I Restored Old Photos With These 4 Best FREE Tools [2025]

In the past, finding specialized photo restoration services was a hassle.

Now, thanks to AI tools, you can easily digitize and restore them!

Advancements in photo restoration tech make it convenient to repair old photos, restoring them to their original quality or better.

In this article, we'll explore the top 4 free AI photo restoration tools that offer various features to restore old photos to their best quality, similar to those processed through a professional photo restoration service.

Let's see how the AI works during the process of photo restoration.

1. YouCam Enhance: Best for All-In-One AI Photo Restoration

• Available: iOS/ Android

If you're looking for the best AI photo restoration tool, I highly recommend YouCam Enhance.

It's a free AI photo editing app that offers 3 powerful features for restoring old photos: "AI Enhance", "AI Colorize", and "AI Scratch Remover".

It excels at enhancing old photos to 4K resolution, enriching colors, and seamlessly removing scratches.

YouCam Enhance offers a suite of powerful AI-driven features for restoring old photos.

The AI Enhance tool unblurs old photos, bringing back lost details with impressive clarity, while the AI Colorize feature adds vibrant colors to black and white photos, revitalizing your memories.

Additionally, the AI Scratch Remover effectively detect and eliminates scratches and other imperfections, ensuring your restored photos look pristine.

Key Photo-Restoring Features of YouCam Enhance

• AI Photo Enhancer: One-click enhancement to improve resolution and sharpness, making blurry photos clear and detailed.
• Noise Reduction: Effectively removes unwanted noise from images, resulting in smooth and clean visuals.
• Color Enhancement: Automatically adjusts colors to make photos brighter and more balanced.
• AI Scratch Removal: Effortlessly eliminates scratches from old photos, restoring them to their original condition.
• AI Colorize: Adds vibrant colors to black-and-white photos, bringing them to life with remarkable accuracy.
  

Tool Review of YouCam Enhance's AI Photo Restoration

I've been using YouCam Enhance for a while now, and its AI photo restoration features are impressive.

The AI Photo Enhancer and AI Scratch Removal tools work wonders on old, damaged photos, making them look almost new.

The AI Colorize feature is a game-changer, adding vibrant colors to black-and-white photos with remarkable accuracy.

How to Restore Old Photos Using YouCam Enhance

In this tutorial, we will explore 3 features of YouCam Enhance: 'AI Enhance', 'AI Colorize', and 'AI Scratch Remover'. Each of these features is designed to easily restore old photos.

Step 1. Open the Best AI Photo Restoration Tool

Begin by launching the YouCam Enhance app on your mobile device or accessing the online version through your browser. This powerful AI tool is designed specifically for photo restoration and enhancement.

Step 2. Upload an Old Photo

Next, upload the old photo you want to restore. You can either take a picture of the physical photo or select an image file from your device's gallery.

Step 3. Use "AI Scratch" to Repair the Photo

Upload Your Photo

Select the "AI Scratch Removal" tool from the available options. It will automatically detect the scratches in the photo automatically and remove them without any manipulation.

Step 4. Use "AI Enhance" Feature to Restore Blurry Photos

Upload Your Photo

Now, use the "AI Enhance" feature to sharpen and clarify your image. This tool helps to reduce blur and improve the overall quality of your photo, making it look clearer and more detailed.

Step 5. Use "AI Colorize" Feature to Restore Photo Color

Upload Your Photo

To bring your old black-and-white photos to life, select the "AI Colorize" feature. This AI-driven tool automatically adds color to your photos, providing a vibrant and natural look.

Step 6. Save Your Restored Photo

Finally, save your beautifully restored photo. You can download it directly to your device or share it instantly on social media.

2. Fotor Photo Restoration: Best for Adding Color to Photo Online for Free

• Available: iOS/ Android/ Online

Fotor’s AI photo restoration tool excels at adding color to black and white photos, making them look natural and vibrant.

It also automatically repairs damages, removes blurriness, and restores faded colors and details

This user-friendly tool allows you to quickly and easily transform old photos into high-resolution, colorful images.

Key Photo-Restoring Features of Fotor

• Photo Enhancer: Automatically improves colors, lighting, and overall image quality with a single tap.
• Unblur Image: Quickly fixes blurry photos, making details crisper and sharper.
• Restore Old Photos: Restores faded, scratched, or damaged old photos, bringing them back to life.
• Remove Objects: Magically removes unwanted objects from photos, such as people or text, for a cleaner image.
  

Tool Review of Fotor's AI Photo Restoration

Fotor's AI photo restoration capabilities are fantastic for quick and easy fixes.

The Photo Enhancer automatically improves colors and lighting, making photos look more vibrant.

I love the Unblur Image feature, which sharpens blurry photos in seconds.

The AI Photo Restoration tool is perfect for bringing faded and damaged photos back to life, and the Remove Objects feature is great for cleaning up unwanted elements.

