HitPaw FotorPea

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2025 Best 10 Softwares to Restore Old Photos without Losing Quality

With the passage of time, photographs tend to fade or lose color. It doesn't matter whether they are physical or come from digital files. Thanks to technology and AI-powered tools, it has become easy to retrieve old photos. You can do multiple things, such as remove scratches, color the black-and-white image, or get the details to be better.

Here, we will discuss the best photo restoration software that will work for both Windows and Mac users. These will be the top 10 software for the year 2024 and are considered the best software to restore old photos without losing their quality.

best photo restoration software

Part 1. How to Choose the Best Old Photo Restoration Software

When looking out for the best photo restoration software, you have to think of a number of factors, some of which are:

AI-Powered Features: AI tools have become the core thing in photography. With that, they are very quick. From these tools, you can expect them to perform scratch repair, color correction, and even facial enhancement, which, to be honest, are key in restoring old photos.

Ease of Use: Whether you are a beginner or a pro, ease of use is something that comes as a priority. However, professionals would also prefer customizable settings and more keyboard usage for the features.

Manual Editing Options: For fine-tuning, manual controls are quite important. AI might miss some of the important details, such as clone stamp or layer-based editing, so you need to have the authority to adjust color balance, contrast, and sharpness so that it looks as authentic as possible.

Cross-Platform Availability: It is very important to have flexibility in software because running on both Windows and Mac is an absolute must. Also, the features should stay the same as professionals really need everything to be the same if they are working on cross-platform.

Part 2. Top 10 Best Free Photo Restoration Software

1. HitPaw FotorPea - AI Photo Restoration

In a very short time, HitPaw FotorPea has become a very common choice for restoring old photos with the use of AI. It is ideal for beginners with vast options and easy usage. Its advanced AI is smart and can detect scratches and repair them along with faded details. For this reason, it is considered as one of the best choices for the best photo restoration software in 2024.

Key Features of HitPaw Photo Restoration:

HitPaw FotorPea - All-in-one Photo Editing Tool for Win & Mac

Secure Verified. 212,820 people have downloaded it.

  • AI scratch repair to flawlessly restore old photos
  • AI colorization to make black and white photos vivid
  • Batch processing for multiple photos at the same time
  • One-click enhancement o make blurry old photos clear

Secure Verified. 212,820 people have downloaded it.


Step-by-Step Guide to Restore Photos with HitPaw:

  • Step 1.Launch HitPaw FotorPea.

  • Step 2.Upload your old photo

    best photo restoration software
  • Step 3.Choose the “Scratch Repair” tool

    best photo restoration software
  • Step 4.Save your restored photo

    best photo restoration software

AI Tools to Restore Old Photos by One Click

2. Adobe Photoshop

best photo restoration software

Whenever it comes to editing, Adobe Photoshop is the first name that pops up. It has quite advanced features to cover every detail. Its most features come with a paid version, but it is all worth it and makes it the best software for restoring old photos. Some of its features for restoring old photos are a healing brush, clone stamp, and reconstruction.

pros Pros:

  • Powerful, professional-grade tools.
  • Content-aware fill and advanced retouching tools.
  • Highly customizable with plugins and additional brushes.

cons Cons:

  • Subscription-based pricing can be expensive.
  • Steep learning curve for beginners.

3. inPixio Photo Studio Pro 12

best photo restoration software

Pixi Photo Studio Pro 12 has some very useful AI features when it comes to restoring old photos. Whether you want to remove scratches or work on faded detail, you can do it with ease.

pros Pros:

  • Easy to use with AI-based features.
  • Affordable compared to Adobe Photoshop.
  • One-click editing options.

cons Cons:

  • Limited manual editing features for advanced users.

4. PhotoWorks

best photo restoration software

PhotoWorks is mainly considered for its quick processing system. Its AI tools are very accurate to detect and fix when it comes to old images. Not only this, but it also has very useful basic tools such as adjusting colors, exposure, and contrast.

pros Pros:

  • Simple, user-friendly interface.
  • AI tools for quick restoration.
  • Affordable with both free and premium versions.

cons Cons:

  • Limited advanced features for professionals.

