Will a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway still look like themselves after the scratching is removed?

The prompts keep every face, age and expression in the scratched car photo as photographed. Where the scratched area covered a face, compare the result with other classic car photos and with family memory before you print.

Do I need to scan scratched classic car photos?

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

How many credits does a scratched car photo take?

The 4 free credits on a new account cover one Standard restoration of scratched classic car photos. Pro and Max return more detail on the chrome trim, the badge and the license plate where the scratching was heavy; see pricing for the current amounts.

Can I colorize the car photo after fixing the scratching?

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

Classic Car Photos

Scratched Classic Car Photos

Scratched classic car photos usually come out of loose storage in a shoebox, a drawer shared with keys and coins, or a print dragged across scanner glass. On a car photo the scratching shows as fine white or dark lines across the emulsion, often clustered in one direction, right across a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway.

Upload a scan or a phone photo of the scratched car photo and the AI-powered repair comes back in seconds with the chrome trim, the badge and the license plate left as they were. Where the scratching covered a face in classic car photos, check the result against family memory before you print it.

If the scratching on the car photo is worse than it looks, run Scratch & Tear Repair twice rather than reaching for a heavier setting. Then upscale the scratched classic car photos for a reprint, since the output keeps the shape of the upload.

Open with these settings Scratch & Tear Repair

Scratched Classic Car 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 scratched car photo that is the only copy anyone has
The chrome trim, the badge and the license plate, hidden under the scratching
Scratching from loose storage in a shoebox, a drawer shared with keys and coins, or a print dragged across scanner glass, on classic car photos from the 1930s to 1970s
Small faces of a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway that the scratching has taken the detail from

Suggested order of passes

01
Remove the scratching
Scratch & Tear Repair targets fine white or dark lines across the emulsion, often clustered in one direction while keeping the chrome trim, the badge and the license plate in the car photo untouched.
Scratch & Tear Repair
02
Repair the rest of the car photo
Unblur Old Photos addresses the usual wear on classic car photos, chrome that reads as blown white, a magenta shift over the paintwork and scratches across the hood, once the scratching is gone.
Unblur Old Photos
03
Sharpen the faces of a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway
Recovers the eye and skin detail the scratching softened; keep it at natural strength on classic car photos unless the faces are tiny.
Face Restoration
04
Upscale the car photo for reprinting
Adds the pixels a wall print needs after the scratching repair, with the shape of the scratched classic car photos unchanged.
Image Upscaler