How to restore old family photos for genealogy without uploading them

By David Balderston, developer of Local Photo Restore

Written by David Balderston, the developer of Local Photo Restore, which this guide recommends for one step. Other tools are named where they do a job better.

Genealogy changes what “restoring” a photo means. For a slideshow, the best-looking version wins. For a family tree, the photo is evidence: who is in it, roughly when it was taken, what the handwriting on the back says. An enhanced copy can be lovely to share, but it is an interpretation. The steps below keep both, and keep them clearly apart.

1. Make a master copy and don’t edit it

Scan the print on a flatbed scanner, or photograph it with your iPhone in even daylight, phone parallel, no glare (capture checklist). This file is your master. Don’t crop it tightly, don’t filter it, and don’t replace it with a better-looking version later.

• Name it so it sorts. Something like Kowalski_Anna_c1948_wedding_MASTER.jpg: surname, given name, approximate year, subject, and the word MASTER.
• Capture the back of the print too if it has writing, a studio stamp, or a date. Name it to match (…_BACK.jpg).
• Write down what you know now, in the photo’s caption in Photos or in your tree notes: names, place, approximate date, who owns the print, and who told you. This is often worth more than any restoration.
• Back up the masters before you edit anything, to iCloud Photos, a drive, or both.

2. Restore a viewing copy on your device

Open the master in Local Photo Restore. Tap Enhance Photo if it is small or soft; the model is bundled in the app and runs on the device. Then use Auto Fix or the Remove Yellow Tint and Restore Contrast sliders for yellowed, faded color prints. Those two sliders rebalance color that is already in the photo and don’t add content. Drag the before/after divider and pinch in on faces and writing before you save.

Tap Save. The app adds the result to Photos as a new image and never overwrites the master. Because it is a new photo, give it a caption that points back to the master, and keep the original’s date and place in your notes rather than relying on the copy’s file details.

3. Label the enhanced copy

Put the word “enhanced” in the file name and caption, plus what was done: for example Kowalski_Anna_c1948_wedding_ENHANCED.jpg, captioned “Enhanced copy: yellow tint reduced, enlarged 4x on device, Nov 2026. Original: …_MASTER.jpg.” Future relatives, and you in ten years, will thank you.

Be careful with what an enhanced copy seems to show. Enlargement predicts fine texture, so a sharpened face, a crisp-looking date on a sign, or a readable name tag can be partly invented. Don’t use an enhanced image to decide who someone is, read a date, or settle a family argument. Go back to the master, and to other records. More on this: what AI restoration can’t do.

4. What to attach to your family tree

• Attach the master scan as the record, with the back of the print if it has writing, and cite where the print is kept.
• Add the enhanced copy only as a second, labeled image, if at all. Put “enhanced” in its title or description.
• Remember that a tree site is an upload. Anything you attach to Ancestry, FamilySearch, or MyHeritage is stored on that company’s servers under its terms, and may be visible to other members depending on your settings. Restoring on your phone first doesn’t change that. It only means the restoration step itself didn’t need an upload.
• Ask living people first. MyHeritage’s privacy policy, for example, says uploading photos of living individuals requires their prior consent, and a parent’s or guardian’s consent for minors. It’s a good rule on any site.

5. Share copies, archive masters

Share enhanced copies with relatives in a shared album; keep the masters in your archive folder. If a cousin sends you a “restored” photo, ask whether they still have the scan it came from, and save that too.

What Local Photo Restore won’t do for genealogy

• It doesn’t repair scratches, tears, stains, or missing corners, and it doesn’t colorize black-and-white photos. See options for damaged prints.
• It has no face-restoration model, so it won’t rebuild a tiny, blurry face the way MyHeritage Photo Enhancer or Remini can. That is a real limitation for crowded group photos.
• It edits one photo at a time. It can photograph one print with the in-app camera, but it doesn’t auto-crop multiple prints or organize them. It doesn’t store names, dates, or sources; keep those in Photos captions or your tree.

Alternatives, and when they fit better

• MyHeritage photo tools (Photo Repair, In Color, Photo Enhancer) if your tree is already on MyHeritage and the prints are damaged. Photos are uploaded, several are free, and a Complete subscription is needed after that.
• Photomyne for scanning whole albums: several prints per shot, automatic cropping, and names, dates, and the back of each print kept with the scan. Scans are backed up to its servers; AI repair costs extra credits.
• A flatbed scanner or scanning service at 600 dpi or more for fragile, valuable, or very large collections. See digitizing a family album.
• Apple Photos (free) for cropping, straightening, and basic light and color adjustments on the viewing copy.

Weighing whether to upload at all? What restoration apps’ privacy policies say about your photos.

Local Photo Restore (App Store name: Restore Old Photos: AI Enhance) costs $3.99 once in the U.S. App Store, with no subscription or in-app purchases. iPhone and iPad, iOS or iPadOS 18.2 or later. Price and version checked November 8, 2026.