How to restore old or vintage photos
Old family photos are precious keepsakes, but over time, they often fade, get stained, or suffer damage. Thanks to modern AI tools like Luminar Neo, you can bring these memories back to life with just a few clicks.
Before you can restore an old photo, you need a digital version. If you have a scanner, use it to scan your photo at a high resolution (at least 300 DPI). Alternatively, you can take a clear, well-lit photo with your phone or camera, just make sure it’s not blurry or angled.
Remove Scratches, Dust, and Blemishes with Erase tool
Luminar Neo has an Erase Tool that makes this part easy:
Go to the Essentials tab in the Edit mode and select the Erase tool.
Zoom in on damaged areas.
Use the brush to paint over dust spots, scratches, or creases.
Click Erase, and the AI will clean up those areas magically.
You can repeat this process until you're satisfied with the result.
Replicate Textures and Fix Patterns with Clone tool
The Clone Tool in Luminar Neo is ideal for manually repairing damaged areas such as large scratches, stains, or missing sections in old photos. It offers greater control over patterns, wrinkles in clothing, and textures.
Scroll down in the Tools right-side panel and select “Clone” under the Professional section.
Hold down the Alt key (Windows) or Option key ⌥ (Mac) and click on the area you want to copy from - this is your “source.”
Tip: Choose a clean, undamaged area with a similar texture or tone to the damaged part you want to fix.
Release the Alt/Option key and paint over the damaged area by clicking & dragging your mouse. You’ll see the source move in real time as you paint, just like a virtual stamp.
If you’ve made a mistake or don’t like the result, click Ctrl + Z on Windows or Cmd ⌘ + Z to undo the action, and it will remove your latest step. Click Ctrl + Y on Windows or Shift + Cmd ⌘ + Z on Mac to redo.
Change the source as needed. If you’re working on a larger area, don’t just use one source point. Set a new source (Alt key on Windows or Option key ⌥ on Mac + click) regularly to avoid repeating patterns or unnatural textures.
Once you’re done, click on the “Clone” title again to exit the tool and save your changes.
Raise Contrast and Improve Quality with the Develop tool
To restore a photo, you might need to work with its contrast. Often, the photo might seem faded out and plain. The Develop tool will help you to achieve a more natural contrast and eliminate noise while improving overall image quality. Follow these steps to utilize Develop most effectively:
Select the Develop tool in the Essentials section.
Open the Blacks & Whites panel. Drag Whites to the right side to make the light areas on your photo brighter, and drag Blacks to the left side to make the dark spots appear darker.
Open the Curves panel. Slightly drag the shadows point down to deepen dark areas. The highlights point up to brighten light areas.
Hint: The Curves graph has these important points:
Bottom-left corner = Shadows (blacks)
Top-right corner = Highlights (whites)
Middle = Midtones (grays)
The horizontal axis represents the original brightness values, the vertical axis shows the output (new values after adjustment).
Let’s work on quality now. Scroll to find the Sharpness panel in the Develop tool.
Increase the Sharpen slider and zoom in on the photo to better see the difference.
Adjust the Radius slider to define the distance from contrast pixels at which the sharpening effect is applied.
Adjust the Masking slider to enhance or reduce the amplified details.
Restoring old photos in Luminar Neo is a rewarding blend of art and technology. With powerful AI tools, even severely damaged images can be brought back to life, preserving memories that might otherwise fade away.
Whether you're removing scratches, fixing torn corners, or adjusting contrast to reveal hidden details, Luminar Neo offers both precision and simplicity. So, take your time, work gently, and enjoy the process of honoring your past, one photo at a time.
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