What is AI photo restoration and how does it work?

AI photo restoration uses deep-learning models to analyze an old, damaged, blurry, or faded photograph and rebuild the missing detail. Pinin's AI has learned from millions of images how faces, textures, and colors should look, so it can repair scratches, sharpen soft focus, correct color, and raise resolution automatically. You upload a photo, the AI does the work in seconds, and you download a restored version — no editing skills required. Try it now or browse real before-and-after examples.

Is my first photo restoration really free?

Yes. Your first restoration is completely free — no credit card, no trial countdown, no hidden fees. It's the easiest way to judge the quality on your own photo before you ever pay. After that, you can buy credits or subscribe on the pricing page.

What platforms does this service support?

Pinin is entirely web-based. Open your browser, go to the site, and start restoring — no downloads, no installs, no compatibility headaches. It works on any modern browser and any device with an internet connection, whether that's a laptop, a tablet, or a phone. There's currently no dedicated desktop or mobile app, and for a service people often use in emotional, one-off moments — finally restoring a late parent's photo, or digging through an old family album — that simplicity is a feature: one link, and you're in.

What types of photos can Pinin restore?

Almost any photo, from any era. That includes old family portraits, damaged wedding pictures, blurry childhood snapshots, faded color prints, scratched or water-damaged images, torn photographs, and low-resolution scans or digital files. Pinin works with both black & white and color photography.

How long does a restoration take?

Most restorations finish in about 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the size and complexity of the image. Processing is automatic and starts the moment you upload, so you'll usually have your enhanced photo back almost immediately.

What file formats and sizes are supported?

Pinin accepts all common image formats, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, and RAW files from most cameras. The standard upload limit is 50MB per image, with higher limits available on higher-tier and Enterprise plans. The system automatically optimizes processing based on your file type.

What does the All-in-one restoration mode do?

All-in-one is our recommended mode and the best choice for most photos. In a single pass, Pinin's AI removes scratches and surface damage, corrects and enhances color, sharpens fine detail, and upscales the resolution. It's the fastest way to fully revive an old, damaged, or faded photograph without picking individual settings.

How does AI photo colorization work?

The Colorization mode adds realistic, natural color to black & white and faded photos. The AI reads context, textures, and historical cues to predict accurate skin tones, clothing, and backgrounds. For the most striking result, run Colorization first, then restore the same image again with All-in-one to sharpen and polish it.

Can Pinin fix blurry or out-of-focus photos?

Yes. The Deblur + upscale mode sharpens blurry, soft, and motion-blurred images while raising their resolution at the same time. It reconstructs lost edges and detail, making it ideal for out-of-focus snapshots, camera shake, and low-quality scans.

How does resolution upscaling work?

Resolution upscaling increases the size and pixel detail of an image without changing its colors or content, enlarging small or low-resolution photos into high-resolution results that are perfect for large prints, framing, and archiving. It's the best option when your photo already looks good but is simply too small or soft to print.

Can Pinin remove dust, scratches, and surface damage?

Absolutely. The Dust & scratch removal mode targets dust, scratches, creases, and surface damage while preserving the original tones and character of the photo. It's ideal for physically damaged prints and aged scans where you want to clean up imperfections without altering the rest of the image.

Does Pinin support batch (bulk) photo restoration?

Yes. Bulk restoration lets you upload and restore many photos at once with your chosen mode, so you can revive an entire family archive or event album in one workflow instead of one photo at a time. Batch processing is available on paid plans.

What if AI restoration isn't enough for my photo?

For severely torn, missing, or complex photos where automatic AI isn't enough, we offer a hands-on manual photo restoration service. Our specialists perform museum-quality restoration and give you a free quote first, so you only pay once you're happy with the result.

What apps is Pinin commonly used alongside?

