AKVIS Retoucher AI: Repair Old Photos and Remove Objects You Never Wanted in the Shot
AKVIS Retoucher AI is a photo restoration and object removal program for Windows, macOS and Linux. It removes scratches, dust and stains from old photos and erases people or wires from new ones, and the Home license costs $87 once, with no subscription.
Anyone who has scanned a box of family prints knows the problem: creases, spots and torn corners that take an evening each to clone out by hand. Retoucher AI lets you mark the damage and rebuilds what should be underneath. Version 13 adds a neural network mode for removing larger objects.
Quick facts
- Version: 13.0, announced June 24, 2026
- Developer: AKVIS
- Platforms: Windows 10-11 (64-bit only), macOS 10.15 to macOS 27 (64-bit), Linux 64-bit (standalone only)
- Editions: standalone app, or a plugin for AliveColors, Adobe Photoshop, Corel PaintShop Pro and other editors
- Price: $87 Home, $98 Home Deluxe, $199 Business, all one-time
- License: never expires, covers 2 computers
- Trial: 10 days, all features, no registration
- What we checked: the license comparison table and requirements on the vendor site, the 64-bit Windows installer on the download server (61 MB, file dated July 22, 2026), and the price of all four licenses on the order page on November 6, 2026. We didn't install the program or restore our own photos
Before you buy
Home Deluxe is only $11 more than Home, and it adds the Post-Processing tools and the Vignette tab, plus both the plugin and the standalone app. The three retouching modes themselves are on every license, including AI Object Removal.
Home licenses are for personal use only. Scanning and restoring photos for paying customers needs Business at $199. Retoucher AI needs more hardware than most AKVIS programs: 8 GB of RAM at minimum, 16 GB and a discrete graphics card recommended, and Windows 7 and 8 are not supported. It also does not add color to a black-and-white photo. That is a separate program, Coloriage AI.
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Overview
You open a photo, mark the defect or object with the selection tools, choose a mode and press Run. The program fills the area from the surrounding image. The window has Express and Advanced views, and a small Sepia option gives a restored picture the brownish tone of an old print.
AI Object Removal in AKVIS Retoucher AI 13. The inset shows the result: the runner is gone and the water and sky are filled in.
It works on both old black-and-white scans and modern color pictures, and it can also extend a picture's borders by building matching content into blank canvas, which is useful when a layout has no room for cropping.
Features
AI Object Removal
AKVIS Retoucher AI uses a neural network in this mode to delete passersby, wires, text and other unwanted objects, and to rebuild the background behind them. It is new in version 13 and included on every license.
All-Purpose Retouching
AKVIS Retoucher AI uses this mode for both small and large damage while restoring the surrounding background. AKVIS recommends it for old, damaged photos, and for manual fixes when the AI result needs adjusting.
Small Defects Removal
AKVIS Retoucher AI uses this mode for fine work: scratches, dust, stains and specks. It is the one to pick for a clean scan of an old print with a lot of little marks.
Small Defects mode on a dusty castle photo, with the cleaned result in the inset.
Color correction and batch processing
AKVIS Retoucher AI includes brightness, contrast and saturation correction and batch processing on all licenses. Selection, retouching and date-stamp removal tools are also on every license.
Benefits
The main gain is hours saved on repetitive repair. Marking a scratch and pressing Run replaces patient clone-stamp work,. You also pay once, which suits a project you may only do every few years.
Real-World Uses
- Family archive: clean up scanned prints before making an album for a reunion.
- Travel photos: remove strangers, bins and power lines from a good shot.
- Date stamps: erase the orange date a film camera printed into the corner.
- Print layout: extend the borders of an image that has no bleed.
Who It's For, and Who Should Skip It
AKVIS Retoucher AI suits family historians, hobby photographers and anyone with a stack of damaged scans who wants a dedicated tool. Photoshop users can run it as a plugin.
Skip it if you only have one or two photos to fix, since a free online tool may be enough. Skip it if your PC is old or still runs Windows 8. If you already pay for an editor with strong AI removal built in, you may not need another tool for object removal.
Usage Guide
- Download the installer and run it. The Windows setup contains the standalone and the plugin.
- Open a scanned or digital photo in the standalone app, or call the plugin from your editor.
- Mark the defects with the selection tools.
- Choose AI Object Removal, All-Purpose Retouching or Small Defects Removal.
- Press Run and compare the result with the original.
