Gently restore a faded, scratched old family photo.
See it The result
Test input, not an AI result. Our test input: Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' (1936, public domain, Library of Congress) with scratches and fading added artificially by us. Restored output: pending test.
2 steps Try it yourself
Copy The prompt
Step 1: Make a conservative restoration of this old photo: reduce scratches, dust and fading, and gently improve contrast and sharpness. Keep the people's faces, expressions and the composition as they are. Do not colourise. Tell me anything you weren't sure about or had to guess. Step 2 (optional, send separately): Now make a second version in natural colour, and tell me that the colours are guesses.
Stuck? Where to paste, and what to expect
Where to paste or upload
In the ChatGPT message box: tap + and choose the photo, then paste Step 1. Send Step 2 as a separate message if you want colour.
What success looks like
A cleaner version with the scratches gone and the faces still recognisable, plus notes on what the AI wasn't sure about.
If it goes wrong
Faces look different? Reply: “Redo it and change nothing about the faces.” If it still alters them, use the original. Too smooth or fake? Ask for a lighter touch.
Heads up Limits & privacy
AI can still change faces or invent details, so always compare with the original. Colour is a guess, not history. Ask relatives before uploading photos of living people, and avoid photos of children. We can't promise a result is faithful.
Privacy tips: what to remove from bills, CVs and photos first
Proof Test record
Test status: ⚠ Not yet tested
Our test input: Dorothea Lange's 'Migrant Mother' (1936, public domain, Library of Congress) with scratches and fading added artificially by us. Restored output: pending test. Not yet tested by us in this app. Instructions are based on the tool's documented features; a scripted test is queued (see the test record).
Read the full test record: exact prompt, inputs, raw output, failures and test code →
This didn't work for me
Tell us what happened. We'll re-test, fix the page, or mark it as broken, and note the date.