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

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

Do I need to scan water-damaged classic car photos?

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

How many credits does a water-damaged car photo take?

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

Can I colorize the car photo after fixing the water damage?

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

Classic Car Photos

Water-Damaged Classic Car Photos

Classic car photos showing brown tide lines, blotches where the emulsion swelled and prints stuck face to face or to the album sleeve have almost always met a flooded basement, a burst pipe, a leaking roof or a damp garage. The water damage sits on top of the image of a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway, which is still there underneath.

Nothing in the car photo is redrawn for effect; the water damage is treated as a layer to remove and the image of a proud owner leaning on the fender, usually in the driveway as the thing to keep. If the water-damaged area covered the chrome trim, the badge and the license plate, the fill is inferred from what survives around it.

Start with Stain & Spot Remover on the water-damaged car photo, then chain Face Restoration or the upscaler in the Studio if the classic car photos need it. The 4 free credits on a new account cover one Standard run on water-damaged classic car photos.

Open with these settings Stain & Spot Remover

Water-Damaged 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

Water damage from a flooded basement, a burst pipe, a leaking roof or a damp garage, 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 water damage has taken the detail from
Water-damaged classic car photos that a copy shop refused to touch
A water-damaged car photo needed for a memorial, an anniversary or a reprint

Suggested order of passes

01
Remove the water damage
Stain & Spot Remover targets brown tide lines, blotches where the emulsion swelled and prints stuck face to face or to the album sleeve while keeping the chrome trim, the badge and the license plate in the car photo untouched.
Stain & Spot Remover
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 water damage 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 water damage 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 water damage repair, with the shape of the water-damaged classic car photos unchanged.
Image Upscaler