Frequently asked questions

Short answers to the things people ask us most. Can't find what you need? Contact support — we reply within one business day.

Getting started

How much does AI photo restoration cost at Photo Repair Lab?

From $1 per photo. We sell credit packs at $10, $20, $50 and $100; a Standard Restoration costs 10 credits, so the $10 pack restores up to 10 photos. There is no subscription — buy once, use within 12 months.

Do I get any free credits when I sign up?

Yes — every new account gets 20 free credits after you verify your email. That is enough for one full Standard Restoration on us, so you can see the quality before you commit to a pack. Bonus credits expire 30 days after verification.

How long does a restoration take?

Under 60 seconds for most jobs. Comprehensive Restoration (premium) can take 1–3 minutes because it runs multiple passes. You stay on the page during processing — we do not email the result later.

What file types and sizes are supported?

JPEG, PNG and WebP up to 20 MB. For best results scan your photo at 600 DPI or higher and upload the original — do not pre-crop or pre-enhance it.

Quality & control

Can AI restore badly damaged or torn photos?

Yes for most damage types: faded colours, scratches, creases, water stains, mild tears, missing corners, fungus, yellowing. Severe damage (large missing regions, faces partially destroyed) sometimes needs human retouching — but it costs nothing to try, and we auto-refund credits if the AI fails.

Does the AI change my ancestor's face?

Our default Standard and Conservative modes are deliberately archival — they repair damage without re-painting identity. If you want a more dramatic enhancement, choose Comprehensive (premium) or Creative Modifications, which are clearly labeled. We chose this default because we restore family memories — the goal is the original face, just unblurred.

What is the difference between Standard, Conservative and Comprehensive Restoration?

Standard is the everyday default for old photos with general damage. Conservative is gentler — closer to "clean and unfade" — for photos where you want minimal AI intervention. Comprehensive (premium) chains multiple AI passes for severely damaged or very low-resolution originals. Start with Standard; only step up if the result needs more.

Can I undo or retry if I do not like the result?

Yes. Every result stays in your History; you can re-run the same photo through a different mode or different settings as many times as you want — each run costs credits, but failed jobs auto-refund. If you need a manual revision, contact support and we will sort it out.

Privacy & trust

Does Photo Repair Lab use my photos to train AI models?

No. Your photos are never used to train AI models — ours, the underlying providers (FAL.ai, OpenAI), or any third party. They are held only for the time it takes to process them and for the 30-day result-retention window on our object storage (Cloudflare R2). You can also request immediate deletion at any time from your account settings.

Where are my photos stored, and for how long?

Processed results are stored on Cloudflare R2 (S3-compatible object storage, encrypted at rest, ISO 27001-certified data centers). Originals are kept only for the duration of the active job. Results auto-delete after 30 days — download anything you want to keep.

Are my payments secure?

Payments are processed by Stripe — we never see or store your card. We are PCI-DSS-compliant by default because Stripe handles all card data. Refunds are issued back to the original payment method.

Account & billing

Do credits expire?

Paid credits expire 12 months after purchase. The 20-credit signup bonus expires 30 days after email verification. We send a heads-up email 30, 7 and 1 days before expiry so you never lose credits silently.

Can I refund unused credits?

Yes — within 14 days of purchase, contact support and we will refund unused credits to your original payment method. Used credits are not refundable, but failed AI jobs auto-refund automatically.

Can I give credits to a family member as a gift?

Yes. Buy a Gift Card at /gift — the recipient gets a code by email, can redeem it into their own account, and the credits then behave exactly like a normal pack (12-month validity, etc).

How do I cancel? Is there a subscription?

There is no subscription. Buy what you need, use when you need it, walk away whenever. You can delete your account from Settings → Account Deletion at any time.

Ready to try it?

Sign up and we'll credit you with 20 free credits — enough for one Standard restoration on us.