Source: https://restorebunny.com/guides/photo-restoration-quality-checklist/

# Photo Restoration Quality Checklist: What to Check Before Saving

Check faces, hair colour, text, hands, crop and print detail before accepting an AI restoration. Use a practical keep, revise or reject checklist.

Restoration techniques3 min readUpdated 13 September 2026

Quick answer

## The short version

Compare the result with the original at equal scale, then at its intended print or sharing size. Check identity, text, colour, anatomy, composition and remaining damage. A sharper result is not automatically a more accurate one.

## Set up a fair comparison

Keep the original visible beside the restoration and match their display size. Comparing a small original with a large output makes added sharpness look more impressive than it may be. Check both at normal viewing size, then inspect important areas closely. Use the original as the reference for every candidate, not a previous generated version.

Write down what you wanted fixed before judging the result. For example: remove two scratches, lighten a dark face slightly, preserve black-and-white. This helps separate success on the requested work from unrelated changes that happen to look attractive.

## Check identity and historical details first

For each person, compare eye spacing, nose, jaw, expression, apparent age, hairline and distinctive marks. Check hair and eye colour when the source contains colour. Do not accept a changed face just because the skin looks smoother. In group photos, review people systematically by row so a small background face is not missed.

Read captions, signs, badges and dates character by character. Count fingers and examine glasses, jewellery and clothing patterns. These small areas can expose an invented detail even when the overall picture looks plausible. Where the source is unclear, record the uncertainty rather than treating the new output as proof.

## Check image quality without chasing perfection

Look for bright sharpening halos along hair and shoulders, waxy skin, repeated textures, abrupt patches and new colour fringes. Confirm that a repaired scratch has not become a seam or an invented object. Check the edges for unintended crops, missing borders or changed backgrounds.

Then step back to the intended viewing size. Some surviving grain or minor damage may be preferable to an over-processed face. If printing, inspect the actual export's pixel dimensions and the printer's crop preview, and make a small proof before ordering a large or expensive version.

## Make a keep, revise or reject decision

Keep a version when it fixes the requested defects without meaningful unwanted changes. Revise when a local issue can be corrected in an editor that offers the necessary control. Reject and return to the source when identity, important text or the scene has changed. Repeated generation is not guaranteed to improve fidelity.

Save the accepted file with a version number and a short note describing edits and any reconstructed areas. Preserve the source unchanged. If the photo will be used for family history, share that distinction with recipients so a cleaned display image is not mistaken for an untouched historical record.

## FAQs

What is the most important restoration quality check?

Whether the result preserves the people and meaningful information in the source. Sharpness and cleanliness come after identity and factual fidelity.

Should I run a disappointing result through AI again?

Return to the original source first. Repeatedly processing generated outputs can compound invented details and make comparison harder.

## Related

- [Restore photos without changing faces](<https://restorebunny.com/guides/restore-old-photos-without-changing-faces/>)
- [Protect text and captions](<https://restorebunny.com/guides/preserve-handwriting-in-photo-restoration/>)
- [Prepare larger prints](<https://restorebunny.com/guides/scan-photos-for-large-prints/>)

## Ready to restore your photos?

Upload an image, choose your settings, and preview results with a before/after slider.

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RestoreBunny Team

Photo restoration editors

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