Pinin doesn't promote pairings with specific third-party apps — it's designed as a focused, standalone tool: you upload a photo, Pinin restores it, you download the result. From there, the finished photo is yours to use anywhere: printed and framed, added to a digital gallery, shared on social media, or dropped into a keepsake project. Pinin's job is to hand you back the best possible version of your memory; what you do with it next is entirely up to you.

Does Pinin integrate with other apps?

For individual users, there are no direct integrations with cloud-storage platforms (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) or social apps — the workflow is deliberately simple. The exception is the Enterprise plan, which includes webhooks and API support, giving business customers a way to connect Pinin programmatically into their own systems and workflows.

Does Pinin offer an API?

Yes — for Enterprise customers. API access isn't part of the Giotto (Personal), Botticelli (Professional), or Da Vinci (Studio) plans. It's included with the Enterprise plan, alongside webhook support, giving businesses the ability to plug Pinin's restoration engine directly into their own products and pipelines. If programmatic access is what you need, Enterprise is the plan built for it.

Does Pinin offer multi-user capability (teams)?

Yes — exclusively on the Enterprise plan, which includes team accounts. The Giotto (Personal), Botticelli (Professional), and Da Vinci (Studio) plans are built for individual use, so studios and organizations that need several people working under one account should look to Enterprise.

Can museums, archives, and businesses use Pinin at scale?

Definitely. Museums, libraries, archives, and businesses use Pinin for large-scale digitization and restoration through the Enterprise plan, which adds bulk processing, API and webhook access, team accounts, and a dedicated account manager.

How does the credit system work?

Each successful restoration uses one credit, and failed attempts never cost you a credit. Credits from one-time packages stay valid for 12 months, while subscription credits refresh every month. You can track your balance and usage anytime in your credits dashboard.

What payment methods do you accept?

We accept major credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), plus PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay through our secure processor, Stripe. Every transaction is encrypted and protected by industry-standard security.

We don't offer result-based refunds, but we do issue refunds for technical failures, downtime, errors, and service interruptions. Full eligibility details are in our refund policy.

Can I upgrade, downgrade, or get volume discounts?

You can change your plan anytime from your account settings — upgrades apply immediately with prorated billing, and downgrades take effect at your next billing cycle. For high-volume needs, the Enterprise plan includes bulk-processing discounts and custom pricing.

What resolution will my restored photo be?

Pinin upscales photos up to 4K resolution (around 4000×4000 pixels) while preserving quality. The exact output depends on your original image and chosen mode, and dedicated upscaling gives you the largest, sharpest results for printing and framing.

Can Pinin restore severely damaged or torn photos?

Yes. The AI is very good at rebuilding areas lost to tears, stains, water damage, and age — the more surviving context in the photo, the better the result. For extreme damage where automatic processing falls short, our manual restoration service gives your photo hands-on, specialist attention.

What should I do if a result isn't what I expected?

Try again at least once — Pinin uses a random seed, so results can vary noticeably between runs. We also encourage experimenting with different restoration modes to find the best fit for your photo. When AI genuinely isn't enough, our manual restoration service can take over.

How secure are my photos and personal data?

Privacy is a priority. Uploads are encrypted in transit, and images are stored on Cloudflare R2, giving you military-grade encryption. We don't keep your images permanently, never sell or share them with third parties, and never use them for AI training. Read the full privacy policy for details.

How long do you keep my restored photos?

Restored photos remain available to download for 30 days, then they're permanently deleted from our servers for your privacy. We recommend downloading your images soon after restoration — you can always revisit them in your restoration history while they're still available.

Do you use my photos to train your AI?

No. We never use customer photos to train our models. Your images are processed only for your restoration and then securely deleted, in line with strict data-handling practices described in our privacy policy.

Are there limits on the content I can upload?

You're responsible for having the rights to any photo you upload. Sensitive content such as nudity or violence may be flagged and refused by our system. See our terms and conditions for the full content policy.

Do I own commercial rights to my restored photos?

With any paid plan you receive full commercial usage rights: you can sell prints, use restored photos in marketing and publications, and include them in client or business projects. Free restorations carry personal-use rights only.

