Can You Restore a Compressed Photo? JPEG and AI Enhancement Limits

AI can sharpen a compressed JPEG but may invent details. Preserve the original and treat enhanced images as reconstructions.

Adapted from a guide first written for Quebec readers: passages specific to Quebec were removed. Rules in your province may differ.

Start with the facts that change the answer

Start with the highest-quality original available: download the file rather than taking a screenshot, and ask the sender for the uncompressed version. Make a copy before editing. Mild deblocking, denoising and resizing may improve viewing, while repeated JPEG saves can add damage. Face-restoration tools may alter eyes, skin, text or identifying marks, even when the result looks convincing.

Document your next step

For a personal image, compare the result side by side with the untouched source and disclose that enhancement was used. For evidence, identification, scientific work or a news image, preserve the original file and metadata and do not present generated detail as authentic. Open-source projects such as Real-ESRGAN document their intended restoration methods, not a guarantee of factual recovery.

Real-ESRGAN project documentation

Read the French guide →

Sources and limits

Source: Real-ESRGAN project documentation. Enhancement produces an estimate, not a certified reconstruction of the original pixels or proof of what an image depicts.

General information based on federal and national rules; provincial rules may differ. Confirm with the official body before acting.