Restored Images

AI programs have brought miraculous restortation capabiliies with suprising speed to genealogists and historians. A variety of programs have been used here to illustrate their capabilities.

Damaged photographs, and documents, can easily be restored to their original or near-original condition. Tasks that took many hours by restoration experts can now be accomplished much quicker—with the right knowledge and training.

Types of damage that can be fixed 

• Scratches, tears, folds, blemishes.
• Missing pieces of the photograph or obscured portions of the image.
• Restore colors.  
• Photographs that have faded or become dark. 
• Torn photographs stitched back together.

See the Prompt descriptions for each sample and try one of these on your images. Different application may return a different 'look' of the same image and prompt.   

Note: All restored images are the property of Gary W. Clark and AI treatments were conductd by him. 

Examine Restored Images Closely

AI programs are not perfect, the can mistakes, and create dreaded 'hallucinations'. Here are some common image characteristics to examine closely. Then decide if it is 'good enough'.    

• Examine Faces - One of the most common problems (and complaints) is that the AI program substitutes some elses face. This can happen for a variety of reasons:  
• The submitted image was severely damaged.
• The submitted image is low resolution. 
• Or the AI program is just lazy! 
• Count the Fingers – Some early restorations have trouble with fingers on a hand. There were to many, to few, or misaligned.
• Check for Age – Sometimes a restored face may look younger than reality, though the process may reduce wrinkles & flaws.

Try Again 

• Try to use a higher resolution image.
• Add conditions to the prompt (e.g. use original faces)
• Use a different application