Restore Old Family Photographs Back to Life
The third article in our Tech for the Fun of It series - simple, enjoyable technology without the jargon.
Most families have a box, album or drawer containing photographs that have not been seen for years.
Perhaps there is a faded wedding photograph, a picture of your childhood home or a snapshot of someone whose story deserves to be remembered.
With a smartphone and a little care, you can turn those printed photographs into digital copies, gently improve their appearance and share them with the family.
The aim is not to make an old photograph look brand new. It is to preserve what is already there—and make it easier for other people to enjoy.
What we’re going to make
We are going to:
create a good digital copy of a printed photograph;
straighten and gently improve that copy;
add useful information about the people and occasion;
save the original scan as well as the improved version; and
share a copy with someone in the family.
No scanner or specialist photo-editing experience is required.
What you’ll need to Restore Old Family Photographs
You will need:
a smartphone or tablet with a camera;
one or two printed photographs;
a clean, dry and well-lit surface;
the free PhotoScan by Google Photos app; and
approximately 15 to 20 minutes.
PhotoScan is available for Android phones and Apple devices. It guides you through the scanning process and can automatically correct edges, rotation and perspective while reducing reflections.
Before beginning, wash and dry your hands. Do not use liquid cleaner, sticky tape or household chemicals on an old photograph.
If a photograph is stuck inside an album, badly cracked or extremely brittle, do not try to force it out. It may be safer to photograph it where it is or seek advice from a photograph conservator.
Step 1: Choose a photograph
Begin by restoring an ordinary old family photograph that is lying loose—not your most fragile or irreplaceable picture.
Choose one that:
lies reasonably flat;
is not stuck to glass or an album page;
is large enough to see clearly; and
has a story or person you recognise.
Place it on a clean, plain surface.
Step 2: Find suitable light
Bright, even light will give you the best result.
A table near a window is often ideal, provided direct sunlight is not falling on the photograph. Avoid using the phone’s flash because it can create a bright white reflection.
If you can see a reflection on the photograph, move the photograph or change the angle of the light. Try to keep the phone itself directly above the picture.
Suggested graphic: Lay it flat—Hold the phone level—Follow the four dots.
Step 3: Install PhotoScan
Open the official app store on your phone:
on an iPhone or iPad, open the App Store;
on an Android phone or tablet, open Google Play.
Search for:
PhotoScan by Google Photos
Check that the app is published by Google before installing it.
You may be asked to allow the app to use the camera and save photographs. These permissions are necessary for scanning, but you do not have to give the app access to anything unrelated.
Step 4: Scan the photograph
Open PhotoScan and place the printed photograph inside the frame shown on the screen.
Then:
Hold the phone directly above the photograph.
Tap the shutter button.
Four dots will appear on the screen.
Slowly move the on-screen circle over each dot.
Keep the phone as level and steady as you can.
Wait while PhotoScan combines the images.
The four-dot process allows the app to reduce glare rather than simply taking one ordinary photograph. Google’s instructions confirm that PhotoScan is designed to scan and save printed photos.
Step 5: Check your scan
Open the completed scan and look closely at it.
Check that:
the entire photograph is present;
no faces have been cut off;
the edges are reasonably straight;
the picture is not blurry; and
there are no large reflections.
PhotoScan normally finds the edges automatically. If necessary, use its corner adjustment or rotation controls.
If the result is blurry or reflective, simply scan the photograph again. Softer light and a steadier, more level phone usually help.
Keep the best version and delete unsuccessful attempts once you are certain they are no longer needed.
Step 6: Preserve the original scan
Before making changes, keep an untouched copy of the scan.
This is important because editing can accidentally remove information or make the photograph look less natural.
You can:
duplicate the picture before editing;
choose Save copy if that option appears; or
make sure the original scan has been backed up elsewhere.
Think of the original scan as your digital negative. Any improved version should be a separate copy.
Step 7: Gently improve a copy
You can use the ordinary Photos app on an iPhone or Google Photos on an Android device. The names and positions of buttons may differ slightly between phones.
Open the duplicated image and select Edit.
Start with these simple adjustments:
Crop
Remove any unwanted table or background around the photograph, but avoid cutting away the original edges unless necessary.