What's the difference between personal and commercial use?

Personal use covers family, social media, and non-commercial projects. Commercial use — included with paid plans — grants full rights for revenue-generating activities such as selling, publishing, and marketing, including in books, magazines, newspapers, and websites.

Can photography businesses and studios use Pinin for clients?

Yes. On paid plans, photographers and studios can restore client photos, deliver the results as part of their services, charge for that work, and feature it in portfolios or marketing. Studios needing multiple seats should use the Enterprise plan with team accounts.

Does Pinin offer guides, tutorials, and customer support?

Getting started is intentionally simple: pick a photo, let the AI restore it automatically, and download the result. Our blog adds articles on restoration technology and preservation tips, and a dedicated support page plus this FAQ cover getting started, features, billing, privacy, and commercial use. Support scales with your plan: Giotto (Personal) includes email support with a 48-hour response; Botticelli (Professional) adds priority support with a 24-hour response; Da Vinci (Studio) adds priority email plus phone support; and Enterprise includes a dedicated account manager.

How do I contact customer support?

Reach us through the contact form on our support page or via live chat. We typically respond within 24 hours on business days, with faster turnaround for higher-tier plans.

Why is my restoration taking longer than expected?

Processing time varies with image size, complexity, damage level, and current demand, but most restorations finish within 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If yours is taking much longer, contact us via the support page with your restoration ID and we'll look into it.

How do I report a bug or request a feature?

Send bug reports and feature ideas through the support page. Include what happened, your browser and operating system, and a screenshot if you can — it helps us reproduce and fix issues faster. We review all feedback and prioritize improvements based on what users need most.

Pinin FAQ — photo restoration questions answered

Frequently asked questions

Everything you need to know about our AI photo restoration service, billing, features, and how to get the most out of your restored memories.

Getting started

What is AI photo restoration and how does it work?: AI photo restoration uses deep-learning models to analyze an old, damaged, blurry, or faded photograph and rebuild the missing detail. Pinin's AI has learned from millions of images how faces, textures, and colors should look, so it can repair scratches, sharpen soft focus, correct color, and raise resolution automatically. You upload a photo, the AI does the work in seconds, and you download a restored version — no editing skills required. Try it now or browse real before-and-after examples.
Is my first photo restoration really free?: Yes. Your first restoration is completely free — no credit card, no trial countdown, no hidden fees. It's the easiest way to judge the quality on your own photo before you ever pay. After that, you can buy credits or subscribe on the pricing page.
What platforms does this service support?: Pinin is entirely web-based. Open your browser, go to the site, and start restoring — no downloads, no installs, no compatibility headaches. It works on any modern browser and any device with an internet connection, whether that's a laptop, a tablet, or a phone. There's currently no dedicated desktop or mobile app, and for a service people often use in emotional, one-off moments — finally restoring a late parent's photo, or digging through an old family album — that simplicity is a feature: one link, and you're in.
What types of photos can Pinin restore?: Almost any photo, from any era. That includes old family portraits, damaged wedding pictures, blurry childhood snapshots, faded color prints, scratched or water-damaged images, torn photographs, and low-resolution scans or digital files. Pinin works with both black & white and color photography.
How long does a restoration take?: Most restorations finish in about 30 seconds to 2 minutes, depending on the size and complexity of the image. Processing is automatic and starts the moment you upload, so you'll usually have your enhanced photo back almost immediately.
What file formats and sizes are supported?: Pinin accepts all common image formats, including JPEG, PNG, TIFF, BMP, and RAW files from most cameras. The standard upload limit is 50MB per image, with higher limits available on higher-tier and Enterprise plans. The system automatically optimizes processing based on your file type.

