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Family & History

Restore old family photos

Fix scratches, sharpen and colorize.

The tools below run on your computer. Most of them are free, and the local work stays on your machine.

Images

Works offline · Free options

Real-ESRGAN sharpens and enlarges. We don't list a separate colorization model.

Your computer

Describe your computer

Pick the closest line. Office PC and Mini PC are estimates. Linux and a home server stay in the list. We guess the specs, then hide models that would not fit. The guess stays cautious.

I know the exact memory

3 results

Local or cloud?

Most tools here are free.

HONEST COMPARISON

Local or cloud: Restore old family photos?

Reviewed Oct 2026

  • Privacy: Local winsThe family scan stays with you
  • Cost: Local winsSharpening is free
  • Quality: Cloud winsFace tools rebuild more than an upscaler
  • Ease: Cloud winsA phone app is one upload

Local AI

Real-ESRGAN can sharpen an old scan. It does not rebuild a missing face or add true color.

  • Family photos stay on disk
  • Free to enlarge a faded scan
  • A reasonable first pass

Where it falls short

  • We do not list a colorization model
  • Faces and missing pieces stay wrong
See local tools for this task ↓

Cloud & apps

Remini, Photoshop and MyHeritage are stronger when the face itself has to be rebuilt.

Our take

Sharpen a private scan locally. Use a face or color tool when the photo has to look like a person again, and you accept the upload.

Choose local if…

  • You only need it sharper
  • The photo is private

Choose cloud if…

  • The face is the point
  • You want color

How to do it in 3 steps

  1. Open the model page and pick any app under Runs in, for example ComfyUI. Each app page links to that maker's own guide.
  2. Open the Real-ESRGAN page and check the traffic light for a few kinds of computer.
  3. Follow that official guide. This site does not add its own install steps.

Questions

Does this upload my files?
The local tools on this page don't upload your files. The cloud options in the comparison do.
What does it cost?
Most options are free. A few apps are a one-time purchase, and a few models need a computer with more memory.
What if it will not fit?
Use Check my computer, or turn on the lighter memory filters. A red light on the model page means the file is too big.

Not into local AI? Try these instead

Ordinary apps for family & history. These are normal links to the maker's site.

  • Family Tree Maker

    Desktop software for a family tree, sources, and charts.

    Family Tree Maker

  • Gramps

    A free genealogy program you keep on your own computer.

    Gramps

  • Ancestry

    Records and a shared family tree you search in a browser.

    Ancestry

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