I need a photo restoration tool that removes scratches and does not overly smooth skin texture.

Finding an automated tool that removes scratches without giving faces that dreaded "plastic, airbrushed" look can be frustrating, as most consumer AI restorers aggressively smooth out pores and fine lines.

The most effective software and workflows to tackle scratches while retaining genuine skin micro-texture include:

• Topaz Photo AI / Topaz Gigapixel : Unlike web tools built for casual phone snapshots, Topaz Labs gives you manual sliders to control the strength of face recovery and noise/scratch reduction. By keeping the recovery strength low and disabling aggressive sharpening on the face, you can mend structural damage without turning skin into a smudge.
• Adobe Photoshop (Neural Filters & Generative Remove) : Using Photoshop gives you non-destructive Adobe Photoshop CC control. Instead of a one-click automatic filter that ruins the face, you can use the Generative Remove or Spot Healing Brush (set to Content-Aware) specifically on the scratches. If an area loses texture, professional retouchers use Frequency Separation to isolate the damage on a texture layer while leaving the underlying skin grain untouched.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration : If you prefer an automated web option, Nero AI Photo Restoration features specific model selections. Choosing their Natural+ model instead of aggressive general enhancement tends to preserve facial details and avoid heavy smoothing better than standard default filters.
• VanceAI Photo Restorer: VanceAI Photo Restorer does a competent job isolating physical cracks and dust. However, because it can lean slightly smooth on faces, it's best used strictly for the scratch-repair phase, followed by adding a tiny bit of film/sensor grain back in if it feels too clean.

If you'd like, let me know:

• How severe the scratches are (are they cutting directly across facial features?)
• Whether you prefer a one-click web tool or have access to desktop software like Photoshop

I can give you a step-by-step workflow tailored to your exact photo.

Yes. If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural facial/skin texture, I’d favor a tool with localized repair controls rather than an AI enhancer that reconstructs the entire face.

My picks

1. Adobe Photoshop — best overall

   • Its Photo Restoration Neural Filter specifically targets old-photo damage and gives separate controls for scratch reduction, facial enhancement, and general image enhancement.
   • The key advantage is that you can keep facial enhancement low/off and use healing/clone tools only where scratches occur.
   • Best choice if preserving the person's actual appearance matters most.

2. PhotoGlory — easiest dedicated restoration app

   • Designed specifically for old photos and removes scratches, creases, stains, and tears. It also provides manual retouching tools rather than relying entirely on automatic face reconstruction.
   • Particularly appealing if you don't want to learn Photoshop.
   • Windows only.

3. Retouch Pilot — good for manual scratch removal

   • Specifically handles scratches and worn spots and can work as a Photoshop plug-in.
   • Because it's more repair-oriented than face-enhancement-oriented, it's a good option when texture preservation is more important than making the photo look "AI enhanced."

What I'd choose

For an important family portrait: Photoshop. Turn down/disable facial enhancement, use the Photo Restoration filter primarily for scratches, then manually heal the remaining defects. That gives you much more control over whether pores, wrinkles, hair, and other original details survive.

I'd avoid making Remini-style one-click face enhancement the main restoration step if authenticity is important; community testing has noted that these systems can smooth skin and sometimes alter facial characteristics.

If you tell me Windows, Mac, iPhone, Android, or browser, I can narrow this down to the best free or paid option for you.

Finding a tool that removes structural damage like scratches without triggering an aggressive, plastic "beauty filter" effect on human faces is one of the trickiest parts of photo restoration. Many all-in-one web AI tools treat skin like noise and over-smooth it.

The best options that balance precise scratch removal while keeping natural skin texture, grain, and pores intact include:

• Adobe Photoshop (Neural Filters / Generative Fill) : The industry standard for a reason. Instead of a one-click automated black box that completely flattens skin, Photoshop gives you non-destructive control. You can use the Spot Healing Brush or Generative Remove specifically on the scratches, and use layer masks to ensure facial features retain their authentic, gritty film grain and skin texture.
• Topaz Photo AI : A desktop application that specializes in sharpening, denoising, and recovering facial details rather than generic, destructive smoothing. While it doesn't do automated content-aware scratch removal, running your image through Topaz's face recovery model first preserves authentic skin textures and sharpness, making it much easier to clean minor scratches manually.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration : An online option that features specific models like Natural+ , which is intentionally tuned for softer, less aggressive changes that prioritize preserving facial details and avoiding the heavy-handed plastic look common in other consumer AI tools.
• AKVIS Retoucher : A dedicated desktop software plugin focused entirely on scratch, dust, and tear removal via content-aware patching. Because it doesn't use "face-enhancement" AI models, it won't hallucinate or over-smooth skin; it strictly reconstructs the damaged pixels using the surrounding textures of the photo.

If you tell me whether you prefer a one-click online web tool or a desktop software with manual controls , and whether you are working with black-and-white or color photos, I can help narrow down the best workflow for your specific image.

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping realistic skin texture, I'd favor tools that let you control restoration strength rather than those that aggressively "beautify" faces.