Restoration modes & features

What does the All-in-one restoration mode do?: All-in-one is our recommended mode and the best choice for most photos. In a single pass, Pinin's AI removes scratches and surface damage, corrects and enhances color, sharpens fine detail, and upscales the resolution. It's the fastest way to fully revive an old, damaged, or faded photograph without picking individual settings.
How does AI photo colorization work?: The Colorization mode adds realistic, natural color to black & white and faded photos. The AI reads context, textures, and historical cues to predict accurate skin tones, clothing, and backgrounds. For the most striking result, run Colorization first, then restore the same image again with All-in-one to sharpen and polish it.
Can Pinin fix blurry or out-of-focus photos?: Yes. The Deblur + upscale mode sharpens blurry, soft, and motion-blurred images while raising their resolution at the same time. It reconstructs lost edges and detail, making it ideal for out-of-focus snapshots, camera shake, and low-quality scans.
How does resolution upscaling work?: Resolution upscaling increases the size and pixel detail of an image without changing its colors or content, enlarging small or low-resolution photos into high-resolution results that are perfect for large prints, framing, and archiving. It's the best option when your photo already looks good but is simply too small or soft to print.
Can Pinin remove dust, scratches, and surface damage?: Absolutely. The Dust & scratch removal mode targets dust, scratches, creases, and surface damage while preserving the original tones and character of the photo. It's ideal for physically damaged prints and aged scans where you want to clean up imperfections without altering the rest of the image.
Does Pinin support batch (bulk) photo restoration?: Yes. Bulk restoration lets you upload and restore many photos at once with your chosen mode, so you can revive an entire family archive or event album in one workflow instead of one photo at a time. Batch processing is available on paid plans.
What if AI restoration isn't enough for my photo?: For severely torn, missing, or complex photos where automatic AI isn't enough, we offer a hands-on manual photo restoration service. Our specialists perform museum-quality restoration and give you a free quote first, so you only pay once you're happy with the result.

Platforms, API & integrations

What apps is Pinin commonly used alongside?: Pinin doesn't promote pairings with specific third-party apps — it's designed as a focused, standalone tool: you upload a photo, Pinin restores it, you download the result. From there, the finished photo is yours to use anywhere: printed and framed, added to a digital gallery, shared on social media, or dropped into a keepsake project. Pinin's job is to hand you back the best possible version of your memory; what you do with it next is entirely up to you.
Does Pinin integrate with other apps?: For individual users, there are no direct integrations with cloud-storage platforms (such as Google Drive or Dropbox) or social apps — the workflow is deliberately simple. The exception is the Enterprise plan, which includes webhooks and API support, giving business customers a way to connect Pinin programmatically into their own systems and workflows.
Does Pinin offer an API?: Yes — for Enterprise customers. API access isn't part of the Giotto (Personal), Botticelli (Professional), or Da Vinci (Studio) plans. It's included with the Enterprise plan, alongside webhook support, giving businesses the ability to plug Pinin's restoration engine directly into their own products and pipelines. If programmatic access is what you need, Enterprise is the plan built for it.
Does Pinin offer multi-user capability (teams)?: Yes — exclusively on the Enterprise plan, which includes team accounts. The Giotto (Personal), Botticelli (Professional), and Da Vinci (Studio) plans are built for individual use, so studios and organizations that need several people working under one account should look to Enterprise.
Can museums, archives, and businesses use Pinin at scale?: Definitely. Museums, libraries, archives, and businesses use Pinin for large-scale digitization and restoration through the Enterprise plan, which adds bulk processing, API and webhook access, team accounts, and a dedicated account manager.

Billing & pricing

How does the credit system work?: Each successful restoration uses one credit, and failed attempts never cost you a credit. Credits from one-time packages stay valid for 12 months, while subscription credits refresh every month. You can track your balance and usage anytime in your credits dashboard.
What payment methods do you accept?: We accept major credit and debit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), plus PayPal, Apple Pay, and Google Pay through our secure processor, Stripe. Every transaction is encrypted and protected by industry-standard security.
Can I get a refund?: We don't offer result-based refunds, but we do issue refunds for technical failures, downtime, errors, and service interruptions. Full eligibility details are in our refund policy.
Can I upgrade, downgrade, or get volume discounts?: You can change your plan anytime from your account settings — upgrades apply immediately with prorated billing, and downgrades take effect at your next billing cycle. For high-volume needs, the Enterprise plan includes bulk-processing discounts and custom pricing.

