How to Turn Any Blurry Photo into a Sharp 4K Image with Claude Code

TL;DR: Upload any low-quality image into Claude Code with Nano Banana installed, use the restoration prompt below, and get back a sharp 4K cinematic photo in about 30 seconds. Works on portraits, products, landscapes, old photos, and screenshots.

Everyone has photos they can’t use. Blurry shots from a phone, low-res downloads, old family photos with fading and scratches. Photoshop can fix some of this, but it takes skill and time.

Claude Code with Nano Banana does it in one prompt. Upload the blurry image, tell Claude to restore it, and 30 seconds later you have a sharp 4K version with natural detail, cinematic lighting, and professional color grading.

Here’s the exact prompt and how to set it up.

The Setup

You need Claude Code with the Nano Banana skill installed. If you already have this from a previous guide, skip ahead to the prompt.

1. Install Claude Code: npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

2. Get a Google AI Studio API key: Free from Google AI Studio. This connects Claude to Nano Banana.

3. Install Nano Banana: Install the MCP server in Claude Code. Type /banana to verify.

The 4K Restoration Prompt

Upload any low-quality image into Claude Code and use this prompt:

“Restore and enhance this image to 4K quality. Preserve the original identity, facial structure, proportions, and composition exactly. Apply ultra-realistic photo restoration with natural skin texture, accurate details, and a professional photographic look. Output in 4K with sharp but natural focus, cinematic lighting, subtle depth of field, and professional color grading. Keep it looking like a real photo shot on a high-end camera, not AI-generated.”

The key phrase is “preserve original identity and composition.” Without it, the AI might change faces, add elements, or reinterpret the photo. You want restoration, not recreation.

Prompts for Different Image Types

Portrait / Headshot: “Restore this portrait to 4K quality. Preserve the person’s exact facial features, expression, and identity. Enhance with natural skin texture, sharp eye detail, subtle depth of field, and professional studio lighting. Keep it photorealistic. Output should look like it was shot on a professional camera.”

Product Images: “Enhance this product photo to 4K quality. Preserve the exact product shape, color, and details. Clean white background, professional studio lighting with soft shadows. Sharpen details and improve color accuracy. Output should look like a professional e-commerce product photo.”

Landscape / Architecture: “Restore this landscape photo to 4K quality. Preserve the exact composition, colors, and scene. Enhance with sharp details, natural HDR, rich color grading, and cinematic depth. Output should look like a professional travel photograph.”

Old / Vintage Photos: “Restore this old photograph to modern 4K quality. Preserve the original composition, people, and scene exactly. Remove damage, scratches, fading, and discoloration. Reconstruct missing details naturally. Apply modern color grading while respecting the era of the original photo.”

Screenshots / Low-Res Upscale: “Upscale this low resolution image to 4K quality. Preserve all text, UI elements, and details exactly as they appear. Sharpen edges, improve clarity, and enhance readability. Do not add, remove, or change any content.”

Tips for Best Results

Always include “preserve original identity” to prevent the AI from changing the photo
Specify the image type (portrait, product, landscape) so Claude adjusts its approach
For batch processing, upload multiple images and ask Claude to restore all of them
If something changes that shouldn’t have, tell Claude “keep everything the same but fix [specific issue]”
Very low quality images may not restore perfectly but will still improve dramatically

FAQ

How good is the restoration compared to Photoshop? For most use cases, it’s comparable or better than what a non-expert could achieve in Photoshop. Professional retouchers can still do more precise work, but for speed and accessibility this is hard to beat.

Can it fix extremely blurry images? It improves them significantly but can’t create detail that doesn’t exist. A slightly blurry photo will look sharp. A completely blurred photo will improve but won’t match the quality of the original scene.

Does it change faces? Not if you include “preserve original identity and facial structure” in the prompt. Without that phrase, the AI may subtly alter facial features.

Can I restore old black and white photos to color? Yes. Add “colorize naturally based on the era and context” to the prompt. Claude will add realistic color while preserving the composition.

How many images can I process at once? Upload as many as you want in one session. Claude processes each one individually with the right approach for that specific image type.