Best Photo Repair Software of 2023

Pictures play a significant role in our lives. Every photo brings a different memory, reminding us of certain events, feelings, or people.

They are our ultimate connection to our past as they help document our life’s journey and preserve our history. But can we still fix damaged photos with crimped corners, faded colors, tears, water stains, and other issues due to the passage of time?

What about severely damaged jpeg files or corrupted photos during large file transfers? Is there a way to restore them?

Yes, we can! Thanks to technology, you can choose the best photo repair software to restore damaged photos without going to a skilled artist.

Best Photo Repair Software

With the correct photo repair tool, you don’t have to be a professional artist or photographer to restore damaged pictures.

Since most desktop users favor a Windows PC by 76% over Mac, all the software we have on this list works well with Windows. With that said, here’s a quick summary of what you can expect from each of the photo restoration software that you can use at home:

1. PhotoGlory

PhotoGlory is an intuitive and easy-to-use image editor without the learning curve, making it ideal for both newbies and pros. It features a semi-automatic workflow, allowing you to restore old photos with clarity, saturation, and contrast.

Turn a boring old photo into a vibrant portrait by clicking PhotoGlory’s Colorize feature, and see the changes automatically.

It also allows you to edit multiple photos at once by choosing the Batch Processing mode on its interface. You also have the option to input your artistic touch by adding different caption styles and color modifications for easy social media posting.

As one of the best photo repair tools today, PhotoGlory allows you to erase unsightly creases, scratches, stains, and other flaws. You surely can quickly repair damaged photos with a click using a vast array of automatic tools and get professional-level restoration results.

This software is compatible with Windows operating system versions 11, ten, eight, and seven.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Manual and semi-automatic functions
• Excellent colorization feature
• Lifetime license
• Free technical support

Con:

• Not compatible with macOS

2. FileRepair

FileRepair is the best photo restoration software to recover and restore corrupted documents, pictures, and other media files. It offers over 40 software to repair or recover files damaged by application failures, network errors, system crashes, or virus infections.

Each FileRepair software title allows you to scan any damaged file formats, remove most corrupted data, and create a more usable record. It also has dedicated services for repairing various file formats, including emails, JPG, JPEG, Photoshop, and PDF.

On the other hand, its data recovery software lets you retrieve damaged files from mac or Windows systems. Its free demo version features undelete and unformat functions, allowing you to fix small files of up to 256 kilobytes each.

Pros:

• Easy-to-use interface
• Excellent repair software for multiple file formats
• Compatible with Windows
• Supports different image files

Cons:

• Does not support macOS
• Can only work on one picture at a time

3. Stellar Repair for Photo

The Stellar repair software for photos is one of the best in the market today to help restore corrupt images. It can repair raw camera image files or recover corrupted photos from contaminated media.

The software can also repair multiple images in various formats simultaneously, making it faster to finish the task. You can quickly repair saved photos from all digital storage devices and those pictured with action cameras, DSLRs, smartphones, or tablets.

The Stellar repair software can fix raw images from your camera and save them into JPEG files or restore corrupted JPEG files. You can also preview repaired photos before deciding whether to save them or continue fixing them.

If your photos are severely corrupted, Stellar can remove the embedded thumbnails without damaging the visual preciseness of the pictures. You only need simple steps to use the Stellar repair software for photos: add a file, repair, preview, and save.

It can also fix photo corruption issues, such as blurry, faded, fragmented, grainy, greyed-out, inaccessible, or pixilated images.

Lastly, the software uses sample files to fix severely corrupt JPEG photos. It’s an advanced repair option using a working JPEG file from the device where the damaged photos came from.

Pros:

• Allows batch repair functionality
• Provides preview after repair
• Uses advanced fixing option via sample files
• Compatible with Mac and Windows systems
• Offers flexible saving options

Con:

• No saving option in the free trial version

4. Wondershare Repairit

Repairit by Wondershare is another powerful tool, well-known globally, for fixing corrupted files quickly and effortlessly. It has advanced features that can restore minor or severely damaged files regardless of how they got corrupted.

It can repair the grey area from a photo with a complete data structure, fix pixelated images, and open incomplete photo data format.

With Repairit’s batch repair feature, you can fix multiple images simultaneously, increasing your overall work productivity. Also, you can double-check your repaired photos and make additional adjustments to ensure they are within your standards before altogether saving them.

Wondershare Repairit is also an excellent software for repairing corrupted videos in various major file formats.

Plus, it has a user-friendly interface that allows you to choose the corrupted file and let the software do its repair process.

With this tool, you can enjoy free technical support 24/7 and a seven-day money-back guarantee. Moreover, Wondershare Repairit is compatible with both Mac and Windows operating systems.

Pros:

• Optimized user interface
• Easy to use
• Straightforward resources

Cons:

• No saving option in the trial version
• Expensive

5. Adobe Photoshop CC

Image Source

Who has not heard of Adobe Photoshop when it comes to photo editing? It’s specialized software for restoring old pictures for decades.

Its latest version continues the software’s tradition of providing powerful tools for editing images in various file formats.

Adobe Photoshop is ideal for those looking for software with the best editing capabilities following industry standards.

