The cake photo
The candles, the kitchen, and the faces around the table come back without losing the feeling of the original.
Torn old print
Faces and candles restored
For albums, shoeboxes and loose prints
Save the whole album. Restore the photos that matter.
Scan your prints and save each one, untouched, into a private family collection. Then choose the few that deserve real care — and have them faithfully restored, keeping both versions.
- Originals never overwritten
- Private by default
- You choose what to restore
Why save first
Every photo in the box is worth saving. Only a few are worth restoring.
Until now the choice was all or nothing: pay to restore everything, or close the lid and feel the quiet guilt of another year passing. Most albums lose to the cupboard.
PhotoScanRestore separates the two jobs. Every print you scan is saved untouched — a faithful record kept before any repair begins. Restoring is a deliberate choice, made photo by photo, for the ones worth framing and passing on.
How it works
From the cupboard to a collection.
Four calm stages, and you stay in control of every one.
Save the album
Scan each print with your phone. The untouched original is saved to your collection before anything else happens.
Choose your keepers
Browse what you’ve saved and mark the photos that hold the story — the wedding, the kitchen, the one everyone asks about.
Restore with care
We repair fading, tears and scratches — restoration built to keep the person recognisably themselves. One credit per photo, spent only when you say so.
Keep both versions
The original stays as you scanned it. The restored version sits beside it — ready to print, share privately, or simply keep.
Scanning happens in the iPhone app. Prefer the web? Upload scans you already have — and either way, our iPhone scanning guide shows how to capture prints without glare.
The restorations
Some photos deserve more than a scan.
These before-and-afters are real restorations from prints like yours. Drag the handle and study the faces — in every one, the damage lifts and the person remains.
Back in the garden
The people are easier to see, but it still feels like the same afternoon.
Faded family print
Faces and colour brought back
The living room photo
The cracks are repaired, the faces are clearer, and the memory still feels gentle.
Cracked old print
Faces gently restored
Restore one photo on the web
One photo, before you trust us with the box.
Our promise
Repair the damage. Keep the person.
Restoration here is careful, not cosmetic. Three promises hold on every photograph.
Repair, not reinvention
The work is repair — fading, tears, scratches, stains and soft focus. Glamour edits and modern makeovers are not what this is for.
The person stays the person
Face, expression, clothing, body and era should still feel like your family. If a restoration doesn’t feel like them, tell us and we redo it free.
Originals are never overwritten
Restoration never edits your saved scan. The restored photo is stored as a separate version, so you keep both.
- Private by default — only the people you invite can see your collection.
- No surprise charges — a restoration starts only when you choose it.
Trusted by families
Trusted with the photos families can’t replace.
Feedback from early users who started with one meaningful photo.
Seeing these memories clearer again... honestly, I'm just so happy we did this
Managed to digitize four generations of albums in a weekend. Such a huge weight off my shoulders.
Pricing
Scanning is free. Restoration is the craft you pay for.
Capture and save your scans first, then decide which photographs deserve the work. Each restoration uses one Photo credit — current packs and plans are on the pricing page.
Start on your iPhone
Scan the prints where they live, save the album as you go, and restore your keepers from the sofa.
Start on the web
Upload a scan you already have and see what careful restoration does — before you commit the box.
Every restoration is covered by the free-redo promise and a 7-day refund on paid plans.
FAQ
Questions families ask first.
- Your phone is enough. Capture prints in bright, even light with the phone held flat and parallel, and avoid flash. A flatbed scanner only earns its place for delicate, curled or very small prints.
- No — and that is deliberate. Every scan is saved untouched to your collection, and restoration only happens on the photos you choose, one credit at a time. You never pay for the whole box.
- The scan you save is not edited or overwritten by restoration. A restored photo is created as a separate version alongside it, so you keep both — the print as it survived, and the finished restoration.
- That is the whole point. Restoration is designed to repair photo damage while preserving identity, expression, clothing, body shape and era. If the result does not look like them, tell us and we will redo it free.
- Yes. Your library is private by default. Share albums or single photos only with the people you invite, and you can revoke access or delete your photos at any time.
- Scanning is free. Restoration is the paid craft: each restored photo uses one Photo credit, and current credit packs and plans are on the pricing page. Paid plans include a 7-day refund window.
- PhotoScanRestore runs as an iPhone app and in any modern browser. Scanning printed photos with the camera is an iPhone feature; on the web you can upload scans you already have. There is no Android app yet.
Do I need a scanner, or is my phone enough?
Is every photo I scan restored automatically?
What happens to my originals?
Will the restored photo still look like my relative?
Is my family's collection private?
How much does it cost?
What devices does it work on?
Field guides
Know-how for the box in front of you.
- iPhone photo digitizing guideLighting, angles, and export tips for clean phone captures.
- Restore old photosFollow a gentle workflow to brighten colours and soften visible damage.
- Old photo repairFix tears, cracks, stains, fading, and worn detail in one meaningful photo first.
- Digitize slides & negativesKeep film steady and evenly lit with items you already own.
- Phone vs scannerDecide when your phone is enough and when a flatbed helps.
- Photo restoration cost calculatorEstimate one photo, a small batch, or a family archive before paying.
When you're ready
The album has waited long enough.
Save it as it is today. Then restore the one photo your family always comes back to — and see how that feels.
Originals kept untouched · Restore only what you choose