First World War soldier photo: restore the family portrait

Portraits of First World War soldiers are often small prints or photo postcards, faded or very contrasty. The tool enlarges them twice, cleans the grain and rebuilds the face. For the uniform, black and white or sepia is the safer choice: its real colours can't be guessed. A thoughtful thing to share with the family around Remembrance.

The Minibon team · Updated on 27 October 2026 · Translation to review

free preview, HD from €1.99

Digitising a portrait of the period

• Front and back

  Many portraits were printed as postcards. The back sometimes carries a name, a date or a few words: scan it too, it helps with the caption and with family history research.

• Small print, large scan

  For a photo a few centimetres wide, common practice is to scan at 600 dpi or more, so the tool starts from a richer image.

• Locket or oval frame

  Take the photo out if you can do so without damage; otherwise photograph it straight on, avoiding reflections on the glass.

How it works

1. 1. Digitise Scan the photo and its back, or photograph both flat in daylight, without flash.
2. 2. Upload "Keep B&W" is preselected here. Want to try colour anyway? Choose "Colourise".
3. 3. Compare Drag the before/after slider on the free preview, and look closely at the face.
4. 4. Keep HD without watermark for €1.99, or a print in sepia or black and white, with a caption.

What the tool does well, and what it misses

• Good: the face The face, often small on these portraits, is rebuilt if it is detected, then blended back into the photo.
• Good: grain and light blur Both are cleaned during the ×2 enlargement, and contrast is recovered without changing the tones.
• Worth knowing: the uniform in colour The AI doesn't know the real colour of a uniform: a colourisation can look plausible and still be wrong.
• Worth knowing: badges and lettering Small details (collar numbers, cap badges, text) can be smoothed by the enlargement. Keep the original for research.