# AI photo restoration for free: how to restore and colorize an old photo

> AI photo restoration takes a minute and can be free: upload a scan of an old photo and ask the model to remove creases, scratches and stains while keeping the faces. We tested it on a 1950s wedding photo: Nano Banana Pro removed all the damage and the torn corner, and a second prompt colorized it. Below are both prompts and the rules that keep faces unchanged.

Published 2026-10-02 · Updated 2026-10-02
URL: https://ai2face.com/blog/restavraciya-foto-nejroset

Old family photos with creases, stains and faded corners used to take weeks of manual restoration. Now an AI model does it in a minute with one prompt. We tested restoration on a typical damaged print: a 1950s wedding photo with deep creases, scratches, yellow stains and a torn corner. First we restored it in black and white, then colorized it.

## Test: a 1950s wedding photo

The source is a black-and-white print photographed on a table: a young couple in front of a wooden house. The photo was generated by AI as an imitation of a damaged print, so we could show the result without using anyone's private photos.

![Three versions of a wedding photo: a damaged print with creases and stains on a table, a restored black-and-white photo and a colorized version](https://ai2face.com/_astro/restore-steps.BJ4PAh0q_Z1tlUyb.jpg "Original, B&W restoration and colorization. Nano Banana Pro, one generation per step")

**Restoration.** [Nano Banana Pro](/models/nano-banana-pro) removed all the creases, scratches and stains, filled in the torn corner and cropped the image to the edge of the photo, removing the table. The faces, poses, dress, suit and house stayed the same. The model added natural film grain, so the photo doesn't look “plastic.”

**Colorization.** With a second prompt, the photo turned color: warm skin tones, a white dress, a dark suit, a brown house, green grass and a blue sky with clouds. The model filled in the sky itself — it was washed out in the original.

## AI photo restoration for free: the prompts

Black-and-white restoration:

```
Restore this old damaged photo: remove all creases, scratches, stains and the
torn corner, restore the faded areas. Keep the faces, poses, clothing and
background exactly the same, keep the photo black and white with natural film
grain. Show only the restored photo itself, full frame, no table, no text
```

Restoration and colorization:

```
Restore and colorize this old damaged photo: remove all creases, scratches,
stains and the torn corner, then add natural 1950s colors — warm skin tones,
a white wedding dress, a dark suit, a brown wooden house, green grass, a soft
blue sky. Keep the faces, poses and composition exactly the same, show only the
restored photo, full frame, no table, no text
```

## How to colorize a black-and-white photo with AI

- **List the colors of the key elements:** skin, clothing, hair, house, sky. Without hints, the model picks colors itself and may get the era wrong.
- **Name the decade** — “natural 1950s colors”: the model will choose the muted palette of that time.
- **Don't ask for “bright colors.”** Old photos in garish tones look fake.
- **If you know the color of the clothing,** write it: “a blue dress with white polka dots.”

Color photos from the 1970s and '80s need restoration too: over time they fade and shift toward orange or magenta. The prompt is the same, but instead of colorizing, ask to remove the color cast: “bring back natural colors, remove the orange and magenta tint, restore the contrast.”

![A faded 1970s color photo with an orange tint: a brother and sister with a tabby kitten on a porch, next to the same image with natural colors](https://ai2face.com/_astro/color-restore.DcF3s8nS_Z11FDPi.jpg "A faded color photo before and after: the color cast is gone, the faces and poses are the same. The model slightly extended the frame at the edges. Nano Banana Pro")

## How to prepare an old photo

1. **A scan beats a phone photo.** If you don't have a scanner, shoot by a window in daylight, straight from above, with no flash or glare.
2. **Capture the whole photo,** edges included: the model will crop it itself.
3. **Don't pre-process** with filters or your phone's auto-enhance — they add artifacts.
4. **One photo, one generation.** If the photo shows a group, compare every face with the original.

## How restoration differs from enhancing quality

Restoration removes physical damage — creases, stains, tears — and rebuilds lost areas. Quality enhancement deals with digital defects: noise, blur, JPEG compression. For a modern blurry phone photo, see our guide to [enhancing photo quality with AI](/blog/uluchshit-kachestvo-foto-nejroset), and if you want to bring a restored photo to life, see the guide to [animating a photo](/blog/ozhivit-foto).

## Limitations

- **The AI invents what's missing.** In our test, the model made up the torn corner and the washed-out sky — the real photo may have had something else there.
- **Badly damaged faces** may come out slightly different. Make several attempts and compare with the original.
- **Colors are a guess.** Colorization is plausible, not historically accurate.
- **Small text** — captions on the back, signs — may be rewritten with errors.

## Where to restore photos

Nano Banana Pro and [Nano Banana 2](/models/nano-banana-2) are available in the AI2Face generator. Upload a scan, paste a prompt and get the result in 2K or 4K. The cost of each edit is shown before you run it, you can pay by card or crypto, and credits from packs don't expire. You get welcome credits after signing up — enough for the first photos from your family album.

## Bottom line

AI photo restoration today takes one prompt: Nano Banana Pro removed the creases, stains and torn corner from a 1950s photo, and a second prompt colorized it in period colors. The key is to forbid changes to faces and poses and to compare the result with the original. Remember that the model invents lost areas and picks plausible, not historically accurate, colors. For a family album or a gift to relatives, it's the best way to bring old photos back to life.

## FAQ

### Can I restore a photo with AI for free?

Partly. AI2Face gives you welcome credits after signing up — enough to restore and colorize several photos. The cost of each edit is shown before you run it.

### How do I colorize a black-and-white photo with AI?

Upload the photo and ask for natural period colors, listing the key elements: skin, clothing, house, grass, sky. Always add “don't change the faces or composition.”

### Will the AI change my relatives' faces?

It can, unless you forbid it. Write “keep the faces, poses, clothing and background exactly as in the photo” and compare the result with the original. For badly damaged faces, make 2–3 attempts and pick the most faithful one.

### Do I need to scan the photo?

Ideally, yes: a scan gives even light and sharpness. If you don't have a scanner, photograph it with your phone in daylight, straight from above, with no glare or flash.

## Sources

- https://ai.google.dev/gemini-api/docs/image-generation
- https://blog.google/products-and-platforms/products/gemini/nano-banana-tips/