Resized and Saved Over a Photo? Look for the Full-Resolution Original
Asoftech |
A photo resized for email can replace the only full-size copy if you save to the same file. Stop editing and avoid further writes to the affected drive. The goal is to find an earlier original or recover its surviving data, not enlarge the small image and call it restored.
Was the original replaced or was a separate copy exported?
Check the editor's save or export destination and the actual folders in File Explorer. A separate export may leave the original untouched. Compare pixel width and height, not just file size: JPEG compression can reduce bytes without reducing dimensions. Changing a DPI label alone does not add or remove image pixels.
Look for an intact original before scanning
If the editing session is still open, check whether Undo or Revert can return to the original. Save that result under a new name on a separate healthy drive. Do not close the editor or rely on an undo history that may not survive reopening.
Check backups, earlier imports and version history where it was enabled. Download an earlier version to a separate location before replacing anything. A synced folder is not necessarily a historical backup; a replacement may already have synced.
Inspect the camera card and other copies from the shoot. If originals are still readable, copy them to a different physical drive. Keep each source in a separate folder to avoid collisions between identical filenames. Do not reuse or format the card.
Open candidate copies in a compatible viewer. Check pixel dimensions and inspect the entire image at full size. A thumbnail, larger file size or matching filename alone does not prove that you found the original. Back up verified copies.
Example: a 6000 × 4000 photo became 1200 × 800
If the camera card still contains the 6000 × 4000 image, copy it off and keep the small export separately. If that card's original was deleted, a scan of the card may help while its data remains. Scanning the edited folder alone does not search the camera card. Upscaling the 1200 × 800 copy cannot recover the exact discarded detail.
When Asoftech Photo Recovery may help
Asoftech Photo Recovery scans supported storage and previews recoverable pictures. Check its supported formats, file systems and edition details. On Windows, connect a stable camera card through a reader, select the source drive letter and start the scan. Install on an unaffected drive and save results to another physical device. The product page describes read-only scanning; saving onto the source would still risk overwriting data.
Limits: recovery is not an undo button for overwriting
Asoftech Photo Recovery cannot guarantee a previous version after Save replaces a file. Overwritten data cannot be recovered by a scan; SSD TRIM can also prevent recovery of deleted data. If storage disconnects, reports repeated read errors or has physical damage, stop and seek professional assessment. Keep the source unchanged until saved images are verified. For future edits, preserve originals and export to a separate folder.
