Photo restoration is the process of repairing and enhancing old or damaged photographs to restore them to their original quality or improve their appearance. This can involve correcting issues like fading, scratches, tears, and discoloration.

Traditional Photo Restoration in Photoshop

• Scanning: The first step is to scan the old photograph at a high resolution to capture as much detail as possible.

• Layering: Just like in photo manipulation, layers are used to separate different edits. This allows for non-destructive editing.

• Repairing Damage: Tools like the Healing Brush, Clone Stamp, and Patch Tool are used to fix scratches, dust, and tears. The Healing Brush blends the repaired area with surrounding pixels, while the Clone Stamp duplicates sections from other parts of the image.

• Color Correction: Adjustment layers can be used to restore faded colors and improve overall tone and contrast.

• Sharpening and Noise Reduction: Techniques like sharpening enhance details, while noise reduction can help smooth out graininess or artifacts.

• Final Touches: Once the main repairs are done, further enhancements can be made, such as cropping or adding a vignette.

AI-Powered Photo Restoration

• Automated Tools: AI-based software can automatically detect and repair damage in photographs, making the restoration process faster and requiring less manual intervention.

• Upscaling: AI can enhance the resolution of low-quality images, making them clearer and more detailed.

• Colorization: Some AI tools can automatically add color to black-and-white images based on learned patterns, offering a quick way to bring historical photos to life.