Do I need to scan moldy military photos?

A flat scan is best, but a phone photo of the moldy service photo works too; run Photo-of-a-Photo Fixer first to crop and remove glare, then repair the mold.

How many credits does a moldy service photo take?

The 4 free credits on a new account cover one Standard restoration of moldy military photos. Pro and Max return more detail on the insignia, ribbons, unit patches and cap badge where the mold was heavy; see pricing for the current amounts.

Can I colorize the service photo after fixing the mold?

Yes. Repair the moldy service photo first, then run the Photo Colorizer on the result. Colors are inferred from the era and the materials in the repaired moldy military photos, so type any remembered colors into the hints field.

What if the mold took part of the service photo away entirely?

Run Missing Parts Filler after Stain & Spot Remover and describe the gap the mold left in the service photo. It continues the scene, clothing and background of the service photo from what survives; a face fully gone from moldy military photos cannot be recovered, only inferred.

Military Photos

Moldy Military Photos

Moldy military photos usually come out of years in a humid attic, a cardboard box on a concrete floor or a plastic sleeve that trapped moisture. On a service photo the mold shows as fuzzy grey or white patches, brown foxing spots and a musty smell that comes with the print, right across a serviceman or servicewoman in uniform, often taken just before deployment.

Upload a scan or a phone photo of the moldy service photo and the AI-powered repair comes back in seconds with the insignia, ribbons, unit patches and cap badge left as they were. Where the mold covered a face in military photos, check the result against family memory before you print it.

If the mold on the service photo is worse than it looks, run Stain & Spot Remover twice rather than reaching for a heavier setting. Then upscale the moldy military photos for a reprint, since the output keeps the shape of the upload.

Open with these settings Stain & Spot Remover

Moldy Military Photos, the original print

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 moldy service photo needed for a memorial, an anniversary or a reprint
Fuzzy grey or white patches, brown foxing spots and a musty smell that comes with the print, spread over a service photo
A moldy service photo that is the only copy anyone has
The insignia, ribbons, unit patches and cap badge, hidden under the mold

Suggested order of passes

01
Remove the mold
Stain & Spot Remover targets fuzzy grey or white patches, brown foxing spots and a musty smell that comes with the print while keeping the insignia, ribbons, unit patches and cap badge in the service photo untouched.
Stain & Spot Remover
02
Repair the rest of the service photo
Face Restoration addresses the usual wear on military photos, foxing from a footlocker, folds from a shirt pocket and rank insignia faded into the cloth, once the mold is gone.
Face Restoration
03
Sharpen the faces of a serviceman or servicewoman in uniform, often taken just before deployment
Recovers the eye and skin detail the mold softened; keep it at natural strength on military photos unless the faces are tiny.
Face Restoration
04
Upscale the service photo for reprinting
Adds the pixels a wall print needs after the mold repair, with the shape of the moldy military photos unchanged.
Image Upscaler