Photo Repair and Restoration

With today's digital technology it is possible to repair and restore faded and damaged photographs more easily and with far better results than ever before. The original damaged photograph, slide or negative is carefully scanned and all the repair and restoration work is done in the computer on the digital copy, thereby keeping the original safe from damage.

I can restore your damaged black and white or color prints, and can create restored prints from negatives or slides. After restoration you will receive a new print of your restored photo, and a CD with a high-resolution image file of the restored photograph. Pricing and procedures are detailed at the bottom of this page.

The photograph above left dates from the early 1900's. It was probably sepia toned, which gave it that characteristic "old-time" orange/brown color. With the passage of years, it had faded and yellowed a bit, and the edges of the print had become damaged. Some years ago a copy photograph was made of the original fragile print to preserve the image for the future. That copy photograph is what I worked from for my restoration. Although difficult to see in the scan here, there are many tiny white spots in the picture which are mostly likely dust spots, many of which may have been introduced when the copy was made.

To create the restoration seen on the right, I first had to make a careful scan of the original. Then I removed the color cast in the print to transform it into a purely black and white image before adjusting the contrast. Next, the dust spots were removed and the damaged edges were carefully rebuilt. I finished by adding just a hint of sepia tone back to the restored image.

Click on the photos in the sidebar on the right side of this page for more restorations.

What cannot be done

Please note that there are some things which digital restoration cannot accomplish.

1. If your image is blurry or out-of-focus, it cannot be made clear.

2. Unique portions of a picture that are missing or completely damaged, especially a person's face, cannot be restored. To rebuild a missing portion of a photo, there must be other parts of the photo from which visual information may be copied and used to replace the damaged areas. (For example, in the image at the top of this page, I could rebuild the damaged edges of the photograph by using other portions of the edge of the picture. But if the photo were missing a section that included a person's face, it would be impossible to rebuild).

Prices and Procedure

The price of a restoration depends on the damage to the original photo. Assess your photo based on the following three general categories.

Standard Restoration - $40: Photo is discolored, has low contrast, dust/mold spots and cracks, lines, bends, or small tears. Most photos will fall into this category. (The three top photos in the sidebar are standard restorations). Standard Restoration may also include the removal of stray hairs, blemishes, tattoos or freckles, and wrinkles may be softened.

Medium Damage - $65: Same as Standard Restoration but with small damaged or missing sections which need rebuilding, uneven fading or color shifts from one part of the photo to another; or layers of old discolored tape over small portions of the image. (The photo above of the family, and the bottom photo in the sidebar would be considered medium damage).

Heavy Damage - $90: Same as medium damage but with large torn, missing, or otherwise completely damaged sections that are still rebuildable; or with drastically uneven discoloration or fading, or larger areas damaged by tape.

Removing Elements: The price for removing an element or elements from a photograph is entirely dependent on the image, and must be assessed on a case-by-case basis. The example above in which one woman was removed would cost $65.

Estimates: You may send a scan for an estimate. This scan should be a jpeg at least 450 pixels on the long side and scanned at 72 ppi. (Note: be careful if scanning an old photo that may be fragile).

Scanning is an important step in the restoration process and different photographs require different scanner settings to allow for the best possible restoration. For that reason I prefer to make my own scans for restoration work. Photos may be mailed if we are not able to meet directly. Please contact me before sending any photo through the mail.

If you do not wish to let your original out of your care, I will work from your scan, but cannot promise that the restoration will be as high a quality as one that I scan myself. For restoration purposes, photos should be scanned at a resolution of at least 300 ppi.

What you get: Your original returned to you, a new high-quality inkjet print of the restored photograph the same size as the original, and a CD-ROM with the restored photograph.

Additional Prints: Additional prints may be purchased for an extra fee: $1.99 for a 4x6; $3.99 for 5x7; or 6.99 for 8x10.

Please contact me for further information about this service.