- Fix what remains with the retouching tools, then save.
Where it falls short
- Automatic fills aren't perfect. AKVIS itself recommends All-Purpose Retouching "when AI-generated results require further adjustments", so expect some manual cleanup.
- Hardware demands. The recommended setup is a discrete AMD or NVIDIA card with 3 GB or more of memory.
- The Home Plugin is plugin only. It has PSD support but no Crop, while Home Standalone has Crop but no PSD.
- Business is a big jump. Commercial use costs more than twice the Home Deluxe price.
What Users Say
AKVIS Retoucher has a long record of positive coverage, though reviews of the new AI mode have not caught up yet. We found no sizeable set of user reviews on the big software review sites. The Mac Observer and MSPowerUser pieces below cover earlier versions.
Reviewers
"AKVIS Retoucher is purpose-built for restoring old photos, and it shows." The Mac Observer, July 2025
"It’s intuitive, powerful, and easy to use, even for beginners." The Mac Observer, July 2025
"Akvis Retoucher is a useful software that can clean up those old rough pictures of your grandparents." MSPowerUser, January 2024
Users, on the AKVIS testimonials page
"I've used Retoucher for years, it's the only foolproof way of removing unwanted blemishes and scratches from photos." Dennis McCreery
"Have been using AKVIS Retoucher to restore old family photos that have severe cracks and stains." Robert Garcia
"Retoucher does a nice job with making old pictures look better." Lawrence M Deickman
People praise it for scratches and stains on old prints above all. The vendor picks its own testimonials, so they lean positive, and we found no independent test of version 13 to set beside them.
Editions and Pricing
| License | Price at checkout | Edition | Use | What you get |
|---|
| Home Standalone | $87 | Standalone app only | Personal, non-commercial | All three modes, Crop, no PSD |
| Home Plugin | $87 | Plugin only | Personal, non-commercial | All three modes, PSD, no Crop |
| Home Deluxe | $98 | Plugin and standalone | Personal, non-commercial | Adds Post-Processing tools and Vignette |
| Business | $199 | Plugin and standalone | Commercial use allowed | Everything in Deluxe |
Buy Home Standalone ($87)Buy Home Plugin ($87)Buy Home Deluxe ($98)Buy Business ($199)
FAQs
Does AKVIS Retoucher AI colorize black-and-white photos?
No. AKVIS Retoucher AI repairs and removes, but it does not add color. AKVIS sells Coloriage AI for that, and a Restoration Bundle with both.
Is AI Object Removal in the Home license of AKVIS Retoucher AI?
Yes. AKVIS Retoucher AI includes AI Object Removal on every license, including Home.
Is AKVIS Retoucher AI a one-time purchase?
Yes. The AKVIS Retoucher AI license never expires. After your update period you keep the version you have, and 1 Year of Updates costs $19.95 if you want newer ones.
Will AKVIS Retoucher AI run on Windows 7?
No. AKVIS Retoucher AI 13 lists Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit only.
How many computers can I use AKVIS Retoucher AI on?
Two. Each AKVIS Retoucher AI license registers on 2 computers, and they can be on different operating systems.
Can I restore photos for customers with AKVIS Retoucher AI?
Yes, with the Business license. AKVIS Retoucher AI Home and Home Deluxe are for personal, non-commercial use.
System Requirements
- Windows: Windows 10-11, 64-bit only. Minimum Core Duo, 8 GB RAM, 8 GB disk and a DirectX 9+ graphics card. Recommended Core i5, 16 GB RAM, 10 GB disk and a discrete AMD or NVIDIA card (DirectX 12+) with 3 GB or more of memory.
- macOS: 10.15 Catalina to macOS 27, 64-bit. Minimum Intel, 8 GB RAM and 8 GB disk, recommended Intel or M1, 16 GB RAM and 10 GB disk.
- Linux: 64-bit Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat, CentOS, Fedora or openSUSE, standalone only. Minimum Core i3 and 8 GB RAM, recommended Core i5 and 16 GB RAM.
- Plugin: needs a photo editor that supports plugins.
Conclusion
AKVIS Retoucher AI is worth it for anyone with a real backlog of damaged photos, and Home Deluxe at $98 is the better buy than Home at $87. The reason to buy is a focused repair tool you own outright. The main reason not to is the price against a one-off job, and the hardware it wants. Try the 10-day trial on your worst scan first.
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