Will the repaired faded photo look retouched?

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

Which tool do I use for fading?

Faded Photo Fixer first. If the faded 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 faded photo cost?

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

Can I colorize a photo after repairing the fading?

Yes, and the order matters: repair the faded print first, then colorize the clean result so the inferred colors are not confused by milky shadows, grey whites and a cast that drifts toward orange, magenta or cyan depending on the paper.

Damage

Fix faded photos

Faded photographs almost always trace back to dye layers breaking down over decades, faster in warmth and daylight. The fading shows up as milky shadows, grey whites and a cast that drifts toward orange, magenta or cyan depending on the paper, and it worsens the longer the print stays where it was damaged.

Repairing fading is a matter of separating the damage layer from the image layer, and Faded Photo Fixer is written to do that on a faded scan. The result arrives in seconds and leaves everything the fading did not touch alone.

Standard handles most faded prints headed for a screen; Pro and Max recover more texture where the fading was heavy and the print will be reprinted. Every result keeps the shape of the faded upload, so nothing is cropped away.

Open with these settings Faded Photo Fixer

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

Milky shadows, grey whites and a cast that drifts toward orange, magenta or cyan depending on the paper
Fading caused by dye layers breaking down over decades, faster in warmth and daylight
Faces and clothing under the fading that need rebuilding from what survives
Faded prints that are the only copy in the family

Suggested order of passes

01
Remove the fading
Faded Photo Fixer is written for milky shadows, grey whites and a cast that drifts toward orange, magenta or cyan depending on the paper and rebuilds the area beneath from the surrounding image.
Faded Photo Fixer
02
Run a full restoration on the faded print
Picks up the fading, scratches and softness that usually travel with fading.
Photo Restoration
03
Restore the faces
Recovers eye and skin detail where the fading had softened it; use strong only for tiny faces.
Face Restoration
04
Upscale for reprinting
Adds the pixels a reprint of the faded photo needs, with the shape of the upload unchanged.
Image Upscaler