Will the repaired cracked photo look retouched?

The prompts ask for a real photographic print of its era, with grain and natural tonality, so the cracked emulsion repair should read as the same photograph in better condition. Heavily rebuilt areas of a cracked print are inferred, so look them over before printing.

Which tool do I use for cracked emulsion?

Scratch & Tear Repair first. If the cracked print also has fading, blur or small faces, chain Faded Photo Fixer, Unblur Old Photos or Face Restoration in the Studio on the result.

How much does fixing a cracked photo cost?

A new account has 4 free credits, enough for one Standard run on a cracked print. Pro and Max use more credits and recover more texture under the cracked emulsion; the pricing page has the current numbers.

Can I colorize a photo after repairing the cracked emulsion?

Yes, and the order matters: repair the cracked print first, then colorize the clean result so the inferred colors are not confused by a web of fine dark or light lines across the surface, with flakes lifting where the cracks meet.

Damage

Fix cracked photos

Cracked emulsion is one of the most common reasons a print reaches this site, and the cause is usually a print that dried out and stiffened before it was bent, or a plate whose coating crazed with age. Look closely at a cracked print and you will see a web of fine dark or light lines across the surface, with flakes lifting where the cracks meet.

The AI-powered repair for cracked photographs treats a web of fine dark or light lines across the surface, with flakes lifting where the cracks meet as something to remove, not something to paint over. Faces the cracked emulsion destroyed come back as plausible reconstructions, so compare them with other photographs of the same people.

Below are the subjects people most often bring in cracked: each page describes what cracked emulsion does to that kind of print and the order of tools to run. The 4 free credits on a new account cover one Standard pass at cracked emulsion.

Open with these settings Scratch & Tear Repair

OriginalRestored

Original on the left, restored on the right; hover to see more of the repair. Made in the Studio from a scan of the print.

What matters for these photos

A web of fine dark or light lines across the surface, with flakes lifting where the cracks meet
Cracked emulsion caused by a print that dried out and stiffened before it was bent, or a plate whose coating crazed with age
Faces and clothing under the cracked emulsion that need rebuilding from what survives
Cracked prints that are the only copy in the family

Suggested order of passes

01
Remove the cracked emulsion
Scratch & Tear Repair is written for a web of fine dark or light lines across the surface, with flakes lifting where the cracks meet and rebuilds the area beneath from the surrounding image.
Scratch & Tear Repair
02
Run a full restoration on the cracked print
Picks up the fading, scratches and softness that usually travel with cracked emulsion.
Photo Restoration
03
Restore the faces
Recovers eye and skin detail where the cracked emulsion had softened it; use strong only for tiny faces.
Face Restoration
04
Upscale for reprinting
Adds the pixels a reprint of the cracked photo needs, with the shape of the upload unchanged.
Image Upscaler