How to Fix Grainy Photos with AI (Step-by-Step Guide 2026)

Marwan Akhandaf

— 5 min read

There's nothing more frustrating than looking at a photo you loved — only to realize it's covered in ugly grain and noise. Whether it's a dimly lit dinner photo, a concert shot, or an old family picture, grainy photos seem to ruin our best memories. But here's the good news: AI has completely changed the game in 2026.

Grainy photos happen when your camera's ISO is cranked up too high, when there's not enough light, or simply because of older camera technology. For years, fixing this required expensive software like Photoshop and hours of manual work. Today, AI-powered tools can fix grainy photos in seconds — and the results are genuinely impressive.

In this guide, we'll walk you through exactly how to fix grainy photos using AI, compare the best tools available in 2026, and show you step-by-step how to restore your photos without losing important details.

Why Photos Get Grainy in the First Place

Before we fix the problem, let's understand what causes it. Grain (technically called "noise" in photography) appears in photos for several reasons:

  • High ISO settings — When shooting in low light, cameras boost sensitivity, which introduces noise
  • Small camera sensors — Phone cameras and compact cameras are more prone to noise
  • Underexposure — Photos that are too dark get grainy when brightened
  • Old cameras — Older digital cameras and scanned film photos often have significant grain
  • Heavy compression — Over-compressed JPEGs can look grainy and blocky
"I tried the AI denoise feature in Lightroom. It's pretty wild — completely transformed my low-light shots."— Reddit user in r/AskPhotography

The good news? AI doesn't care why your photo is grainy. It just fixes it.

How AI Removes Grain from Photos

Traditional noise reduction worked by blurring the image slightly — which reduced grain but also lost detail. AI takes a completely different approach.

Modern AI denoisers are trained on millions of photos. They learn what "real" image detail looks like versus random noise. When you feed them a grainy photo, they can distinguish between actual texture (like skin pores, fabric weave, or brick patterns) and unwanted grain — then remove only the noise while preserving detail.

The results are often dramatic. Photos that looked unusable can become sharp and clean, with details you didn't even know were there.

Best AI Tools to Fix Grainy Photos in 2026

We tested the most popular AI denoising tools to see which actually delivers results. Here's what we found:

1. Adobe Lightroom AI Denoise

Adobe's AI denoise feature — launched in 2023 and continually improved — remains the gold standard for photographers who already use Lightroom.

  • ✅ Excellent detail preservation
  • ✅ Processes RAW files natively
  • ✅ Integrates with existing workflow
  • ❌ Requires Creative Cloud subscription ($10-20/month)
  • ❌ Desktop-only — no mobile version
  • ❌ Can be slow on older computers

If you're a professional photographer already in the Adobe ecosystem, this is hard to beat. But for everyone else, the subscription cost adds up quickly.

2. Remini

Remini on the App Store
Remini on the App Store

Remini made waves as an AI photo enhancer, particularly for faces. It's great at upscaling old photos and improving facial details.

  • ✅ Excellent for face enhancement
  • ✅ Works on very old/low-quality photos
  • ✅ Quick processing
  • ❌ Limited to certain enhancement types
  • ❌ Can make faces look artificial if overdone
  • ❌ Subscription-based for full features

Remini excels at a specific task — making faces clearer — but it's not a complete photo editing solution.

3. Topaz DeNoise AI

Topaz has long been known for specialized photo enhancement tools. Their DeNoise AI is powerful but comes at a premium.

  • ✅ Very powerful noise reduction
  • ✅ Multiple AI models to choose from
  • ✅ One-time purchase option
  • ❌ $79 one-time (or subscription)
  • ❌ Desktop only
  • ❌ Steeper learning curve

4. AIPGEN — AI Photo Editor

AIPGEN on the App Store
AIPGEN — AI Photo Editor on the App Store

AIPGEN takes a different approach. Rather than being just a denoiser, it's a complete AI photo editing suite that includes restoration — which handles grainy, damaged, and old photos beautifully.

  • ✅ AI photo restoration that fixes grain, scratches, and damage simultaneously
  • ✅ 60+ AI templates for quick edits
  • ✅ All-in-one editing (removal, restoration, creative tools)
  • ✅ Works on iPhone and Android
  • ✅ Before/after slider to see your improvements
  • ✅ Free trial edit available
  • ❌ Requires subscription for unlimited use

What makes AIPGEN stand out is how it combines grain removal with complete photo restoration. Have an old family photo that's grainy and scratched and faded? AIPGEN handles all of that in one pass. The restoration AI doesn't just reduce noise — it intelligently reconstructs lost detail.

Step-by-Step: How to Fix Grainy Photos with AIPGEN

Here's the exact process to transform a grainy photo:

  1. Download AIPGEN — Available free on the App Store (iOS) or Google Play (Android)
  2. Open your grainy photo — Select from your camera roll or take a new photo with the in-app camera
  3. Choose AI Restoration — This analyzes your photo and removes grain while enhancing detail
  4. Review with the before/after slider — Swipe to compare the original with the enhanced version
  5. Save to My Photos — Your edited photos are saved in the app's gallery for easy access
  6. Share directly — Export to your camera roll or share to social media

The entire process takes about 30 seconds. No manual adjustments, no sliders to fiddle with — the AI handles everything.

Pro Tips for Best Results

  1. Start with the highest quality original — If you have the original RAW file or a high-resolution version, use that instead of a compressed JPEG
  2. Don't over-process — Running the same photo through multiple AI tools can make it look artificial
  3. Check the details — Zoom in on important areas (faces, text, textures) to make sure the AI preserved them correctly
  4. Use the before/after slider — AIPGEN's slider lets you compare instantly; use it to make sure you're happy with the result
  5. Save your originals — Always keep the original file before making edits

When AI Grain Removal Works Best

AI denoising produces the best results on:

  • Portrait photos — Faces clean up beautifully while maintaining skin texture
  • Low-light photos — Concert shots, restaurant dinners, nighttime photos
  • Old scanned photos — Family photos from decades ago
  • High-ISO shots — Photos where camera ISO was pushed too high

It works less well on:

  • Extremely blurry photos — AI can reduce grain but can't fix motion blur or focus issues
  • Photos with almost no detail left — There's a limit to what can be recovered

The Bottom Line

Fixing grainy photos in 2026 is easier than ever. AI has completely transformed what's possible — photos that would have been deleted a few years ago can now be salvaged and even look better than the original.

For professional photographers who need maximum control, Adobe Lightroom's AI denoise is excellent but expensive. For specific face enhancement, Remini does the job.

But for most people who want a quick, powerful way to fix grainy photos on their phone — plus the ability to remove objects, restore old photos, and access 60+ AI templates — AIPGEN offers the best all-in-one solution. The free trial edit lets you test it before committing, and the before/after slider makes it easy to see exactly what the AI improved.

Stop letting grain ruin your favorite memories. With today's AI tools, those grainy shots can become photos you're actually proud to share.

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