In addition to the powerful editing options, the software provides excellent file support, creative cloud integration, a customizable interface, and GPU acceleration.

Photoshop’s general design principle is a clean and effective dark gray background, allowing your work to pop out. To lessen the program’s complexity, Adobe made Photoshop’s interface fully customizable with several preset layouts called workspaces.

You can use a workspace for its purpose or as your starting point for your customized interface as you add or remove your work panels. You can even add your customized interface to the list of preset layouts and save it for future projects.

Creative Cloud offers new features in the latest Photoshop version where you can quickly access your most recent file upon loading the program. You will also find quick tutorial links on how to use the software more efficiently.

Moreover, a useful search function connects you to the right resource for your task.

Regarding editing images, Photoshop still offers the smoothest experience among its competitors. The software offers several ways to achieve your desired outcome, from simple to complex tools; you need to find the one that works for you.

Everyone can use Photoshop’s wide range of features to edit and repair pictures to showcase their creativity. You can retouch and remix until you achieve a gorgeous image to post on your social media profiles and start building your brand.

Through this latest Photoshop version, you can easily change backgrounds, colorize a photo, remove unwanted objects, and combine images. Plus, the Creative Cloud is not just the new version’s name but a file-sharing workflow, making it easier to work on multiple devices.

Pros:

• Efficient
• Shareable files
• User-friendly interface
• Provides constant software updates
• Compatible with Mac and Windows systems

Cons:

• Requires learning curve for beginners
• Expensive subscription-based software

6. Picture Doctor

Picture Doctor is an excellent JPEG repair software that can quickly fix corrupted photos and PSD files. It allows you to save repaired files in BMP format, which you can change into another configuration later.

The software offers several advantages. First, it can recover images without losing their original color and dimensions.

Second, it can protect the layered data from your corrupted PSD file, and you can process multiple photos simultaneously.

With Picture Doctor, you can use your JPEG repair toolkit whenever needed.

Pros:

• Easy to use
• Simple user interface
• Repairs multiple photos at one time
• Fast processing
• Reliable results

Cons:

• Works in Windows OS only
• No trial version

How Do You Restore Damaged or Old Pictures?

Now that you have the best options for photo repair software, how can you restore your old or damaged photos efficiently?

We have some excellent tips for you to save your old corrupt photos in the digital world and preserve them for generations to come.

1. Scan the Old Photograph

The first step to repairing photos is to scan them and save them in digital form. Ensure that you have removed traces of dirt and dust before scanning.

2. Assess the Damage

Next, assess the severity of the damage to know the amount of work you need to repair the photograph.

Develop a plan to determine the type of corrections required for the restoration. You can start by fixing the overall image before focusing on the specifics.

3. Crop the Image

Crop the photo before proceeding to the repair process so you can focus on what you need to repair. Ensure to set the print resolution to your desired size for printing.

4. Fix Faded Colors

The most common issue of old photos is worn-out and faded colors. You can fix this using auto-color, auto-contrast, and auto-tone features.

If the photo still looks faded, try zooming in and make the darker features stand out by burning.

5. Use Noise Reduction, if Available

The noise reduction tool is the quickest way to reduce the imperfections on your grainy or scratchy picture.

6. Repair Damages

You will need a lot of patience to identify minor damages on a photo and be able to repair it. You must use several features from your image repair tool to restore damaged photos.

For Photoshop, you must combine the functions of the clone stamp, patch tool, and spot healing brush.

7. Preview and Make Corrections

After completing the repair process, try zooming in and checking the image from corner to corner, ensuring you have fixed every damaged part.

8. Print and Save

Once you have completed all the corrections, you can print it out to see how it looks physically and save it in digital form. You can even send a digital copy to your family and let them see the transformations you have made on an old photograph.

How To Avoid Photos From Being Corrupted

Before you go through the process of buying software to repair corrupt photos, what can you do to stop it from happening?

Here are some valuable tips that you can try:

• Take your time when downloading or transferring photos. Allow the computer to finish the task without interruption.
• Keep your photos organized in a centralized folder.
• Always have an external hard drive to back up your computer files, including photos.
• Ensure a consistent and steady power supply whenever you use your computer.
• Check your external storage devices for anything that can corrupt your files before using them.
• Save your digital photos to your cloud storage to prevent a shortage of space.
• Ensure that your photo viewer is compatible with your computer system.
• Always follow the correct way of ejecting and inserting your media storage.
• Avoid working on the original file format when editing a photo but make a copy instead.

What To Do if Recovered Photos Won’t Open?

There are many possible reasons a recovered photo will not open. For minor issues, you can try using the Paint application.

Paint is the most practical application you can use for your images. If you have trouble opening the photo, check their properties and save them in another format.

Open the photo in Paint, click File, then Save As, choosing the appropriate format different from what’s indicated in its properties.

What Is the Best Photo Repair Software?

We can all agree that photos are essential to our life’s journey; hence, we must preserve them. All of the software options we have here are excellent for both beginners and professionals.

If you are familiar with Adobe Photoshop, it is one of the best photo repair software on the market today. But if you are a newbie, you can choose any of the other tools from this list.