Use guides when you need practical help. For product news and essays, see the Blog.
Capture, check, repair, then archive
Getting Started with Nostalgia
New to Nostalgia? This guide walks you through your first photo restoration in under two minutes, from upload to saved result.
Scanning GuideHow to Scan Old Photos
The single biggest factor in restoration quality is the scan itself. A clean, high-resolution scan gives AI models more to work with, and better results to show for it.
Phone Scanning GuidePhone Scanning Best Practices
Lighting, angle, and focus for phone scans, plus how the in-app scanner's glare burst and multi-photo split help.
Batch GuideHow to Scan and Review a Stack of Photos
A shoebox is not one photo at a time. Here is how to scan a whole stack hands-free, let a quality check catch the soft shots, and review the batch into keepers without losing the few that need a better scan.
Workflow GuideChoosing the Right Workflow
Nostalgia works best as a sequence: check the photo, repair carefully, stop when it looks faithful, then add context.
Restore a parent's albums across borders
How to Scan Old Photos
The single biggest factor in restoration quality is the scan itself. A clean, high-resolution scan gives AI models more to work with, and better results to show for it.
Archive WorkflowOrganizing Inherited Photos: A Six-Step Playbook
A practical six-step playbook for turning a shoebox of inherited family photos into an organized, captioned archive that relatives can actually use.
CollaborationSharing & Family Vaults
Old photos are a family effort. Here is how to share restored photos privately, set up a Family Vault, and work on a collection together.
MemorialBuilding a Memorial Vault for a Relative
How to build a private memorial vault for a relative who has passed: what to include, who to invite, and how to share it without turning grief into a public feed.
Set expectations before you run AI
What AI Can and Cannot Do
AI restoration is useful, but it has limits. Here is an honest look at what works well, where results fall short, and how to get the most trustworthy output.
Damage GuideRestoration by Damage Type
Different damage needs different approaches. Here is how to handle the most common types of photo damage, from minor fading to severe water damage.
Photo TypesGuide by Photo Type
Different eras and formats have different challenges. Here is what to expect and which tools help most for common photo types.
TipsTips for Better Results
Small steps that make a noticeable difference in restoration quality, from how you upload to how you organize your archive.
AI ModelsUnderstanding the AI Models
A plain-English guide to how Nostalgia chooses repair steps, when AI helps, and when a better scan or human review matters more.
Turn finished photos into a usable family archive
Preserving Your Archive
Restoring a photo is only half the job. Here is how to store, back up, and protect both your digital files and physical originals for the long term.
Conservation GuideHow to Handle and Store Old Photos
Conservation basics for inherited prints, slides, and negatives: handling, storage, and when to consult a professional.
Archive WorkflowOrganizing Inherited Photos: A Six-Step Playbook
A practical six-step playbook for turning a shoebox of inherited family photos into an organized, captioned archive that relatives can actually use.
Collections GuideDigitizing a Large Collection
When you have a box of 200, 500, or 1,000+ old photos, the digitization step is the real time commitment. Here is how to triage, set up a scanning station, and batch scan and restore efficiently.
Archive WorkflowOrganizing a Large Collection
Once the scans exist: triage tiers, batch sizing by plan, naming conventions, and how to bring the family in.
CollaborationSharing & Family Vaults
Old photos are a family effort. Here is how to share restored photos privately, set up a Family Vault, and work on a collection together.
MemorialBuilding a Memorial Vault for a Relative
How to build a private memorial vault for a relative who has passed: what to include, who to invite, and how to share it without turning grief into a public feed.
Use Nostalgia beside the tree tools you already trust
Family Tree Import
Bring a GEDCOM tree from Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and more. People records and photo suggestions staged for review.
Genealogy Hand-offWorks Alongside Ancestry, MyHeritage, and Your Tree
How Nostalgia fits beside the tree software you already use. Where to keep names and records, where the photo work belongs, and how the hand-off works in practice.
Import GuideBring Your Photos Out of Ancestry
Download family photos from Ancestry, restore and caption them in Nostalgia, and keep your tree untouched.
Import GuideBring Your Photos Out of MyHeritage
Use MyHeritage for the tree and Nostalgia for careful repair, captions, and private photo sharing.
Choose devices, tools, and analysis workflows
Mobile First, Web App
Use mobile for the best capture and restore experience, then open web when you need a bigger archive workspace.
Recommended ToolsTools & Supplies
Scanners, archival supplies, software, and services curated from what restoration communities trust most.
IntelligenceUnderstanding AI Photo Analysis
Every upload gets a Photo Insight review. Here is what you see, how it helps repair and search, and where your own knowledge matters most.