AI Photo Restoration Prompting Makes The Difference

Image credit: Future / ChatGPT / Joseph Nicéphore Niépce

Over the last year or so, we've seen countless AI-generated images that try to restore old photographs or art to appear like they once did in the past.

Unfortunately, more often than not, AI-generated restorations are inaccurate, with ChatGPT and other AI image generators creating AI slop based on what they think the original piece could look like.

Earlier today, when browsing Reddit, I stumbled across an iconic image I had studied during my time at school. The world's oldest photo, taken circa 1826-7 by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce, is iconic, showcasing the photographer's view of a rooftop.

Obviously, because of the age of the photo, and the lack of modern technology to create images 200 years ago, there's not much clarity in the image, and it's pretty hard to decipher what's going on in it.

One Reddit user, however, took to ChatGPT to try and restore the original image and showcase a modern colorized look of the iconic photo. Unfortunately for them, it's a great example of what not to do with AI, and a great example of how AI fluency plays a huge part in the outcome of your creations.

The Pitfalls of Uninformed AI Prompting

Image credit: ChatGPT / u/illegitimateness

Reddit user u/illegitimateness posted their ChatGPT creation with the title "I asked ChatGPT to restore and colorize the world's first image" showcasing what happens when you provide AI with a photo and leave it to its own devices to create a new one.

This version of Niépce's famous photo adds modern elements to the photo, inaccurate colors, and even a church in the background. ChatGPT is unable to verify any of the edits it makes to the original photo in this circumstance, effectively creating AI slop in the process.

Following on from the initial image post, more Reddit users weighed in, including u/Significant_Poem_751, who claims the rendering is "totally inaccurate." The user goes on to explain that they are a teacher on the history of photography, and adds, "I have seen the original, many times, so the big triangle shape in the center is not another building, or rooftop, or any object." You can read the full comment here.

Interestingly, another user chimed in with their own interpretation of "View from the Window at Le Gras" and this time they highlighted how using the correct AI model and having some form of AI fluency really does make a difference.

Demonstrating AI's True Restoration Potential

Image credit: ChatGPT / u/Chestburster12

U/Chestburster12's comment is one of the most upvoted in the whole thread, as it showcases the capabilities of ChatGPT if given the right prompts. They said, "I think you can get somewhat better results by using the web search function with a reasoning model. I prompted ChatGPT to check historical data to compensate for the lack of information in the original image."

While there's almost definitely still inaccuracies in this image, it's so much better than the original AI-generated restoration from the original post. Best of all, the user showcased their ChatGPT conversation so you can use these exact techniques to try and do this with other images.

How to Refine Your ChatGPT Image Restoration Approach

To begin, select one of ChatGPT's reasoning models, such as o3 or o4-mini. Once you've chosen your AI model, upload the original image.

In this case, u/Chestbuster12's prompt was "This is the world's first image and I want you to colorize and restore the image. But the image itself may not have enough detail in it to recognize some details. Use the web and search for it to verify or fill in the blanks."

This prompt then leads to a minute or so of research with a back and forth where you can help direct ChatGPT to achieve a more accurate result than simply asking for an image generation in a regular chat. You can check out the full ChatGPT conversation that led to the restoration of Joseph Nicéphore Niépce photo here.