Old family photos are hard to fix because they are not just damaged images. They are memories, and when a restoration makes a face look stiff or the colors feel fake, it can almost feel worse than leaving the photo alone.
I tested Google's Gemini 2.5 Flash Image update, nicknamed Nano Banana, on several real family photos with scratches, folds, fading, water damage, and missing detail. Some results were genuinely impressive, but there are a few things I would watch carefully before treating the output as final.
Quick Answer
Gemini 2.5 Flash Image can restore and colorize old photos directly inside Gemini at gemini.google.com. In my testing, the simple prompt "Let's repair and fix the color of this image" was enough to clean up damage and add color to black-and-white photos.
The strongest results came from older black-and-white family photos. It removed scratches and folds, restored color in a more natural-looking way than older AI colorizers I have tried, and worked quickly. The caveat is that it can still change details, especially faces, age, hair, and small features, so I would compare carefully before saving it as the only restored version.
How I Tested It
I started with Apple Photos open so I could compare the original images against the restored versions. The set included five family photos: old black-and-white pictures, photos with scratches and water damage, folded images, and one older restoration I had worked on years ago.
For the Gemini test, I went to gemini.google.com and used Gemini 2.5 Flash. The image editing feature had just been added, so I uploaded the photos one at a time using the add files button.
- Open Gemini at gemini.google.com
- Use Gemini 2.5 Flash
- Upload the old photo
- Enter a short repair and color prompt
- Compare the result against the original before keeping it
The Prompt That Worked
For most of the photos, I kept the prompt simple: "Let's repair and fix the color of this image." I wanted to see what Gemini would do without a long set of instructions or a complicated photo-editing workflow.
That simple prompt was enough for Gemini to repair visible damage and colorize the image. It also worked fast. Compared with some other AI tools I have used, the wait time felt short.
Where Gemini Did Best
The most impressive result came from an old black-and-white photo with two people in it. The original had damage and looked flat from age. Gemini cleaned it up, added color, and made the people stand out in a way that felt much more alive than the original scan.
Another strong result was an old family photo of my grandmother, father, and uncle. Gemini repaired and color restored it so well that it had the feel of an old magazine photo. It did smooth her face a little, and the backdrop still looked mostly black and white, but the people themselves looked much clearer.
These are the kinds of images where Gemini 2.5 Flash Image seems most interesting: older photos where the subject is clear enough, but the photo has fading, scratches, folds, or black-and-white limitations.
Where It Was Less Impressive
Not every photo was dramatic. On some images, Gemini did a decent job removing scratches and creases, but the result was not something I would call a huge leap over other repair tools.
When I tried photos that were already newer or already had some color, the improvement was mostly cleanup. It removed damage and made the image look a little better, but it did not always sharpen the image or recover detail in a major way.
I also tried asking it to sharpen, but that did not work as well in my testing. For now, I would think of this more as a repair and color restoration tool than a guaranteed image sharpener.
Editing Only One Person
One of the more interesting tests was a photo restoration I had made years ago from a damaged picture of my grandfather. I had already placed him in front of a patriotic-style background, and I did not want Gemini to change that background.
For that test, I changed the prompt to: "Only edit the man in the photo. Repair and colorize him." Gemini kept the background the same and focused on him, which was exactly what I wanted.
The result looked good, but it also raised the most important caution. It seemed to make him look a little younger than the original photo. His hair, mustache, and facial details changed somewhat. It was impressive, but I would want to compare it with other family photos before calling it accurate.
What To Watch For
The biggest thing to watch is identity. Most AI image editors can distort faces or slightly reinterpret a person. Gemini did a better job than many tools I have tried, but it can still make choices that may not match the real person perfectly.
Color accuracy is another question. On one photo, I could see a blue shirt in the restored version, but I would want to ask someone who was there or who remembers the photo to confirm whether that color was actually right.
Gemini also added a small watermark in the lower-right corner of the generated image during my test. That may matter if you are planning to print or share the final version.
- Check faces closely before sharing the restored photo
- Do not assume the colors are historically accurate
- Keep the original scan untouched
- Compare with other family photos when possible
- Watch for watermarks or small artifacts
My Practical Take
If you have old black-and-white family photos, Gemini 2.5 Flash Image is worth trying. The repair and colorization can be surprisingly good, especially when the original photo has clear faces but visible age or damage.
I would not treat the first result as perfect. I would save the original, generate a restored version, and then compare them side by side. If the person looks too young, the face feels slightly different, or the colors seem questionable, try another prompt or keep the result as an artistic restoration rather than a historical replacement.
For me, the most useful part is how approachable it is. You do not need to build layers in Photoshop or know advanced photo restoration. Upload the image, ask Gemini to repair and colorize it, and then use your own judgment on whether it feels right.
Key Takeaways
- Gemini 2.5 Flash Image can repair and colorize old photos inside Gemini using a simple prompt.
- The best results came from older black-and-white family photos with visible damage.
- It removed scratches, folds, and fading quickly, but it did not always improve sharpness.
- Faces can still change slightly, so compare carefully before treating the result as accurate.
- For targeted edits, prompts like "Only edit the man in the photo" can help preserve the rest of the image.
- Always keep the original photo or scan before making AI-restored versions.
Watch the Video
The video above for the full walkthrough, including the before-and-after comparisons from Apple Photos and Gemini, plus the targeted edit where I restored only my grandfather while keeping the background unchanged.
