How to repair torn, scratched or water-damaged photos
Updated 13 October 2026 · UnBlur AI guides · 9 sources
AI results are estimates. AI restoration predicts what a sharper or repaired photo might look like. It can invent or change details, especially faces, text and fine patterns. Always keep your original, and do not use an AI-restored image as evidence or to identify someone.
- Never tape or glue a torn print; put it in a folder and let a conservator decide on physical repair. 1,2
- Wet photos are urgent: mold can start within about 48 hours. Air dry face up, one at a time. 3,4
- Do not pull apart photos stuck to each other or to frame glass; ask a conservator. 3
- Repair the scan, not the print. AI can fill scratches and missing areas, but what it fills in is invented. 5,6
The rule for damaged photos is simple: stabilize the original, digitize it, and do all the repairing on the digital copy. Most physical "repairs" people try at home, like tape on a tear or wiping a wet print, cause more damage than the original problem. Conservators can treat prints physically; everyone else can fix the scan.
First aid by type of damage
Torn or broken prints
- Do not use self-adhesive tape, glue or sticky notes on photographs 1.
- Place all the pieces together in a folder or sleeve, flat, so edges do not wear.
- For valuable prints, contact a conservator. The National Archives lists items in many pieces, rolled items and items stuck together as cases where a conservator can help, and points to the American Institute for Conservation's Find a Professional directory 2.
Scratches, creases and surface dirt
- Blow off loose dust with an air bulb rather than canned air; even soft brushes can scratch 1.
- Do not wipe with water or cleaning products. Handle by the edges, with clean hands or nitrile gloves 1.
- Do not press a curled or creased print flat under glass. Library of Congress preservation staff warn this can crack the image layer 7.
Wet or flood-damaged photos
Speed matters. The National Park Service notes that some photos deteriorate quickly when wet and mold can begin to grow within 48 hours 3.
- Remove photos from frames, sleeves and album pages where they are not stuck. If valuable photos are stuck together or to the glass, do not pull them apart; ask a conservator 3.
- Treat color prints first, since they are more sensitive to water 3.
- If a photo is dirty and its image layer is intact, rinse it in a tray of clean water. Do not touch the image surface while wet 3.
- Air dry each print face up on clean blotting paper or towels, changing the material as it gets soaked 4.
- If you cannot treat photos within 48 hours, freezing can buy time, but do not freeze older or valuable photographs without advice from a conservator 3,4.
The National Archives warns that some flood damage is irreversible, and that items of high value should only be treated in consultation with a conservator 4.
Mold
Mold can affect your health as well as the photo. Mold on originals is one of the cases where the National Archives recommends calling a conservator 2.
Digitize the damaged print
Once the print is dry and stable, scan it or photograph it. Put torn pieces next to each other on the scanner glass, aligned as well as you can, and scan them together; you will join them digitally. If the print is too curled or fragile for a flatbed, photograph it instead, without forcing it flat 5. See how to scan old photos properly and how to scan photos with your iPhone.
Save that scan untouched as your master, and work on copies 5.
Repair the digital copy
| Damage | Free or built-in approach |
|---|---|
| Dust, specks, small scratches | Clean Up in Photos on supported iPhones (tap, brush or circle the spot) 8, or a healing brush in a desktop editor |
| Tear lines | Align the pieces in layers, then clone texture across the seam |
| Missing corners or holes | Clone from similar areas, or crop if the missing part is unimportant |
| Water stains and fading | Levels and white balance on the whole image, then local fixes 9 |
Work zoomed in, a little at a time, and compare often with the untouched scan. Faces deserve the most care: a few faint scratches look better than a smooth, plastic-looking cheek.
Using an AI restoration tool
AI restoration can remove many scratches, creases and spots in one pass, and can fill small missing areas. But it fills them by predicting what is likely, not by knowing what was there, and research shows that making restorations look more realistic moves them away from what the input actually supports 6. A torn-off ear, an eye across a crease or a word on a sign may come back looking natural and still be wrong.
In UnBlur, use Restore Old Photo ("Fix scratches & fading") on your scan, then compare ORIGINAL and ENHANCED closely before saving. If the model's safety filter refuses a photo or a job fails, no credits are used. For badly damaged faces, see how to fix a blurry face in a photo and what AI restoration can't do.
Afterward, store the original safely; see how to store and care for old photos.
Common questions
Can I tape a torn photo back together?
No. Self-adhesive tape damages photographs. Keep the pieces together in a folder and ask a conservator if the print is valuable. 1,2
How do I dry wet photos?
Separate them if they are not stuck, rinse only if dirty and intact, and air dry them face up one at a time on clean blotting paper, within about 48 hours. 3,4
Can AI rebuild a missing part of a photo?
It can fill it with something plausible, but the filled area is invented, so label the result and keep the original scan. 6
Sources and further reading
- Library of Congress, Preservation. Care, Handling, and Storage of Photographs. loc.gov
- U.S. National Archives. Repairing Existing Damage to Family Papers and Photographs. archives.gov
- U.S. National Park Service. Preservation Matters: Disasters - Saving Wet Photographs. nps.gov
- U.S. National Archives. Emergency Salvage of Flood Damaged Family Papers. archives.gov
- Federal Agencies Digital Guidelines Initiative. Technical Guidelines for Digitizing Cultural Heritage Materials, 3rd edition (2023), section 3.8 Prints and Photographs (PDF). digitizationguidelines.gov
- Blau Y, Michaeli T. The perception-distortion tradeoff. IEEE CVPR. 2018. arxiv.org
- Library of Congress, Preservation. Preservation Guidelines for Digitizing Library Materials. loc.gov
- Apple Support. Clean up, extend, and reframe photos on iPhone. support.apple.com
- Apple Support. Apply levels adjustments to a photo or video on Mac. support.apple.com