How to remove scratches from a photo

Old family photos pulled from albums often have scratches, creases, and surface scuffs that cut across faces and important details. Scanned film negatives show linear scratches from dust in the scanner. Magic Eraser's AI traces and removes these marks while reconstructing the image content they damaged.

Last updated May 17, 2026

Why scratches are tedious to fix by hand con Magic Eraser

A scratch on a photograph is a physical disruption — it removes or displaces the photographic emulsion, leaving a line of missing image data. Unlike dust spots (which are point defects easily fixed with a spot-heal), scratches are long linear or curved paths that cross through varying textures, colors, and subjects. A single scratch across a face might cross skin, hair, eye, and background — each requiring different reconstruction. Manual repair means clone-stamping along the entire scratch path, sampling appropriate source texture for each section, blending the repair into varying tonal regions, and preserving fine detail (eyelashes, hair strands) that the scratch interrupted. A single long scratch across a detailed photo can take 15-30 minutes to repair properly. Magic Eraser's AI understands the scratch as a damage artifact separate from image content, traces its full path, and reconstructs the underlying detail from surrounding context.

Istruzioni passo passo

1. 1

   Upload the scanned photo

   Open Magic Eraser on web, iOS, or Android and upload the scanned photo with scratches. Scan at the highest resolution available (300+ DPI) for best results — higher resolution gives the AI more surrounding detail to reference during reconstruction. JPEG, PNG, and TIFF formats are supported.

2. 2

   Brush along each scratch

   Use the brush tool to paint over each scratch, crease, or scuff mark. Follow the scratch's path with a brush width that covers the full damage including any displacement halo on either side. For deep scratches with color fringing (common on color prints), widen the brush slightly beyond the visible damage. For multiple scratches, paint them all before tapping Erase to process everything in one pass.

3. 3

   Tap Erase and review

   The AI removes the scratch marks and reconstructs the underlying image — matching skin texture across faces, continuing hair strands through the repair, and blending tonal transitions naturally. Zoom to 100% to inspect the repair along the full scratch path. For very deep scratches that leave residual texture, a second pass cleans up the remaining trace. Export at full resolution.

Ideale per

• Scanned family photographs with surface scratches from handling and album storage
• Vintage prints with age-related surface damage including scratches, creases, and emulsion loss
• Film negative scans with linear scratches from dust particles in the scanner mechanism
• Photo restoration projects where scratches are the primary damage requiring repair
• Digitized slide collections with surface scuffs from years of handling and projection

Consigli per risultati migliori

Scan scratched photos at 600 DPI or higher — the extra resolution captures more surrounding detail for the AI to reference during reconstruction and makes the scratch itself more precisely defined for the AI to trace. Clean the scanner glass before scanning to distinguish photo scratches from scanner dust (dust spots appear in the same position across multiple scans, photo scratches move with the photo). For photos with dozens of fine parallel scratches (common on stored negatives), brush broadly across the entire scratched region rather than tracing each individual scratch. White or light-colored scratches on dark backgrounds are the easiest case because the AI has clear contrast to detect the damage. Dark scratches on light areas work well too but may need a slightly wider brush to capture any surrounding discoloration.

Domande frequenti

Can it fix deep creases and folds?

Yes. Creases and folds are structurally similar to scratches — linear damage with missing or displaced image data. Brush along the crease line and the AI reconstructs the content. Very wide creases (where the fold created a broad damaged area) may need a wider brush and occasionally a second pass for complete restoration.

Does it work on both color and black-and-white photos?

Yes. The AI handles both color and black-and-white photos. Color scratches often show as white or colored lines depending on the damage type, and the AI restores the correct color in the repaired area. Black-and-white scratches are typically white lines that the AI fills with the appropriate gray tone and texture.

Is scratch removal free?

Yes. Magic Eraser's free tier includes the brush tool for scratch removal with daily usage limits. Upload your scanned photo, brush the scratches, and export the restored image. Premium removes limits and enables batch processing for large photo restoration projects.