scratches. There is no colourization feature - but you can get it by installing a plugin. 

AKVIS Retoucher

AKVIS Retoucher is both a photo restoration app and a specialized Photoshop plugin. It is equipped with smart cloning techniques that let you clear your old image of flaws like dust, tears, stains, and whatnot. Luckily, the software offers both manual and automatic repairing tools. AKVIS Retoucher is praised for its minimalistic interface and bugless performance, but there are two significant downsides to it. First off, there is no colourization feature. And second - the program seems to be way too pricey for a photo editor with such limited functionality. 

VanceAI

VanceAI is an online suite of tools specifically designed to restore old photographs. First off, there is Photo Restorer, an online app that does what its name suggests. It mostly utilizes AI to clear your old photos of distracting defects. Then there is Photo Colorizer that automatically renders your black and white images colour to impressive results. Both these modules are very clear in interface and workflow and charge a reasonable price for old photo manipulations. Still, this is an online service, which means you subject your private images to a potential security breach when uploading them.

Remini

If mobile apps are your preferable weapon of choice, there is an option for you, too. It is called Remini. This is a mobile app to restore old photos powered by a sophisticated AI that does what all desktop and online software do. With Remini, you can repair damaged images, colourize them, and even improve their quality by increasing the resolution. The app is available for both Android and iOS and has a remarkably intuitive interface and is fairly affordable. Just don’t expect it to provide results that would be on par with pro desktop restoration programs. 

SketchWay

SketchWay is yet another old photo restoration software that puts an emphasis on neural networks. This means that most of the flaws - scratches, stains, and rips - are fixed automatically by filling algorithms. You only need to mark these areas in the picture and the program does the rest for you. As for a colourization feature, SketchWay doesn’t have any. On the plus side, this program is free to use, but on the downside its performance is questionable. 

PhotosRevive

If your old photos require no restoration but still could use a bit of a colour boost, this app will do just fine. PhotosRevive is an iOS application with revolutionary colouring algorithms. Just open your black and white image in it, let the app process it, and then just enjoy how grayscale people, objects, and the environment jump to life. Sure, this app has limited functionality, but at least it excels at what it does.

Colourise.com

Here’s one more service that skips the actual picture restoration and instead focuses on colourization. Colourise.com is praised for its impeccable colouring results that are both natural and true to life. What’s more, this is a free service. Apart from colourizing simple grayscale images, this service can also render sepia and faded pictures colour. 

Hotpot AI

Hotpot AI is an online suite of editing tools that comes with a separate module for photo restoration and colourization. The workflow of the restoration module is simple - you just upload your damaged image to the service and hit a single button. The AI will analyze your image and remove most of the defects automatically. The same sequence applies to the colourization module. After all the manipulations you are free to download your improved image. 

And there you go - this has been our comprehensive roundup of the best photo restoration software in 2022 the market has to offer. Sure, these options slightly differ in functionality, price, and platform, but they are all intended for a very delicate and important purpose - preserving old images in their best shape and introducing them to the digital age. So whatever tool you go with, you are sure to keep your or someone’s treasured memories intact for generations to come.