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

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping real skin texture, I’d look at these:

1. Topaz Photo — probably my first choice for heavily scratched old photos. Its dedicated Dust & Scratch model is specifically designed for film scans and damaged prints, and the current v2 emphasizes preserving original detail.
2. ON1 Photo RAW / Restore AI — a good all-in-one option. Restore AI targets dust, scratches, wrinkles and tears while explicitly aiming to preserve surrounding detail.
3. Photoshop — best if you want maximum control over skin texture. For portraits, manually using Healing/Clone tools on the scratches lets you repair only the damaged pixels rather than letting an AI regenerate the whole face.
4. PhotoRepair — worth trying if you want something simple and online. Its scratch-removal mode specifically offers adjustable repair intensity and claims to preserve skin texture rather than producing smeared areas.

My pick

For old family portraits: Topaz Photo, using the Dust & Scratch model first and keeping face/texture enhancement conservative. For the most natural possible result: Photoshop, with localized Healing/Clone work. For quick, easy restoration: ON1 Restore AI.

I would avoid one-click “face restoration” apps as the primary step if authentic skin texture matters—they can reconstruct facial details rather than simply repairing the original photograph.

If you upload the photo here, I can also tell you which restoration approach I'd use for that particular image (fine scratches vs. deep scratches, fading, missing areas, skin texture, etc.).

For precise control over scratch removal without plastic-looking skin smoothing, Adobe Photoshop is the best choice because its manual healing tools and adjustable Neural Filters let you target damage while preserving natural grain and pores.

Top Photo Restoration Tools

Tips to Avoid Over-Smoothing

If you want, let me know:

• Would you prefer a free online tool or desktop software?
• Is the photo black and white or color?

I can give you a more specific recommendation or step-by-step instructions.

If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural skin texture, I’d shortlist these:

• Best overall: Adobe Photoshop — the safest choice if you’re willing to do a little hands-on work. Its Healing Brush/Clone tools let you repair scratches selectively instead of applying broad “beautification,” and you can keep skin texture intact. Photoshop also has a Photo Restoration Neural Filter, but I’d use it conservatively; aggressive enhancement can make faces look waxy.
• Best easy Windows option: PhotoGlory — specifically designed for old photos and removes scratches, stains, creases and tears. It combines automatic restoration with manual retouching, so you can avoid over-processing faces. It’s Windows-only.
• Best for more demanding restoration: SoftOrbits Photo Retoucher — its restoration workflow is designed to fill damaged pixels while leaving surrounding areas alone, and it has a separate face-reconstruction capability. A recent comparison specifically found it preferable to PhotoGlory for harder repairs.
• AKVIS Retoucher — worth considering if scratch/dust removal with texture preservation is the main job. It specializes in content-aware repair and is available as a standalone app or Photoshop plugin.

My recommendation

For an old family portrait where the face matters, I'd choose Photoshop if you want the highest-quality result. If you want something much simpler, PhotoGlory is the easier starting point.

The key is to avoid one-click face enhancement/upscaling. Use scratch removal separately, inspect the face at 100% zoom, and preserve the original layer so you can mask the restoration away from skin where necessary.

If you tell me whether you're on Windows, Mac, iPhone, or Android and whether you want free / one-time purchase / subscription, I can narrow it to the best 2–3 options.

To remove scratches from old photos while preserving realistic, un-plastic skin texture, you need a restoration tool that features granular control sliders over its AI-driven face recovery and smoothing engines. Fully automated web-based "one-click" restoration apps almost always completely wipe out skin pores and texture in an effort to clear grain.

The industry-leading software options offer dedicated "Dust and Scratch" AI filters paired with adjustable manual controls to perfectly balance scratch removal and texture preservation:

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• Features a dedicated Dust and Scratch removal algorithm that seamlessly isolates surface damage from real image details.
• Its powerful Face Recovery feature includes an adjustable strength slider, allowing you to dial down the AI reconstruction so it does not over-smooth or create an artificial, plasticky skin texture.
• Best for restoring fine facial details and handling heavy physical damage without sacrificing natural texture sharpness.

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• Features the powerful Camera Raw Filter which contains an AI-driven Blemish and Scratch Removal tool.
• It provides explicit "Amount" and "Fade" sliders, giving you the precise ability to automatically clear temporary blemishes and paper cracks while keeping native textures, moles, and freckles perfectly intact.
• Best if you want ultimate manual control over the restoration process using non-destructive smart layers.

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• Utilizes a specialized GenErase and Photo Restoration AI engine that reconstructs the background layer under scratches while actively preserving the surrounding natural pixel grain.
• Its separate Face AI and Skin AI modules treat portrait editing entirely independently from scratch removal, ensuring you can clear photo artifacts without triggering accidental facial smoothing.

