Photo restoration

How to restore old family photos at home

Restoring a family photo takes a scan, a short caption and a careful look at the result. This guide walks through each step in plain terms.

Make it in Telegram 7 images free, then from 49 Stars

2 credits per image
Result in 1–2 minutes
No sign-up

In short: A plain guide to restoring family photos: scanning, choosing a mode, checking faces and storing the originals. Free to try in a Telegram bot.

Where: the VisuMate bot in Telegram, no app or sign-up.
Cost: 2 credits per image, 7 images free, then packs from 49 Telegram Stars.
Time: 1 to 2 minutes per image, rerun with a new instruction at the same price.

When you need this

You are not sure where to start.
Prints are in boxes with no order.
You worry about damaging the originals.

How to do it

1
Open @visumate_ai_bot in Telegram with the button on this page and press Start. No sign-up is needed.
2
Send the photo as a file (document) so Telegram does not compress it. In the caption write: restore this family photo, repair damage, keep faces unchanged.
3
In 1-2 minutes the result arrives in the chat. Download it or run again, the second run costs the same.

Try it on your own photo: 7 images are free, no sign-up.

Make it in Telegram

Prepare the prints

Brush dust off lightly with a soft dry brush. Do not wet the photo and do not peel it from an album page. Scan at 600 dpi or higher, and crop the scan only slightly. If a print is stuck to glass, photograph it instead. Take your time with the result and look at it at full size on a computer, because small details are easy to miss on a phone screen.

Run and review

Send the scan as a file to the bot and choose repair, color or sharpen. Wait 1-2 minutes, then compare with the original. Look at eyes and mouth first. Save the best version, and keep the untouched scan in a separate folder. Save every version in the same folder and add the year and the names to the file name so nothing gets mixed up later.

Tips

Handle prints by the edges and wash your hands.
Scan flat, and do not use tape or glue on the originals.
Name files with who, where and the year.
Back up both originals and restored files.

Questions and answers

Which mode should I start with?

Repair for damage, color for black and white.

Can I use a phone camera?

Yes, in daylight and flat.

Will it harm the original?

No, it works on a copy.

How many photos can I try free?

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