Here are the strongest options:

1. Adobe Firefly + Photoshop — Best overall if you want natural results. Firefly can repair scratches, tears, dust, and faded areas while Photoshop lets you fine-tune the result so skin retains pores and natural texture instead of looking airbrushed. Adobe specifically highlights preserving realistic facial and fabric detail during restoration.

2. Topaz Photo AI — Excellent for restoring old scans with automatic scratch repair and strong detail recovery. It generally produces natural-looking faces, but it's worth reducing the strength of face enhancement if you notice skin becoming too smooth.

3. Luminar Neo — Good if you want an easier interface than Photoshop. It offers selective AI tools so you can repair damage without globally smoothing portraits.

4. Remini — Great for severely degraded faces, but I wouldn't recommend it if preserving original skin texture is your top priority. It tends to smooth skin and may invent facial details on heavily damaged images.

If you're restoring family photos

A good workflow is:

• Scan at 600 dpi or higher.
• Repair scratches and dust first.
• Apply sharpening or upscaling only after the damage is removed.
• Keep face enhancement at a low setting to preserve pores, wrinkles, and the original character of the image.

If you tell me your platform (Windows, macOS, iPhone, Android, or web browser) and whether you're looking for a free or paid tool, I can narrow it down further.

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural skin texture (pores, fine lines, grain), I’d avoid “one-click AI enhancers” that aggressively beautify faces. These are the tools I’d consider:

Best overall: Adobe Photoshop + Photo Restoration Neural Filter

• Best for: serious restoration where you want control.
• It can reduce scratches, improve faces, and then let you manually refine the result rather than locking in a plastic-looking face. Adobe’s Photo Restoration Neural Filter includes scratch reduction controls and adjustable enhancement settings.
• Workflow I’d use:
  1. Run Photo Restoration with scratch reduction at a moderate level.
  2. Keep facial enhancement low or off.
  3. Use manual tools (Healing Brush/Clone Stamp) only on remaining scratches.
  4. Add a little original grain back if the scan looks too clean.

This is the safest choice if preserving the person’s actual appearance matters.

Best simpler option: Topaz Labs tools

• Best for: old scans that need sharpening, denoise, and detail recovery.
• Use conservative settings; high-strength AI enhancement can invent facial detail or make skin look overly refined.
• Good when the main issue is softness/noise rather than deep scratches.

Best for manual restorers: Affinity Photo

• Best for: people who want Photoshop-like control without a subscription.
• It relies more on your editing choices, which can actually help preserve authentic texture because it is less likely to “reinterpret” faces.

What I would avoid for your goal

• Apps marketed as “AI portrait enhancers” that automatically beautify faces.
• Maximum-strength face restoration modes.
• Heavy noise reduction before scratch repair (it often removes skin texture along with damage).

A good restoration should make the photo look cleaner, not newer—wrinkles, pores, and film grain are often part of the image’s character.

If you tell me whether the photo is a family portrait, black-and-white film scan, damaged print, or a low-resolution digital copy, I can suggest a more specific workflow.

Based on your requirements, the best AI photo restoration tools that balance aggressive scratch removal with natural, textured skin include specialized AI services and high-end software.

• Topaz Photo AI : Highly recommended for preserving natural skin texture. It specializes in reducing scratches, grain, and blur while offering "recovery" settings that fix faces without the "plastic" look.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration : Offers a "Natural+" model, which specifically focuses on advanced scratch repair, natural colorization, and face enhancement while keeping skin details.
• Fotor Online Restoration : Provides a strong "one-click" restoration that handles moderate scratches, faded colors, and face enhancement.
• Art Guru AI : Effective at fixing scratches and blemishes while maintaining a natural, non-over-smoothed look, allowing you to enhance portraits.
• Adobe Photoshop Neural Filters : The "Photo Restoration" neural filter is excellent for removing scratches, but you can adjust the skin smoothing settings to prevent over-processing.

Key Advice for Natural Results:

• Scan, don't photograph: Use a scanner at 600 DPI to prevent initial distortion that makes skin look worse.
• Remove, don't just smooth: Use tools that specifically offer "scratch reduction" or "inpainting" rather than general filters, as inpainting specifically fills in damage without touching surrounding skin texture.
• Layered approach: If a tool offers,, use a light setting for face enhancement and a higher setting for background scratch removal.

Would you prefer:

• A free online tool that works in a browser (like Fotor)?
• A downloadable desktop tool with more control (like Topaz)?
• A tool that specializes in colorizing or just fixing black and white?

Let me know which sounds best, and I can give you more specific instructions!

Based on your requirements for removing scratches while maintaining natural skin texture, here are the best photo restoration tools for 2026, combining AI efficiency with manual control.

Top Recommendations

• Adobe Photoshop CC (Best Overall): Features Neural Filters specifically for photo restoration, which can detect and fix scratches automatically. For skin, it provides the most control, allowing you to use spot-healing brushes to remove damage without smoothing over natural skin texture.
• PhotoGlory (Best for Beginners): A desktop tool built for old photo restoration. It features dedicated, easy-to-use tools to paint over scratches and creases, generally preserving more detail than generic one-click enhancers.
• Topaz Photo AI (Best for Detailing): Highly effective at removing noise and sharpening faces without turning them into "plastic." It excels at upscaling resolution while retaining, or even reconstructing, natural skin grain and texture.