5. PhotoGlory Pro

best photo restoration software

PhotoGlory Pro is considered one of the best photo restoration software because it works very efficiently for old photos. It also offers batch processing along with other very common and useful editing tools.

pros Pros:

  • Batch processing for time efficiency.
  • Excellent colorization tools.
  • Simple to use for beginners.

cons Cons:

  • Requires a paid version for most advanced features.

6. GIMP

best photo restoration software

GIMP is considered an alternate option for Adobe Photoshop Though it doesn't have built-in AI features, there is a number of manual features for restoring old photos, and with the practical customization options, this falls into the list of best free photo restoration software.

pros Pros:

  • Free and open-source.
  • Highly customizable with plugins and brushes.
  • Powerful editing tools.

cons Cons:

  • Lacks AI-powered features.
  • Not very beginner-friendly.

7. Luminar Neo

best photo restoration software

If you are looking for a simple and useful AI photo editor, then Luminar Neo is for you. It comes with a very basic and easy-to-use interface to restore old photos and get the quality right for images.

pros Pros:

  • AI-based restoration tools.
  • Clean, intuitive interface.
  • Available for both Windows and Mac.

cons Cons:

  • Requires a subscription for full features.

8. Softorbits

best photo restoration software

Softorbits AI technology is very efficient as it automatically detects and fixes old photos, just to give you the best photo restoration.

pros Pros:

  • AI-powered scratch removal.
  • Supports various image formats.
  • Easy to use for both beginners and professionals.

cons Cons:

  • Limited features in the free version.

9. Akvis Retoucher

best photo restoration software

Akvis Retoucher is kind of an expert in removing scratches, spots and other issues. Its features and advancements in restoring old photos are something that you would really enjoy.

pros Pros:

  • Advanced defect removal algorithms.
  • Works on both Windows and Mac.
  • High-quality output.

cons Cons:

  • Expensive compared to other options.

10. Retouch Pilot

best photo restoration software

For removing defects like scratches and stains from your old photos, the Retouch Pilot is a feasible choice because it is quite lightweight and efficient.

pros Pros:

  • Simple and user-friendly.
  • Effective at removing small scratches.

cons Cons:

  • Limited feature set.
  • Not suitable for heavy restoration tasks.

Part 3. Comparison of Best Software for Photo Restoration

SOFTWARE

AI FEATURES

PLATFORM

PRICING

FREE VERSION AVAILABLE?

USER RATING (5)

Hitpaw Fotorpea

Yes

Win/Mac

Affordable

Yes

4.8

Adobe Photoshop

Limited AI

Win/Mac

Subscription

No

4.5

InPixio

Yes

Win/Mac

Moderate

No

4.2

Photoworks

Yes

Win/Mac

Free/Premium

Yes

4

PhotoGlory

Yes

Win/Mac

Paid

Yes (Limited)

4.3

GIMP

No

Win/Mac

Free

Yes

4.4

Luminar Neo

Yes

Win/Mac

Subscription

No

4.6

Softorbit

Yes

Win/Mac

Free/Premium

Yes

4.1

Akvis Retoucher

No

Win/Mac

Paid

No

4.3

Retouch Pilot

No

Win

Free/Paid

Yes

4

Part 4. FAQs about Best AI Photo Restoration Software

Q1. What is the best free photo restoration software?

A1. There are many options available, but GIMP is a good choice because of its manual tools for photo restoration.

Q2. Can AI restore old black-and-white photos?

A2. Yes, it can, and AI tools such as HitPaw FotorPea and PhotoGlory Pro come as a top contender for it.

Q3. What file formats do these software support?

A3. Most of the commonly used formats are supported by this software, such as JPEG, PNG, and TIFF, and some even support RAW.

Conclusion

Among the numerous options mentioned above for restoring old photos, HitPaw FotorPea stands as the top choice for 2024. It comes with a number of features and options, such as scratch repair, colorization, and enhancing the image.

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