NiceLook.net
Restore and colorize old photos with AI
Scratches, stains, yellowing and torn corners: family photos wear out. NiceLook's Restoration module repairs them and can add colour, starting from a simple scan or a phone photo of the print. The 100 free sign-up credits let you restore your first photos without paying.
100 free credits (5 images) · no subscription · packs from €4.99
What AI can repair, and what it cannot
- Handled well: fine scratches, dust, stains, yellowing, faded contrast, small tears, slight blur.
- Harder: a face with a missing area, or a very blurry or tiny photo. The AI then rebuilds plausible details, which may not be the real ones.
- Colorization is an interpretation: the AI picks believable colours, not the actual ones. The colour of a dress or a car may differ from reality.
Digitising the photo: the step that matters most
- Use a scanner if you can: a flatbed scanner gives a sharper, undistorted image compared with a phone.
- With a phone: take the photo out of its frame and plastic sleeve, lay it flat near a window and hold the phone parallel to avoid a keystone effect.
- No flash, no glare: on glossy paper, one reflection wipes out a whole area of the image.
- Crop tightly around the photo while keeping its edges.
- Small prints: run them through the Upscale module first, then restore.
Restore and colorize step by step
- Sign up on NiceLook with Google: 100 free credits, no credit card.
- Open the Restoration module and upload your scan.
- State your choice in the instruction: “restore and keep black and white” or “restore and colorize”.
- Generate at 1K to judge the result, then at 2K or 4K if you plan to print.
- Compare with the original: faces, expressions, clothing details. Discard any version that changes a familiar face too much.
Options compared
| Tool | Free | Paid | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| MyHeritage | 10 free photos with watermark (unverified) | — | Genealogy-focused |
| Remini | 7-day trial (unverified) | ≈ $9.99/week (unverified) | Subscription |
| NiceLook | 100 credits (5 images at 1K), small badge then watermark | Packs from €4.99, no subscription | Restoration, colorization, upscaling |
Checked on 2026-10-10. “Unverified”: not confirmed on the official page. “—”: not checked.
For a single photo or a small family batch, paying per use avoids keeping a subscription running after the job is done: a 1K image costs €0.10 to €0.20 depending on the pack.
When NiceLook is not the right fit
For a whole album of several hundred photos, the lack of batch processing makes the job slow: each photo is processed one at a time. For a photo of great value (an archive, a historical document, the only portrait of a badly damaged ancestor), a professional restorer works by hand without inventing details, which is the safest choice. And if you need historically accurate colours, automatic colorization cannot guarantee them.
100 free credits on sign-up, no credit card, no subscription.
Try NiceLook for free →100 free credits (5 images) · no subscription · packs from €4.99
FAQ
Can I restore an old photo for free with AI?
Yes, for a few photos. NiceLook gives 100 credits on sign-up with no credit card, enough for 5 restorations at 1K. Free images carry a small badge, then a watermark, removed after your first credit purchase.
How do I colorize a black-and-white photo with AI?
Upload the scan to NiceLook's Restoration module and ask to “restore and colorize”. The colours are believable but remain an interpretation, not the real colours of the time.
Should I scan the photo or take a picture of it?
A flatbed scanner gives the best result. With a phone, remove the photo from its frame, lay it flat in daylight, avoid the flash and hold the phone parallel to the print.
Does AI change faces when restoring?
On a badly damaged photo, the AI rebuilds missing areas and can drift slightly from the real face. Always compare with the original and keep the most faithful version.