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

My rate is $40/hour. Because every restoration is different, the price of a restoration depends on the damage to the original photo and my estimate of how long it will take to complete the work. Therefore I must examine the original before giving you a price. There is no charge for the estimate. Once I give you a price for your restoration, it is fixed. If it ends up taking me longer to restore the photo than I thought, I will not ask you for more money

Generally, photographs with physical damage take longer to restore than those that are simply faded and needing restoration of tones and/or colors. The photo of the family at the top of this page took appoximately 3.5 hours to restore. Click on the photos in the sidebar to learn how long it took to restore them. Color photos do not necessarily take more time than do black-an-white photos. I can work from color or black-and-white prints, slides and negatives of any size film, and glass plates.

I require a 50% deposit to begin work. The balance to be paid when you pick up the restoration. I accept personal or business checks, cashier's checks or money orders.

Removing Elements:The price for removing an element from a photo must also be determined on a case-by-case basis. The price is the same as for restoration work: $40/hour. The example above in which one woman was removed took about 2.5 hours.

Archiving 35mm Slides: I can scan your 35mm slides to CD-ROM discs for a fee of $.70 per slide, giving you a digital archive of your images. Slides will be scanned at a resolution of 300 ppi at 8x10 inches which would allow the user to print them directly at home if desired. This service will include Auto color correction by the scanning software, which, while not a substitue for custom color correction, generally does a decent job of correcting heavy color casts often found on old slides. This service does not include any restoration of damage, color correction, or dust removal that is not carried out by the basic automatic settings of the scanner software.

Estimates: It is best for me to examine the original directly. Photos may be mailed if we are not able to meet directly. Be sure to pack it well if sending through the mail. Tape it between several pieces of oversized, stiff corrugated cardboard or foamcore, and then place that inside a larger box or rigid envelope with plenty of padding. If is has an established value, ship by registered mail and insure it. The US Postal Service will insure one-of-a-kind artwork. Other carriers may not. It's a good idea to require a signature for delivery.

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 holding a both TIFF and JPEG files of the restored photograph.

Guarantee: I guarantee my work 100%. If I am unable to produce a restoration that you are satisfied with, I will refund your money.

Additional Prints: Additional prints of the restoration may be purchased for an extra fee: $1.00 each for 2x3 inch prints; $1.50 each for 4x6 or 5x7 - inch prints; $2.50 for 8x10 or 8.5 x 11 inch prints; and $6.00 for prints up to 13 x 19 inches.

Please contact me for further information. Email to jmeyers102@yahoo.com, or telephone 201-920-7058