Repair Damaged Photos
Paint over tears, stains, creases and missing spots, and the marked areas are filled in from the surrounding picture.
- Brush and eraser
- Undo, redo and zoom
- Soft edges
Classic image processing Marked areas are filled by inpainting, a classic image-processing method that spreads nearby pixels into the gap. It is not generative AI, and it cannot recreate a missing face or object.
Choose a photo
Before
After
Repair Damaged Photo workspace
Drop your photo here
or choose a file · on a phone you can take a photo or pick one from your gallery
Paint over the damaged areas
Cover every tear, stain or spot you want filled. Paint a little beyond the edge of the damage.
Nothing marked yet.
Filled-in areas are estimates made from the surrounding pixels. They can look plausible without matching what was really there.
Ready
Working
Preparing your photo…
- Uploading
- Waiting in line
- Processing
- Loading the result
Most photos take under a minute. Larger photos and busy times take longer.
Finished
Compare the result
Drag the divider or use the arrow keys to compare. Zoom in to check fine detail; when zoomed, drag the picture or use the arrow keys on it to move around.
That did not work
What to expect
- You must mark the damaged areas with the brush before repairing.
- Small and medium damage on plain backgrounds repairs best; large holes over faces or detailed patterns look smeared.
- Filled-in areas are estimates made from the surrounding pixels. They can look plausible without matching what was really there.
Your photo is processed on a2z.tools servers. No third-party AI provider receives it, it is not used for training, and the upload and result are deleted automatically 60 minutes after processing finishes.
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What Repair Damaged Photo does
Tears, stains and creases cover part of the picture, so the pixels underneath are gone. Repair Damaged Photo lets you mark exactly what is damaged, then fills those areas from the parts of the photo around them. It works best on small and medium damage over plain areas.
You mark, the tool fills
The mask editor shows your photo with the areas you paint in red. The brush size stays the same on screen as you zoom, so you can zoom in to trace a thin crease precisely and zoom out for a large stain. The eraser removes marks, undo and redo step through your last 40 changes, and the mask is sent at the photo's full resolution.
When you repair, each marked area is filled by inpainting. Telea inpainting spreads colour inward from the edge of the mark and suits most spots and small holes. Navier-Stokes inpainting follows the direction of nearby edges and can suit long creases. Edge softness blends the boundary of each repair into the photo.
Estimates, not recovery
Whatever was under a tear is not in the file, so the fill is a plausible continuation of the surroundings. On a plain wall or sky it can be hard to spot. Across an eye, a line of text or a patterned dress it will look smooth and wrong. Repair those in several small steps, and keep the original scan.
When to use it
- A crease or fold line across a scanned print.
- Coffee, water or glue stains on a background area.
- A small torn corner or hole over sky, wall or clothing.
How to use it
- Choose or drop the scanned photo.
- Paint over each damaged area with the brush, covering slightly beyond its edge.
- Zoom in to check the edges of each mark, erase mistakes and use undo if needed.
- Adjust the fill method, radius and edge softness under Advanced if required.
- Repair the marked areas, compare before and after, and download the result.
Limitations
- Large holes over faces, eyes, text or detailed patterns are filled with smooth estimates and look smeared.
- The fill cannot know what was under the damage; it continues the surrounding pixels.
- Marking is done by hand; the tool does not find tears or stains by itself.
- Very large masks take longer and give weaker results than several small repairs.
Privacy
Your photo and the mask you paint are processed on a2z.tools servers. They are not sent to any third-party AI provider and are not used for training. The upload, the mask and the result are deleted automatically about 60 minutes after processing finishes, and straight away if processing fails or is cancelled.
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Key facts
- You mark the damage with a brush; nothing is filled without a mask.
- Brush, eraser, adjustable size, undo and redo, zoom and pan, including pinch zoom on touch screens.
- Marked areas are filled by Telea or Navier-Stokes inpainting with an adjustable radius and soft edge.
- Classic image processing, not generative AI: it cannot recreate a missing face or object.
- Filled areas are estimates made from nearby pixels.
How to use it
- Choose or drop the scanned photo.
- Paint over each damaged area with the brush, covering slightly beyond its edge.
- Zoom in to check the edges of each mark, erase mistakes and use undo if needed.
- Adjust the fill method, radius and edge softness under Advanced if required.
- Repair the marked areas, compare before and after, and download the result.
Frequently asked questions
Why do I have to paint the damage myself?
Tears and stains look very different from photo to photo, and automatic detection would often mark real parts of the picture. Marking the damage yourself means only the areas you choose are changed. For thin scratches and dust, Remove Scratches from Photo can detect them for you.
How much should I paint over the damage?
Cover the whole damaged area and a few pixels beyond its edge, so no discoloured border is left for the fill to copy. Avoid painting over large areas of undamaged detail, because everything marked is replaced.
Can it rebuild a missing part of a face?
No. The fill continues nearby pixels, so a missing eye or mouth becomes a smooth patch of skin tone. Classic inpainting cannot know what a person looked like. Keep repairs on faces as small as possible.
What do fill radius and edge softness change?
Fill radius sets how far around each mark the method looks for colour; larger values suit bigger areas but can blur. Edge softness blends the boundary of each repair so there is no hard outline.
Is the repair mask sent at full resolution?
Yes. You paint on a scaled view for speed, and the mask is enlarged to the photo's exact width and height before it is sent, so marks line up with the original pixels.
Can I mark damage on a phone?
Yes. Draw with one finger, pinch with two fingers to zoom, and use the Move tool to pan without painting. A larger screen makes precise marking of thin creases easier.
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