Photoshop How To

Just about everyone has boxes and albums of old photos with scratches, dust spots, and faded colors that are in desperate need of repair. It doesn't really matter if these damaged prints are from the old days of shooting film, or "heirloom" images of your family, ancestors, or friends. In any case, all precious memories deserve a new lease on life.

This video from the popular Digital Photo Mentor YouTube channel explains everything you need to know for restoring the original luster to old photographs that have seen better days. Best yet, the techniques described only require  a basic understanding of image-editing methods and no prior restoration skills are needed.

Canadian pro Darlene Hildebrandt says she's "dedicated to helping beginner and intermediate photographers improve their work with simple in-camera and post-processing tutorials." So follow along as she guides you through her straightforward process of restoring all those cherished photos you have awaiting attention.

Hildebrandt covers a lot of ground in this step-by-step guide to help you transform neglected photos into vibrant beautiful images that you'll be proud to share with family and friends. You learn how to address common challenges like fading color and unbalanced exposure with confidence and precision.

Fixing scratches, tears, and other imperfections are also part of this step-by-step guide and you'll see how easy it is to leverage the Generative Fill tool to reconstruct missing parts of a photo. Photoshop's Neural Filters can also play a big roll during a rehabilitation project and Hildebrandt demonstrates when and how to use these tools for this and other image-editing tasks.

By following along and diving into the art of photo restoration you'll ensure that your treasured old photos are brought back to life in stunning detail. Then take a look at Hildebrandt's instructional YouTube channel where there's much more to learn for photographers of all skill levels.

We also suggest checking out the tutorial we featured recently from another accomplished pro who demonstrates everything you need to know for unlocking the power of Photoshop's new Adjustment Brush tool.