How to Restore Old Photos Using Fotor

1. Upload Your Photo: Upload your old photo from your phone or PC to Fotor.
2. Automatic Restoration: Click "Start" to let the AI restore and colorize your photo automatically.
3. Enhance Details: Use additional tools to sharpen and enhance facial details if needed.
4. Download: Save the restored photo in high-resolution JPG or PNG format.
   

3. Hotpot AI Picture Restorer: Best for Removing Scratches From Photo Online

• Available: Online

Hotpot AI Picture Restorer specializes in removing scratches and other imperfections from old photos.

It uses cutting-edge AI to sharpen colors and enhance faces, transforming damaged photos into cherished memories.

This tool is efficient and easy to use, providing high-quality results for both color and black-and-white photos.

Key Photo-Restoring Features of Hotpot AI

• AI Photo Upscaler: Upscales images up to 10x their original size without losing quality.
• Restore Pictures: Restores old and damaged photos, making them look new again.
• Enhance Faces: Improves facial details, making portraits look sharper and more defined.
• Remove Backgrounds: Easily removes backgrounds from images, allowing for seamless integration into new scenes.
  

Tool Review of Hotpot AI's Photo Restoration

Hotpot AI is a versatile tool that excels in various aspects of photo editing, including restoration. Its AI-driven features allow you to upscale images significantly without losing quality, making small or blurry photos look sharp and detailed.

The tool also offers colorization and face enhancement options, which are perfect for restoring old or damaged photos.

Hotpot AI's user-friendly interface and affordable pricing make it accessible to a wide range of users.

How to Restore Old Photos Using Hotpot AI

1. Visit Hotpot AI: Go to Hotpot AI’s website and navigate to the Picture Restorer section.
2. Upload Your Photo: Click on the Upload button to select the photo you wish to restore.
3. Adjust Settings: Adjust the restoration settings as needed to remove scratches and enhance colors.
4. Download: Preview the changes and download the restored photo.
   

4. AI NERO: Best for Fixing Old Photos in One-Click Online

• Available: iOS/ Android/ Online

AI NERO offers a comprehensive photo restoration service that can remove scratches, improve colors, and sharpen fuzzy parts of old photos with just one click.

Its user-friendly interface and powerful AI algorithms make it easy to restore and enhance old photos quickly.

The tool also includes features for colorizing black and white photos, adding vibrancy and realism to your cherished memories.

Key Photo-Restoring Features of AI NERO

• Image Upscaler: Enhances and enlarges images up to 4K resolution, making them sharper and clearer.
• Face Enhancement: Improves facial details, making portraits look more lifelike and detailed.
• Colorization: Adds color to black-and-white photos, bringing them to life with vibrant hues.
• Denoise: Reduces noise in images, resulting in cleaner and more professional-looking photos.
  

Tool Review of AI NERO's AI Photo Restoration

AI NERO is a powerful tool for enhancing and upscaling photos. Its AI Image Upscaler can enlarge images up to 4K resolution, ensuring high-quality results even for small or blurry photos.

The tool also includes features for face enhancement and background removal, making it ideal for creating professional-grade images.

AI NERO's bulk processing capability is a standout feature, allowing you to enhance multiple images quickly and efficiently.

How to Restore Old Photos Using AI NERO

1. Open Nero PhotoSnap: Start Nero PhotoSnap by launching your desktop Nero Start.
2. Import Old Photo: Click "Select a Picture" and import your old photo.
3. Start Process: Select the restoration options like Scratch Fix, Colorize, and Face Enhance, then click Process.
4. Download: Check the result and save your perfectly restored photo
   

Start Restoring Old Photos Online for Free With the Best Tool in 2025

Ready to embark on a journey to revive your treasured memories?

With YouCam Enhance, the best photo restoration tool of 2025, you can bring new life to your old photos for free.

Don't let time fade away your precious moments—start restoring with YouCam Enhance today.

More AI Photo Restoration Ideas

• 9 Best FREE AI Old Photo Restoration Apps in 2024
• How to Easily Restore Old Photos: 7 Free Ways
• 5 Best AI Colourisation Apps for iPhone and Android in 2024

Online Photo Restoration FAQ

Is there a free online tool to restore old photos?

You can restore old photos online for free with the YouCam Online Editor’s photo restoration tools. Simply upload your old photos, and its AI will automatically enhance, colorize, remove blurry parts, scratches, tears, and blemishes, turning them into vibrant and clear images.

What is the best way to restore old photos?

The best way to restore old photos is by utilizing advanced AI-driven tools like YouCam AI Old Photo Restoration online for free, which efficiently restores and enhances the quality of vintage images with remarkable accuracy and ease.

With its innovative technology, YouCam AI Photo Restoration ensures that your old photos regain their original clarity and vibrancy effortlessly.