Source: https://restorebunny.com/guides/evaluate-ai-photo-restoration-tool/ # How to Evaluate an AI Photo Restoration Tool Before Buying Compare restoration tools with a three-photo pilot, an acceptance worksheet and a cost-per-kept-result calculation before committing your album or budget. AI & software6 min readUpdated 06 October 2026 Quick answer ## The short version Test the same three representative source files, define what must remain unchanged, and review downloaded results at matching zoom. Judge face fidelity, repaired damage, usable exports and total project cost separately. A sharper thumbnail is not enough to choose a restoration tool. ## Choose a tool for a project, not for its best sample A product gallery can show an excellent result without showing how that tool will handle your album. Before comparing services, write one sentence describing the job: for example, 'make twelve scanned family prints easier to view while preserving faces and handwritten text'. Decide whether colourisation is wanted, whether prints are planned, and who can recognise the people. Those decisions change what a useful result means. This is a selection method, rather than a ranked software list or a claim that RestoreBunny wins a benchmark. Use it with any candidate whose upload and trial terms you accept. Keep unedited digital sources, and separate them from viewing copies. The National Archives recommends planning digitisation and retaining originals; an enhanced file does not replace the physical photograph. ## Select three files that expose different weaknesses 1. Choose a portrait with a recognisable face. Include a feature you can compare, such as a hairline, eye shape or distinctive expression. A face hidden by extensive damage cannot establish whether reconstructed detail is authentic. 2. Choose a picture with repairable surface damage across different textures: a scratch over clothing, a crease near the face and a plain background if your collection contains them. Do not choose only the easiest scan. 3. Choose a group photo or scene with small faces, lettering, jewellery or patterned fabric. Record what is actually legible in the source and what is unknown. The tool should not gain credit for making uncertain text look confidently readable. 4. Use the same saved source files in each candidate. Record filename, source dimensions, chosen settings, output dimensions and date. Turn optional colourisation off initially so it does not hide restoration differences. ## Write acceptance rules before seeing the output For each test file, record two or three things that must remain: the person's expression, the shape of a wedding ring, a visible inscription, or a real seam. Then record the requested repair, such as reducing a long scratch. Distinguish a preference from a failure. You may prefer warmer tones, but a changed face or rewritten date defeats a historical family-photo task regardless of how attractive it looks. Keep the test fair by choosing comparable settings where possible and documenting unavoidable differences. One tool may bundle enlargement with repair while another offers separate controls. Download outputs and compare them at the same displayed size, then at matching detail zoom. A larger export shown smaller on screen can look cleaner without containing more reliable information. ## Use an acceptance worksheet instead of one beauty score - Identity and meaningful detail: mark pass, needs review or reject. Compare faces, text, clothing and significant objects against the source and a knowledgeable relative where possible. A changed identity is a rejection, not a small deduction offset by better contrast. - Requested repair: record whether the specific scratch, fade or crease improved. Note leftover damage and new artefacts independently. A repaired background does not demonstrate a repaired face. - Export suitability: record actual width and height, format and any watermark or download restriction. Open the delivered file, not only the website preview. Check its intended print size separately. - Workflow suitability: record how you upload, review, download and recover a failed item. For an album, look for identifiable per-photo results and a clear way to reconcile a batch. - Economics and access: record trial allowance, pack or recurring charge, extra attempts, retention window and the cost of another processing step. Check current terms before buying; a headline price can describe a different workflow. ## Worked example: why two good results can beat three flashy ones Imagine two candidates processing the same three files. Candidate A repairs the portrait and the scratched scene acceptably, but changes a small group member's face. Candidate B produces stronger contrast on all three but changes both the portrait's expression and the group member. For this project's acceptance rules, A supplies two usable results and B supplies one. These are invented worksheet outcomes, not measurements of named products. If the pilot cost A £3 and B £2, the pilot's cost per accepted result would be £3 ÷ 2 = £1.50 for A and £2 ÷ 1 = £2 for B. A zero accepted-result count means the ratio is undefined: paying less did not produce a suitable file. A three-photo pilot is too small to predict a whole collection's rejection rate. Use the calculation to expose a tradeoff, then test difficult exceptions before scaling. ## Separate pixel count from print readiness Suppose a delivered photo is 2400×1800 pixels. At 8×6 inches it has 300 pixels per inch on both axes: 2400 ÷ 8 and 1800 ÷ 6. That arithmetic describes pixel density, not whether the eyes remain faithful or whether the paper and lab produce a satisfying print. Check crop, focus and altered detail as separate questions. If you need a different aspect ratio, a fill crop may remove an edge or a person. Compare the proposed crop before enlarging, and ask the printer for its requirements. Use RestoreBunny's free resolution checker for dimensions and estimated print density. It cannot certify historical accuracy or promise a printer's result. ## Make the buying decision explicit Choose the candidate that passes the non-negotiable checks and fits the remaining work. If all candidates fail a meaningful face or inscription, improve the capture, use a controlled manual edit or ask a specialist about that image. Do not repeat generative attempts until a persuasive but unsupported version happens to appear. To evaluate RestoreBunny, a new eligible account starts with three free restorations. Use representative files rather than three near-identical easy portraits, then inspect the saved downloads before buying more credits. The current pricing page and account checkout are the places to check available packs. Record your findings and the settings you accepted so the next album batch can follow a reasoned choice. ## Turn the pilot into a decision record 1. Save sources and accepted derivatives in separate folders, keyed to stable photo IDs. Keep rejected test files labelled as tests so relatives do not mistake them for approved restoration. 2. Write which tool and settings you selected, why they passed, what still needs manual attention and how many photos remain. Include the actual purchase terms you reviewed. 3. Process a small first batch, inspect each important face and text region, and pause if failures cluster around one photo type. Reuse the acceptance rules instead of treating the first success as a permanent guarantee. ## FAQs Is this a comparison test of specific restoration products? No. It is a reproducible evaluation method with a hypothetical worked example. No product accuracy, speed or acceptance-rate ranking is claimed. Should I judge a tool by the largest output resolution? Record output dimensions, but review meaningful detail separately. More pixels do not prove a face, inscription or reconstructed texture is correct. Can I run the pilot with RestoreBunny's free allowance? An eligible new account starts with three free restorations. Check your account allowance and current terms, then compare the three downloaded results before buying additional credits. ## Sources Preservation and technical guidance reviewed for this article. - U.S. National Archives: [Digitizing Family Papers and Photographs]() - RestoreBunny: [Current RestoreBunny credit-pack pricing]() ## Related - [Compare restoration software options]() - [Review an individual restored result]() - [Complete a RestoreBunny album project]() - [Check output pixels and print density]() - [See current packs before buying]() ## Ready to restore your photos? 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