Summary Comparison

If you would like to narrow down the right option, let me know:

• Are you looking to process a large batch of scanned photos or focus deeply on one specific image?
• What operating system (Mac or Windows PC) are you using?
• Do you prefer a one-time purchase software or are you open to a subscription?

Yes. Based on your specific requirement—remove scratches while retaining natural skin texture—I’d shortlist these:

1. Topaz Photo — my top pick. Its dedicated Dust & Scratch model is specifically designed for damaged/archival photos, and Topaz says the newer model focuses on cleanup while preserving original detail. It also has a separate Recover Faces tool that explicitly targets pores, wrinkles, hair, and eye detail.

2. PhotoRepair.app — easiest browser option. It specifically advertises scratch removal with texture preservation, including natural skin texture, and gives you a repair-intensity control rather than forcing a one-click makeover.

3. PhotoRestore.ai — worth testing for scratches crossing faces. Its scratch-removal system claims to distinguish scratches from film grain and has face-aware repair intended to reconstruct facial detail instead of smearing the skin.

4. Photoshop — best if you want maximum control. Adobe's Photo Restoration Neural Filter has separate scratch reduction and enhancement controls, and you can finish remaining scratches manually with the Healing Brush/Clone Stamp. www.adobe.com However, user reports have noted that aggressive scratch reduction can make photos too soft, so I'd favor a low setting and manual cleanup for faces.

My recommendation: Start with Topaz Photo if you're willing to use desktop software; try PhotoRepair.app if you want something quick in a browser. For an old family portrait where pores, wrinkles, and original film grain matter, I'd avoid tools that combine aggressive "face enhancement" with scratch removal in one pass.

Finding an AI photo restoration tool that fixes structural damage like scratches without treating a vintage face like a modern plastic selfie is tricky, as many general-purpose AI enhancers heavily over-smooth skin texture.

The best options that balance aggressive scratch repair with the preservation of natural skin grain, pores, and facial structure include:

• Adobe Photoshop (Neural Filters / Generative Fill) – The industry standard if you want granular control. Use the Photo Restoration neural filter, but crucially, keep the Face Enhancement slider low and adjust the Scratch Reduction manually. You can also combine it with the Spot Healing Brush for precise scratch cleanup without touching the skin underneath. Try it via the Adobe Photoshop workspace.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration – Offers specific processing models like Natural+ , which is explicitly designed to avoid the waxy, over-processed look by retaining softer, period-accurate colors and organic facial details while clearing out dust and scratches. You can test it on the Nero AI Photo Restore portal.
• Topaz Labs Photo Restoration / Topaz Gigapixel – Topaz is renowned for keeping realistic photographic noise and grain rather than smudging details into an AI painting. Their processing handles structural damage and blur while respecting the original material texture of the photo print. Check out their suite on Topaz Labs.
• PhotoGlory – A beginner-friendly desktop application dedicated strictly to vintage photo repair. It separates manual scratch-brushing from automated enhancements, giving you a tangible slider-based approach so you don't accidentally wipe away real skin texture. More details are available via PhotoGlory.

To help narrow down the best choice, tell me:

• Is the photo black-and-white or color?
• Do you prefer a free online tool , a desktop software , or a subscription like Photoshop?

For your priorities—remove scratches while keeping real skin texture—I’d start with Retouch4me Heal. It’s specifically designed to repair imperfections without replacing them with overly smoothed skin, and it can run as a Photoshop plugin or as a standalone/cloud workflow.

My picks

1. Retouch4me Heal — best for natural skin

   • Preserves original pores/skin texture rather than creating a plastic-looking surface.
   • Particularly good for portraits where scratches or blemishes cross faces.
   • You can reduce the effect afterward by lowering the layer opacity in Photoshop.

2. Adobe Photoshop — best if you want maximum control

   • Photoshop's Photo Restoration Neural Filter includes scratch reduction plus separate face/detail enhancement controls.
   • The advantage is that you can use AI for the initial restoration and then manually mask/reduce it wherever it starts altering genuine facial texture.

3. Retouch4me products — good pro workflow

   • Their tools are designed around keeping natural texture, with separate controls for healing, skin tone, dodge & burn, etc.

One important tip: I would not use a restoration app's maximum “face enhancement” setting on an irreplaceable old portrait. AI face reconstruction can invent or alter facial details. For old family photos, use the lowest restoration strength that removes the scratches, then manually repair the remaining difficult areas.

If you tell me whether you're on iPhone, Windows, or Mac, I can narrow this down to the best easy-to-use option (including free options) for you.

Finding a tool that removes physical damage like scratches without triggering aggressive "beauty filters" or turning faces into plastic is a common frustration with all-in-one AI photo restorers. Most mass-market AI tools default to heavy face-enhancement models that over-smooth skin pores and fine lines.