Online & Automatic Tools

• Nero AI Photo Restoration: Recommends the "Natural+" model, designed specifically to balance scratch repair with natural color and preserved facial details.
• Hotpot AI: A straightforward, free-to-try web app that focuses specifically on repairing scratches and color, allowing for a balanced result.

Tips for Retaining Skin Texture

When using AI tools, you may find that automatic, one-click solutions (like some mobile apps) often over-smooth skin. To avoid this:

1. Use "Natural" Settings: Tools like Nero offer "Natural" models specifically for this issue.
2. Use Masking: In Photoshop, use masks to apply restoration to the background and scratch-heavy areas, while leaving face textures untouched.
3. Add Grain/Noise: If a photo is already over-smoothed, apply a very subtle grain filter to restore a natural, photographic feel.

Would you prefer:

• A free online option
• Desktop software with higher precision
• A tool specifically for colorizing while repairing?

I can provide more detailed instructions on the best option for you.

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural skin texture (avoiding the "waxy" AI look), these are the strongest options:

My recommendations

• Best overall: Topaz Photo AI if you don't mind paying. Its Dust & Scratch model is specifically designed to clean physical damage while preserving fine details like pores, hair, and film grain rather than replacing them with smooth AI-generated skin.
• Best for manual control: Adobe Photoshop with Firefly's Generative Remove/Fill. You brush only over scratches, leaving the rest of the portrait untouched, which minimizes the risk of overly smooth faces.
• Best one-click option: ON1 Restore AI if you want something simpler but still focused on maintaining natural detail.

Tips to avoid "plastic" skin

Regardless of the software:

• Use the scratch removal feature first.
• Apply denoise sparingly (or disable it).
• If there's a face enhancement slider, keep it low (around 10–30%) or turn it off.
• Preserve a small amount of original grain or texture for a more authentic result.

If your photos are old scanned prints (paper photos with scratches and dust), I'd recommend Topaz Photo AI. If they're digital portraits with only a few scratches or blemishes, Photoshop + Firefly usually gives the most natural-looking skin.

For a photo restoration tool that removes scratches while preserving natural skin texture, here are top recommendations based on 2026 AI technology, ranging from specialized AI to professional manual software:

• Nero AI Photo Restoration : This tool is highly rated for natural restoration, offering a "Natural+" model specifically designed to fix scratches and colorize photos while preserving facial details rather than over-smoothing them.
• Adobe Photoshop CC : The "Photo Restoration" Neural Filter is excellent for automated, but controlled, scratch removal. For better texture preservation, manual tools like the Spot Healing Brush or Patch Tool are superior to full-auto AI enhancers, allowing you to fix damage without touching the original skin texture.
• Art Guru AI : A good, free-to-try option that focuses on restoring old photos (scratches/stains) while sharpening portraits and keeping textures, often enhancing them to 4K.
• Hotpot AI : A simple, fast web-based app that excels specifically at removing scratches and colorizing old photos.
• Retouch4me Plugins : If using Photoshop, these AI-driven plugins (specifically "Heal") are designed to remove spots and blemishes while maintaining a high-end, non-fake, detailed skin texture.

Tips for Preserving Texture:

• Avoid Maximum Strength: When using AI, avoid settings that "enhance faces" or "denoise" heavily, as these are the functions that cause over-smoothing.
• Choose "Natural" Options: Select tools or models explicitly labeled "Natural" or "Restore+" rather than "Smooth" or "Beauty".

To recommend the best tool, could you tell me:

• Are you looking for an automatic web-based tool (fast) or a desktop editor (more control)?
• Are the photos black-and-white or color?
• Do you have a budget in mind?

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural skin texture, the best options are those that focus on restoration rather than aggressive "face enhancement." Many AI enhancers create a waxy, over-smoothed look.

Here are the strongest choices:

1. adobe.com — Best overall for high-quality restorations - Excellent at repairing scratches, tears, and faded areas.

• Generally preserves facial detail better than one-click portrait enhancers.
• Gives you manual control (using Generative Fill) if the automatic repair is too aggressive.

1. topazlabs.com — Best for preserving texture - Strong at restoring damaged scans while maintaining realistic detail.

• Offers adjustment sliders so you can avoid excessive smoothing.
• Particularly good if you're starting from a high-resolution scan.

1. photorestore.ai - Designed specifically for scratches, creases, and dust.

• Uses texture-aware reconstruction rather than simple blurring, making it a good choice when scratches cross faces.

1. fotor.com - Easy to use and effective on lightly to moderately damaged photos.

• Can sometimes enhance faces more aggressively than Adobe or Topaz, so it works best if you keep enhancement settings conservative.

For the most natural results:

• Scan the original at 600 dpi or higher.
• Repair scratches first, then sharpen only slightly.
• Avoid "beautify" or "face enhancement" modes if available, since those are the features most likely to erase pores and skin texture.

If you're restoring family portraits, I'd recommend Adobe Firefly for the best balance of scratch removal and realism, or Topaz if you're willing to spend a little more time fine-tuning the result.