Output quality

What resolution will my restored photo be?: Pinin upscales photos up to 4K resolution (around 4000×4000 pixels) while preserving quality. The exact output depends on your original image and chosen mode, and dedicated upscaling gives you the largest, sharpest results for printing and framing.
Can Pinin restore severely damaged or torn photos?: Yes. The AI is very good at rebuilding areas lost to tears, stains, water damage, and age — the more surviving context in the photo, the better the result. For extreme damage where automatic processing falls short, our manual restoration service gives your photo hands-on, specialist attention.
What should I do if a result isn't what I expected?: Try again at least once — Pinin uses a random seed, so results can vary noticeably between runs. We also encourage experimenting with different restoration modes to find the best fit for your photo. When AI genuinely isn't enough, our manual restoration service can take over.

Privacy & security

How secure are my photos and personal data?: Privacy is a priority. Uploads are encrypted in transit, and images are stored on Cloudflare R2, giving you military-grade encryption. We don't keep your images permanently, never sell or share them with third parties, and never use them for AI training. Read the full privacy policy for details.
How long do you keep my restored photos?: Restored photos remain available to download for 30 days, then they're permanently deleted from our servers for your privacy. We recommend downloading your images soon after restoration — you can always revisit them in your restoration history while they're still available.
Do you use my photos to train your AI?: No. We never use customer photos to train our models. Your images are processed only for your restoration and then securely deleted, in line with strict data-handling practices described in our privacy policy.
Are there limits on the content I can upload?: You're responsible for having the rights to any photo you upload. Sensitive content such as nudity or violence may be flagged and refused by our system. See our terms and conditions for the full content policy.

Commercial use & licensing

Do I own commercial rights to my restored photos?: With any paid plan you receive full commercial usage rights: you can sell prints, use restored photos in marketing and publications, and include them in client or business projects. Free restorations carry personal-use rights only.
What's the difference between personal and commercial use?: Personal use covers family, social media, and non-commercial projects. Commercial use — included with paid plans — grants full rights for revenue-generating activities such as selling, publishing, and marketing, including in books, magazines, newspapers, and websites.
Can photography businesses and studios use Pinin for clients?: Yes. On paid plans, photographers and studios can restore client photos, deliver the results as part of their services, charge for that work, and feature it in portfolios or marketing. Studios needing multiple seats should use the Enterprise plan with team accounts.

Support & troubleshooting

Does Pinin offer guides, tutorials, and customer support?: Getting started is intentionally simple: pick a photo, let the AI restore it automatically, and download the result. Our blog adds articles on restoration technology and preservation tips, and a dedicated support page plus this FAQ cover getting started, features, billing, privacy, and commercial use. Support scales with your plan: Giotto (Personal) includes email support with a 48-hour response; Botticelli (Professional) adds priority support with a 24-hour response; Da Vinci (Studio) adds priority email plus phone support; and Enterprise includes a dedicated account manager.
How do I contact customer support?: Reach us through the contact form on our support page or via live chat. We typically respond within 24 hours on business days, with faster turnaround for higher-tier plans.
Why is my restoration taking longer than expected?: Processing time varies with image size, complexity, damage level, and current demand, but most restorations finish within 30 seconds to 2 minutes. If yours is taking much longer, contact us via the support page with your restoration ID and we'll look into it.
How do I report a bug or request a feature?: Send bug reports and feature ideas through the support page. Include what happened, your browser and operating system, and a screenshot if you can — it helps us reproduce and fix issues faster. We review all feedback and prioritize improvements based on what users need most.

Get the answers you need