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From Blurry to Brilliant: Easy Fixes for Your Corrupt Photos and Videos
In today’s digital world, having corrupt or damaged photos and video files can be distressing. Whether these files are corrupt due to a virus attack, improper file transfers, storage device failure, or power loss, there’s always a chance to restore them.
Thankfully, repairing these corrupt files isn’t as difficult or technical as you might think. There are several easy and reliable third-party repair solutions available to repair corrupted photos or videos. This guide explores you through everything, including common reasons for photo video corruption, quick workarounds to fix these files using reliable tools and techniques and many more. Let’s dive in.
Understanding File Corruption: Common Reasons
Usually, your photo and video get corrupted when there is a disruption or change in their file structure. When such corruption occurs, you may encounter the following issues:
- Photos may display blank screens, weird colour patterns, or half-loaded images.
- Videos might not play at all, stutter, or show black screens and glitches.
Why Does Such Corruption Occur?
Understanding the exact cause of corruption can help you identify the exact recovery workarounds. Some main reasons why a photo or video file gets corrupted are:
- Interrupted File Transfers: Sudden removal of USBs or SD cards while transferring files causes corruption.
- Virus or Malware Attacks: Malicious programs like viruses or malware can damage file headers or modify file contents.
- Faulty/Damaged Storage Devices: Continuous usage of hard drives, USBs, memory cards, etc., for a long time can damage them and corrupt all their content.
- Software Bugs: There may be some recording software glitches or camera crashes which can damage/corrupt media files.
Common Signs That You May Encounter if Photos or Videos Are Corrupt
Before you proceed with methods to repair corrupt photos and videos, it is important to be familiar with the symptoms of such corruption. This includes:
Photo Corruption Signs:
- The image won’t open in your photo viewer app
- Sometimes, only half the image loads
- Colours appear scrambled or pixelated
- You may encounter error messages like “Invalid image file” or “Unsupported format”
Video Corruption Signs:
- The video will not play in any media player
- Black screen with audio
- Video stutters or lags
- Error messages like “Unsupported codec” or “File not recognised” may appear
When you encounter any of the above signs while opening photos or video files, don’t panic. In this next part of this article, we have brought some amazing workarounds which can help you enjoy your photos and videos once again.
How to Repair Corrupt Photos?
Whatever is the reasons for corruption of photo files, including JPEG, PNG or any other format, here are some quick fixes that can help you to fix them:
1: Try Built-in Tools
Sometimes, the issue is not with your image file. It’s your photo viewer app which prevents you from accessing the photos. In such cases, you can try opening your photos with:
- Windows Photos
- Paint
- Microsoft Office Picture Manager
If you’re able to open photos in any of these apps, re-save the file in another format (e.g. JPEG to PNG).
2: Use Online Photo Repair Tools
Here are some key features why you should opt for a photo repair software to fix your corrupted photos:
- No Installation Required: There is no need to download any software – just repair your photos from the browser.
- Easy to Use: Most of the online photo repair tools provide a user-friendly interface with simple upload and repair steps.
- Accessible Anywhere: You can use these online photo repair tools on any device with internet—PC, laptop, or even mobile.
- Available in Both Free and Premium Versions: Some popular tools, like Stellar Online Photo Repair, are available in both free and paid versions. The free version somehow offers limited features, while the premium one is more advanced.
How do I Repair Corrupted Video Files?
Now that your photos are fixed, it’s time to move to the video repair workarounds. Usually, video files of different formats (MP4, MOV, AVI, etc.) become unplayable due to corrupted headers, missing frames, or codec issues. You can apply the following fixes one-by-one to make your video playable again:
1: Try VLC Media Player
VLC is a versatile media player that not only allows you to play video files of different file formats but also repair corrupt videos in multiple ways. To repair your corrupt video using VLC media player, you need to:
- Launch the VLC player on your device.
- Go to Media > Convert/Save.
- Add the corrupted video file that you need to repair and click Convert.
- Choose a different file format (MP4, AVI, etc.) and start conversion.
- Now, go to Tools > Preferences > Input/Codecs.
- Lastly, select the “Always Fix” option from the “Damaged or incomplete AVI file” section.
2. Repair Corrupt Videos Online
Just like online photo repair tools, there are some popular video repair tools that you can use to repair corrupt videos online. Tools like Stellar Online Video Repair, EaseUS Online Video Repair, 4DDiG Online Video Repair, etc., which you can try to fix your corrupt video files. These online tools can easily fix problems like corrupt headers, missing audio/video, freezing or stuttering playback issues, etc. and make your videos playable again.
Must-Have Features of Online Video Repair Tools
- Support for Multiple Formats: Your video repair tool should repair video files of several formats, such as MP4, MOV, AVI, MKV, and many more.
- Preview Before Download: Check if you are able to preview the repaired video files before downloading them on your device.
- Safe and Secure: Make sure the platform you are using encrypts or auto-deletes your video files.
- Customer Support/Help Option: In case the repair doesn’t work, some guidance or help should be available to guide you.
Additional Tips to Avoid Future Corruption
Repairing corrupt photos or videos using the aforementioned methods is quite simple, but it is important to avoid such corruption issues on your end. Here are some best practices that you can consider for this:
- Properly Eject Your External Devices: Improper ejection of external storage devices, such as SD cards, USB drives, etc., can corrupt stored files.
- Backup Regularly: Maintain a regular backup of your important files using cloud storage (Google Drive, Dropbox) or an external hard drive.
- Install a Reliable Antivirus Software: As a virus is a prominent cause of photo or video corruption, you can install a reliable antivirus software on your device to prevent such corruption.
Final Thoughts: How to Easily Repair Corrupt Photos or Video Files
If your photo or video file gets corrupted unexpectedly, don’t lose hope. Fortunately, there are several photo and video repair workarounds available online which you can try to fix such corruption issues. Whether you use simple built-in solutions like the default Windows photo viewer, VLC or invest in powerful tools like Stellar Online Photo Repair, Stellar Video Repair, etc., it’s important to act immediately.
Moreover, make a habit of maintaining regular backups, using safe storage practices, and using quality hardware/software to avoid such corruption issues in the future.
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