How to Remove Dust & Scratches: Photo Restoration

Photo Editing  •  Photography Tips

Old family photos, scanned film, or even shots from dusty camera gear often come with visible imperfections—scratches, dust spots, and surface damage that distract from the image itself. With Photo AI 4’s brand-new Dust & Scratch tool, you can now restore these photos quickly and accurately using AI—without losing the original character of the image.

This tool is the first AI model of its kind, built to intelligently repair surface-level damage while preserving texture, tone, and detail. Whether you’re digitizing photo archives or touching up a flawed image from your last shoot, Dust & Scratch makes high-quality restoration simpler than ever.

Let’s walk through how to use it.

🔧 Step-by-Step: Repairing Your Photo

1. Open Photo AI 4

Launch the latest version of Photo AI on your desktop. You can choose to run it locally or in the cloud depending on your system performance or preference.

2. Import the Damaged Photo

Click “Import” and load a photo that shows visible signs of:

• Dust particles
• Scratches or scuffs
• Film grain issues or surface blemishes

These could come from scanned prints, older negatives, or even newer photos affected by environmental conditions.

3. Apply the Dust & Scratch Tool

Select the Dust & Scratch enhancement from the sidebar. This tool scans the image to detect and correct widespread imperfections across the entire frame.

✅ Pro Tip: This works best as an initial global fix before zooming into finer areas.

4. Use the Healing Brush for Finishing Touches

After the main AI model does its work, switch to the healing brush for any detailed edits. This tool is intuitive and fast—just paint over stubborn marks or areas where you want more precise control.

Use a smaller brush size for tight corners or near facial features to avoid overcorrection.

5. Stack Additional Enhancements (Optional)

To take your restoration even further:

• Add Super Focus v2 to improve clarity and edge detail
• Run Recover Faces to enhance facial features and bring portraits back to life

These enhancements work beautifully in tandem with Dust & Scratch, especially on older or low-resolution images.

Dust & Scratch in Photo AI 4 represents a leap forward in image restoration. What used to take hours of manual retouching can now be done in minutes—while still preserving the original soul of your photograph.

Whether you’re restoring a shoebox full of family memories or cleaning up a few flawed digital shots, this new feature is a powerful addition to your toolkit.

Try it Yourself:

The latest release of Photo AI (version 4) with the brand new Dust & Scratch tool introduces several powerful tools and improvements designed to enhance image editing capabilities. They are also offering it at $30 off today to celebrate the release if you want to check it out.

Deal ending soon: Photo AI Version 4 Launch Sale