Photo restoration examples

We encourage you to digitise your own old photos, or we can do it for you.

Here are some typical ways that photographs deteriorate over time.

Before

After

Faded black and white photos...

Maybe it's just a matter of extending the tonal range of a faded image from a family album and printing an enlarged version, as in this case. The original was a small print in an old
photo album. The restored photo is an 8 X 10 inch framed photo hanging on a wall.
Source: Wood family collection

Faded colour prints...

A common problem with colour prints is faded colour, like this typical reddish example.
Source: Shown here with permission from the client.

Photos with hand writing over them...

In this case, the original photo had been been written over with a pen in addition to being cracked and stained.
Source: Shown here with permission from the client.

Old colour slides...

Colour slides can have a range of serious problems. This 30 year old slide of a waterfall had experienced a severe colour shift. This happens when the three colour dye layers change differently over time.
Source: David Wood

Another problem found in colour slides is embedded dust and dirt, sometimes also mildew.
Using Photoshop's dust and scratches filter is something we usually avoid as it's
destructive of other detail. We use various techniques, but in this example we used our
Epson Scanner's Digital ICE™ feature. This corner detail is from a Kodachrome slide film
from 1958.
Source: Wood family collection

Severe damage ...

Some photos have severe phyically damage, in this case not only was the original badly
faded, but the surface was extensively damaged.
Source: Shown here with permission from the client.