Capture and preserve the best source
Clean the scanner glass, keep the print flat, and scan at a high resolution with light compression. When photographing a print, avoid glare, perspective distortion, and camera shake. Save the untouched master in a protected folder before making any edits.
Follow a conservative restoration order
Make basic corrections
Adjust brightness and gentle sharpening first. Use red-eye removal or selected-area repair only on clearly defined defects.
Identify the blur
Directional trails usually indicate motion blur. Uniform softness without a clear direction is more likely defocus blur.
Deblur with Restormer
Start at a lower strength and inspect eyes, hair, clothing edges, and text for halos or artificial texture.
Upscale with Real-ESRGAN
Choose 2× for most viewing and small prints. Use 4× only when the output genuinely needs to be larger and the source supports it.
Compare at 100%
Keep the original beside every enhanced version and verify identity details before accepting the result.
Understand what AI can recover
AI can generate convincing skin, hair, or fabric texture, but those additions are predictions rather than recovered historical facts. For archival, memorial, identity, or research use, always retain the source and label the enhanced copy.
Do not optimize only for sharpness: a slightly soft result that preserves the person and scene is often better than a crisp image with invented features.
Match the tool to the defect
| Problem | First tool | Advice |
|---|---|---|
| Image is dark | Brightness | Correct tone before judging detail |
| Slight softness | Sharpen | Use a small amount |
| Directional smear | Motion deblur | Start with low strength |
| Missed focus | Defocus deblur | Watch facial and text edges |
| Image is too small | AI upscale | Upscale after deblurring |
Frequently asked questions
Should I upscale before deblurring?
Usually deblur first, then upscale. This reduces the chance of enlarging the original blur.
Do I need the AI component?
Basic adjustments do not require every AI model. Restormer deblurring and Real-ESRGAN upscaling need the corresponding runtime and model.
Why can 2× look better than 4×?
When the source contains little information, a larger scale generates more speculative texture. Use the smallest scale that meets the display or print requirement.