Some photos are too good to leave in a box.

You probably have old family photos tucked away in an album, a drawer or a box somewhere. A favorite holiday. Your parents when they were young. That first car you wish you’d kept.

The picture might be faded, scratched or a little blurry, but you keep it because of what’s in it.

AI gives you a few surprisingly simple ways to enjoy those photos again. And one of them goes beyond changing how the picture looks.

Imagine finding an old family photograph. You recognize everyone, but the colors have faded and a crease runs right through the middle.

You don’t need to learn complicated editing software to try improving it. With a tool like ChatGPT, you can upload a digital copy and describe what you want changed in everyday language.

Here are a few things you can ask it to try:

Results will vary. Sometimes the improvement is impressive. Sometimes a face looks slightly different, or a detail appears that wasn’t in the original.

Think of it as creating an edited version of the photo. AI can guess at missing details and colors, but it doesn’t know exactly what was there.

Keep the original. It’s still the record of that moment.

If it’s a printed picture, scan it or take a straight-on photograph with your phone. Use even lighting and watch for glare from glossy paper.

Then open ChatGPT, attach your photo and explain what you’d like it to do.

Click the + beside the message box in ChatGPT, then choose your photo to attach it.

Compare the result with your original, especially the faces. If the changes are too strong, ask:

For a black-and-white photo, you can also try:

Just remember that those colors are an interpretation. AI won’t know whether your dad’s shirt was blue or green unless you tell it.

Here’s the part you might not have expected: AI can make a face in a still photograph move.

Deep Nostalgia from MyHeritage creates a short animation from a photo. The person may blink, smile or turn their head.

It can be surprisingly moving to see a familiar face animated. Some people love it; others find it a little unsettling.

The movement is generated. It isn’t recovered footage, and it doesn’t show how the person actually moved.

To explore it, visit the link above and follow the instructions to upload a photo. A clear picture with a visible face is a sensible place to start. Check the current account requirements and any costs before proceeding.

Want more simple, practical ways to use AI in everyday life?

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Next week, we’ll look at a simple way to get a conversation back on track when the answers keep missing the mark.