Straighten
Use the straighten control if the photograph looks tilted.
Brightness or exposure
Move the control only a little. Stop before pale areas lose their detail.
Contrast
A small increase can help a faded photograph, but too much can turn shadows completely black.
Highlights and shadows
Reducing bright highlights or lifting dark shadows can reveal detail that was difficult to see.
Warmth or colour
If a colour photograph has developed an orange or blue cast, a very small adjustment may help. Avoid making skin tones unnaturally bright or colourful.
Apple Photos provides controls for cropping, angle, light, brightness and saturation and allows edits to be reverted. Google Photos similarly provides crop, straighten, rotate and perspective controls.
You do not have to use every control. A straight picture with slightly improved brightness may be all that is needed.
Suggested graphic: Original scan—Carefully restored copy—Keep both.
Something extra to try: record the story
A photograph becomes much more valuable when people know who or what it shows.
While the memory is fresh, write down:
the names of the people;
where the photograph was taken;
the approximate year;
the occasion;
who originally owned the photograph; and
any story connected with it.
You can place this information in the photograph’s description or caption, or keep it in a document with the image.
A useful filename might be:
1958_Mary-Riley_Darwin-wedding_original-scan.jpg
The name does not have to be perfect. Even an approximate date and two names are better than no information at all.
What about AI photograph restoration?
Some apps promise to remove scratches, sharpen faces or colourise black-and-white photographs with one tap.
These tools can be entertaining, but they have an important limitation: the software may invent details that were never present in the photograph.
It might change eyes, teeth, hair, clothing or facial expressions. A colourised picture may also use colours that are only guesses.
If you try an AI restoration tool:
use a copy, never your only scan;
keep the untouched original;
examine faces and hands carefully;
label the result as AI-edited; and
treat it as a creative interpretation rather than an accurate historical record.
A short privacy and safety note
Family photographs can contain personal information.
Before uploading an image to an unfamiliar restoration website, consider:
who appears in the photograph;
whether anyone might object to it being shared;
whether the service stores uploaded images;
whether the image reveals an address, document or other private detail; and
whether you are comfortable with the company’s privacy terms.
There is usually no need to upload a photograph merely to crop, straighten or brighten it. Those jobs can normally be completed in the Photos app already on your phone.
Ask permission before posting identifiable family photographs publicly, especially pictures of children or sensitive family events.
Protect your new digital copy
One copy on one phone is not a reliable archive.
The National Archives of Australia recommends the 3-2-1 approach: keep three copies, on two kinds of storage, with one copy held somewhere else.
For example:
Keep a copy on your phone or computer.
Copy it to an external drive.
Keep another copy in trusted cloud storage or give it to a family member.
Retain both:
the untouched original scan; and
the carefully improved copy.
How to undo changes or get help
If you dislike an edit, look for Cancel, Revert or Revert to Original.
On an iPhone or iPad:
Open the photograph in Photos.
Tap Edit.
Select Revert.
Confirm Revert to Original.
In Google Photos, open the photograph and look for Revert or return to the untouched scan you preserved earlier.
If the original printed photograph is torn, mouldy, water-damaged, stuck to glass or crumbling, stop handling it and seek professional conservation advice.
You’ve preserved more than a picture
You now have a digital copy that can be viewed, backed up and shared without repeatedly handling the original print.
The most valuable next step is to send it to a relative and ask:
“What do you remember about this photograph?”
You may discover that restoring the picture also brings an old story back to life.
Download the printable guide
Keep the one-page guide beside you while you scan your first photograph:
Download the A4 quick-reference guide
FAQ
Can I scan an old photograph with my phone?
Yes. A specialist scanning app such as PhotoScan can correct edges and perspective and reduce reflections.
Should I edit the original scan?
Keep the original scan untouched and edit a duplicate or saved copy.
Can AI accurately restore an old photograph?
AI can produce an attractive result, but it may invent facial features and other details. Keep the original and label AI-edited versions clearly.
How should I back up digitised family photographs?
Keep several copies on different storage types, with at least one copy stored somewhere else.
Next in Tech for the Fun of It: another simple and enjoyable way to make everyday technology work for you.
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