ON1 Photo RAW is the best alternative to Adobe Photoshop and Lightroom, all in a single editor for Mac or Windows. With powerful yet easy-to-use AI editing tools and features, it's everything a photographer needs to create professional-quality photos.

What is ON1 Restore AI?

Restore AI is a new AI-powered photo restoration module built into ON1 Photo RAW MAX. It automatically repairs common image problems found in any digital photo, including dust, scratches, wrinkles, tears, fading color, heavy grain, and loss of detail. Whether you're working with scanned prints, early digital files from older phones and cameras, or modern shots that didn't turn out as sharp or clean as you'd like, Restore AI analyzes each image and applies intelligent corrections with minimal manual editing.

It can also refocus soft images and colorize black-and-white photos, giving you a complete set of restoration tools in one place.

Who is Restore AI designed for?

Restore AI is built for anyone who wants to get more out of their photos, regardless of age or condition. That includes family members bringing old albums back to life, photographers digitizing personal or client archives, professionals working with historical collections, and anyone dealing with early digital files that never quite lived up to what the moment deserved.

The goal is simple: professional-quality restoration without hours of manual retouching.

How does Restore AI work?

Restore AI uses advanced AI models that analyze each photo to identify damage, noise, color fading, and missing detail.

Once the image is analyzed, the AI reconstructs the photo by repairing damage, restoring tonal balance, rebuilding lost texture and facial detail, and optionally colorizing black-and-white photos. Users can then fine-tune color, tone, and sharpening to preserve the photograph's original character.

Why does Restore AI process images in the cloud?

Restore AI uses very large AI models that require significant memory and compute power. These models are too large to run efficiently on desktop GPUs.

By processing images in the cloud, Restore AI can access far more VRAM and compute resources than a typical desktop computer. This allows the system to analyze each photo more deeply and reconstruct detail while repairing damage.

Cloud processing also means users do not need to download large AI model files or wait for slow local processing.

Will Restore AI ever run locally on desktop computers?

We are currently exploring options to allow the restoration AI models to run locally on desktop hardware in the future. However, there is no confirmed timeline yet.

For now, Restore AI uses cloud processing to ensure the highest quality results and performance.

Are the photos processed with Restore AI private and secure?

Yes. Photos processed through Restore AI are handled securely and are never used to train AI models or improve datasets. Images are processed only for the restoration task requested by the user and remain private.

Is Restore AI included with ON1 Photo RAW?

Restore AI is included exclusively with ON1 Photo RAW MAX 2026.4.

Existing ON1 Photo RAW users can upgrade to Photo RAW MAX to access the Restore AI module.

How does licensing work for Restore AI?

Perpetual License

Perpetual license owners of ON1 Photo RAW MAX receive unlimited restorations for one full year to cloud-powered restoration processing

Subscription

Subscribers to ON1 Photo RAW MAX or ON1 Photo Studio receive unlimited restorations and continuous access as long as their subscription remains active

Does Restore AI require credits or tokens?

No. Restore AI does not require credits, tokens, or per-image fees. Users receive unlimited restorations based on their license or subscription access.

Can Restore AI process large batches of photos?

Yes. ON1 Photo RAW MAX's batch processing supports Restore AI, so you can process an entire album or archive in one pass without touching each photo individually. It's a fast, efficient way to work through large collections of scanned prints, old digital files, or any set of images that need consistent restoration.

What types of damage can Restore AI fix?

Restore AI can repair many common issues found in digital photos, scans and more, including:

• Dust and scratches
• Wrinkles and tears
• Faded colors
• Grain and noise
• Soft or blurry scans
• Loss of detail
• Damage from textured photo paper

It can also reconstruct facial detail and optionally colorize black-and-white photos.

How is Restore AI different from other restoration tools?

Many restoration tools rely on filters or limited AI models. Restore AI uses larger, cloud-based AI models capable of analyzing images more deeply and reconstructing missing detail.

It is also fully integrated into ON1 Photo RAW MAX, allowing users to restore, organize, edit, and export photos within a single workflow.

Version 2026.4 introduces powerful new features to make your editing workflow easier, faster, and better!

• Cinematic Depth Lighting: Use the new Depth Lighting filter with AI depth masks to add cinematic effects quickly.
• 1-Click Subject and Background Masking: Automatically create precise masks for subjects and backgrounds with ease.
• Starting Points in ON1 Effects: Simplify edits by selecting your favorite filters with a single click.
• Split Field Filter: Expand landscape backgrounds without losing foreground detail.
• Built-in Resize AI 2026: Achieve sharp, super-resolution enlargements from small or noisy images.
• Improved Masking: Enjoy cleaner edges and reduced need for manual touch-ups.
• Perspective Correction: Fix crooked buildings without losing image edges or introducing black corners.
• Advanced Masking: Stack and combine masks for unlimited creative control.
• Workspace Customization: Float or dock panes to maximize your editing space.
• Filter Favorites & Search: Quickly find and apply your favorite filters.
• Double Exposure Filter: Create artistic double exposures effortlessly.
• Film Negative Inversion: Easily invert and color-correct film negatives.
• Motion Filter: Add realistic motion blur effects to still photos.
• New Creative Filters: Transform your photos with Depth Lighting, Split Field, Double Exposure, and Motion filters.
• Super Resolution Models: Includes new Highest Quality and Standard AI models for sharper, cleaner enlargements.
• Negative Mode: Automate inversion and color correction for digitized film negatives.
• Grayscale Support: Native editing for grayscale images.
• UI Improvements: Enhanced customization with dockable panels and floatable tool panes.
• More Camera Support: Compatibility with the latest camera models.
• Windows ARM Support: Optimized performance on Windows ARM devices.

Both editions run as full standalone apps on Mac and Windows with access to the same core editing, AI, and organizational tools. The MAX edition adds two things: plugin support for Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, and other editors, and Restore AI. If photo restoration is part of your workflow, MAX is the edition you need.

No. You can own Photo RAW or Photo RAW MAX for a one-time purchase. The license for Photo RAW 2026.4 includes free updates to version 2026, but it does not include major upgrades in future years. Choose a subscription and you'll always have the latest version of Photo RAW MAX.

A subscription gives you access to ON1 Photo RAW MAX, including Restore AI, at a significantly lower upfront cost than a perpetual license. It also includes 200 GB of ON1 Cloud Sync for keeping your photos in sync across devices, plus automatic access to future versions as they're released.

For the most complete option, ON1 Photo Studio includes everything in Photo RAW MAX, all individual plugin and standalone titles, any new software released in the future, installs on up to five computers, 1 TB of Cloud Sync storage, and unlimited access to ON1 Plus training.

The MAX Edition can be installed on up to 3 computers. The standard version of Photo RAW can be installed on up to 2 computers. Subscribe to get up to 5 installations.