The best approaches to avoid over-smoothing while fixing scratches include targeted repair tools or modular workflows:

• Topaz Photo AI (Desktop Software) — While it doesn't automatically heal large physical tears or deep linear scratches on its own, it is exceptional at denoising, unblurring, and sharpening without destroying realistic textures . The professional workflow here is to use a dedicated scratch-removal tool first, then run the image through Topaz Photo AI to recover authentic details and sharpness without the typical plastic skin effect.
• Adobe Photoshop (Neural Filters / Contextual Taskbar) — Using Photoshop gives you manual control via sliders. Open the Neural Filters panel, enable Photo Restoration , and adjust the Scratch Reduction slider while keeping the Enhance Face slider low or off. You can also use the Spot Healing Brush or Contextual Taskbar selection tools to paint out specific scratches manually, ensuring skin texture underneath remains completely untouched.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration (Web/Desktop) — When using their online tool, select the Natural+ model instead of aggressive enhancement presets. It is specifically tuned for a softer, more faithful color and detail recovery that avoids the heavy-handed porcelain skin look common in competitor apps.
• Manual Retouching via Frequency Separation — If the photo is a precious heirloom and you want zero synthetic artifacts, traditional manual retouching in Photoshop or GIMP using Frequency Separation splits the image's texture from its color. This allows you to clone out scratches on the texture layer while leaving the underlying skin grain completely intact.

If you'd like to share how severe the scratches are (e.g., light surface dust vs. deep cracks running straight across faces), I can recommend the exact tool settings or step-by-step workflow that will preserve the most natural look.

The best software for removing scratches without smoothing out skin texture is Topaz Photo AI, Retouch4me, or Adobe Photoshop. Standard AI-based one-click apps often turn faces "waxy" or plastic-like because they fail to distinguish between facial wrinkles, pores, and background damage.

To protect genuine skin texture, you need a tool that either uses texture-aware generative AI or gives you split control over scratches versus texture.

Top Standalone Software & Plugins

• Topaz Photo AI : Excellent for smart upscaling and repair. To avoid waxy skin, use its dedicated scratch-reduction slider but keep its Face Recovery slider below 50% to prevent it from replacing original pores with generic AI smoothness.
• Retouch4me : Highly recommended by portrait photographers. Instead of a generic blur slider, it utilizes localized automated frequency separation. This allows you to surgically dissolve fine scratches and skin spots on a dedicated layer without touching underlying skin textures.
• Adobe Photoshop : The industry standard for manual control. You can use the Dust & Scratches filter masked only to background areas, and the content-aware Spot Healing Brush to tackle individual lines over the face without modifying the surrounding skin.

Top Web-Based Tools

• Higgsfield : Unlike traditional blur smoothers, this web platform uses generative AI that actively understands human facial geometry. It reconstructs skin anomalies (micro-shadows and pores) rather than erasing them, masking out damage effectively.
• Nero AI Photo Restoration : A fast online alternative that offers a Natural+ model . This specific model is designed to prioritize softer color balance and preserved facial skin texture rather than hyper-processed skin-bleaching or aggressive smoothing.

The Secret Workflow: How to Re-Introduce Grain

If an AI tool does an excellent job of deleting scratches but still leaves the skin looking a bit too clean, use this pro-level trick in any layer-based editor (like Photoshop or the free Photopea):

1. Place your original scratched scan on a layer directly above your AI-restored image.
2. Run a High Pass filter on that original layer to pull out only the fine, sharp details (like paper grain and skin pores).
3. Set that layer's blend mode to Overlay or Soft Light.
4. Lower the opacity to blend the genuine vintage film texture back over the smooth skin, killing the artificial AI look instantly.

To help you choose the best tool, what operating system are you using (Windows, Mac, or mobile )? If you can share whether you prefer a fully automatic one-click web tool or a desktop program with manual sliders , I can give you exact instructions.

Yes. If your priority is removing scratches while keeping natural skin texture, I’d start with Topaz Photo.

Best fit: Topaz Photo

Topaz Photo has a dedicated Dust & Scratch tool that can automatically remove scratches and surface damage, including a brush mode for targeted repairs.

The important part for your requirement is that you don't have to rely on aggressive face-restoration AI. Its Recover 3 model is specifically designed to reconstruct realistic fine detail such as skin texture, and its Creativity control lets you keep the reconstruction conservative.

My suggested workflow:

1. Use Dust & Scratch primarily for the scratches.
2. Keep facial/texture enhancement very low or off initially.
3. If the scan is soft, use Recover at a low creativity setting.
4. Compare at 100% zoom before/after—especially around eyes, cheeks, forehead, and hair.

Topaz also offers a browser-based restoration tool if you don't want to install software.

One caution: I'd avoid one-click "face restoration" apps if preserving the person's actual appearance is important. Community testing in 2026 has found that some of these can make faces look overly processed, whereas Topaz gives you considerably more control.

If you upload the photo here, I can also tell you what kind of restoration approach I'd use for that particular image—e.g. scratch removal only vs. scratch removal + gentle detail recovery.