Repair Scratches & Creases in
Old or Damaged Photos
Paint over scratches, creases, tears, and dust on old or damaged photos. AI reconstructs only the marked area — the rest of your photo stays pixel-perfect. Free, no signup required.
Drop your old photo here
or click to browse · JPG, PNG, WEBP · Max 10 MB · 3 free/day · No signup
Upload Your Photo
Upload any old, scanned, or damaged photo — JPG, PNG, or WEBP up to 10 MB.
Paint the Damage
Use the brush to mark scratches, creases, tears, or dust spots directly on the photo.
Download Repaired Photo
AI reconstructs only the marked area, preserving full quality everywhere else.
Perfect for repairing
Why Scratch Repair Is Different from General Restoration
Grain, fading, and blur affect the whole photo evenly — a scratch, crease, or tear is localized damage. Running a whole-image restoration model on a photo with a crease across someone's face can soften detail everywhere just to smooth over one line. imgmend's scratch repair works the opposite way: you paint exactly where the damage is, and AI inpainting reconstructs only that region from the surrounding pixels — every other pixel in your photo stays untouched, at full original resolution.
This is the same targeted-inpainting technology imgmend uses for watermark removal, applied to physical photo damage instead of a logo or text overlay.
Common Damage This Fixes
- Scratches — thin lines from handling, storage, or a damaged scanner bed.
- Creases and folds — visible lines from photos that were bent, folded, or carried in a wallet.
- Small tears — torn corners or edges where part of the image is missing.
- Dust and specks — scan artifacts from dust on the print or scanner glass.
- Stains and small holes — localized water damage, mold spots, or pin holes.
Repair Scratch vs. Restore Old Photo — Which Should I Use?
| Your photo has… | Use this tool |
|---|---|
| A specific scratch, crease, tear, or spot | Repair Scratch (this page) |
| Overall fading, grain, or scan softness | Restore Old Photo |
| Both — general fading plus a specific tear or crease | Run Restore Old Photo first, then Repair Scratch on the result |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I repair a scratch or crease in a photo for free?
Go to imgmend.com/repair-scratch — no account needed. Upload your photo, paint over the scratch, crease, or damaged area with the brush, click Repair Marked Areas, and download the result. Free for 3 repairs per day, processing takes 20–40 seconds.
Will this change the rest of my photo?
No. Only the pixels you paint over are reconstructed by AI — everything outside the brush strokes is your original photo at full, untouched resolution.
What kinds of damage can it fix?
Scratches, creases and folds, small tears, dust spots, stains, and small holes. For heavier, whole-photo degradation like fading or film grain, use the Restore Old Photo tool instead — the two are designed to work together.
Do I need to sign up or install anything?
No. Upload your photo directly at imgmend.com and download the result — no account, no email, and no software installation required.
What if the damage runs across a face or complex detail?
Paint as tightly around the damage as possible rather than covering large areas. The underlying AI is generative — on a small, narrow selection it reliably continues the surrounding photo, but on a large masked area it can invent plausible-looking content that was never in your original photo. To keep results accurate, the tool blocks selections larger than about 15% of the photo — if you hit that limit, clear your marks and paint a narrower path along just the visible damage instead of a broad area.
Is my uploaded photo private?
Yes. Photos are processed to generate your result and are not stored or shared. See the FAQ page for full details on data handling.