Is grain always bad in old photos?

Not always. Keep some natural grain if it supports authenticity and avoids plastic-looking faces.

Can this remove scanner banding?

It helps general noise. Strong banding may need additional scan-specific correction.

Yes, cleaner luminance detail usually improves later colorization quality.

Reduce scan noise and grain in old photos while preserving important texture in faces, clothing, and backgrounds.

Old film grain plus scanner noise can overwhelm fine detail, especially in dark regions and underexposed negatives.

Use Denoise as the first pass for archival cleanup, then apply Focus Restore if extra edge clarity is needed.

Do not push noise removal too hard. Over-cleaning can erase authentic texture and facial detail.