Photo restoration is the practice of restoring a photograph which has been damaged or affected by age (Web definition).This can be done digitally using Photoshop software .Although accurate photo restoration can be complex and time consuming, one can always follow a few quick tips for basic photo restorations. This method is easy to learn, time saving and rewarding as well. Follow the steps patiently and get results instantly! Although you can use Ctrl +Z to undo a mistake, be careful while using some Photoshop tools as more than one action cannot be undone.

Step 1 : File > Open or CTRL+O: Open the Old Photo you want to restore in Adobe Photoshop CS4.

Step 2: Eye dropper tool (Right Click) > The Ruler tool.

Left Click, drag and leave along the edge of the photo to define the orientation of the photo. This helps us to crop the photo without losing any photo area if the photo is tilted.

Step 3 : Image menu > Image Rotation > Arbitrary.

Enter the angle by which you want the canvas to rotate in either Clockwise or Counter clockwise direction.

Click OK and check if the photo’s orientation appears to be straight.Repeat the previous step with changes in angle if required.

Step 4 : Select Rectangular Marquee Tool.

Select the final are you want to crop by left clicking and dragging along two opposite vertices of rectangle.You can also hold the space bar down while doing so to pan your selection.

Image Menu > Crop.

Adjust your screen view to zoom fit your new cropped image.

Step 5 : Image menu > Adjustments > Levels (or press Ctrl +L).

Adjust the levels and channel mode to suit your image and make it clearer. You can also use Auto Level for a quick improvement with or without additional adjustments

Step 6: Select Clone stamp tool.

Select the brush type you want, preferably a feathered one to make sure it blends well with the background.

Alt +Left click to select the patch you want to clone (a background area with no unique object), then left click the area you want to fill (like the yellow spots in the sample photo above) .Thus, you can not only correct bad patches but also edit photos, duplicate parts of the photo and also correct torn photos by cloning a side background onto the empty area. Try to make discontinuous patches so as the pattern can’t be recognized as a clone. Also you can drag to clone along your reference point to create parellal and more accurate clone along a straight line.

Step 7 : Last but not least adjust the contrast and tone, use Image menu > Auto Contrast/Tone if required.