Damaged photos are the sore spot in any family photo collection. Professional photo restoration presents a means for recovering such precious family heirlooms! Digital photo restoration is the process of repairing a photo's defects and damage after it has been digitally scanned. Through this process we are able to remove photo defects, such as scratches, creases, tears, water damage, color fading, fingerprints, reconstruction of missing areas, and beyond. Note: we do not perform physical photo repairs or restoration of any kind.
The restoration process can be labor-intensive depending on the level of restoration required. Prior to any restoration work being performed, we will first assess the level of restoration required and provide you with a quote (see The Restoration Process below). The slideshow above shows examples of our restoration work at each restoration level.The following table gives a general idea of the expected costs given the amount of restoration required. All prices include professional level scanning of your photo into raw TIFF format (best format for restoration work) if not already scanned. We deliver the raw scanned TIFF and the restored versions of your photo in both TIFF and JPEG format.
Pricing Guidelines
Level | Cost/Restoration | Description of Restoration Level |
---|---|---|
Simple | $10 | Simple contrast adjustment, color cast, and minor dust removal. |
Minor | $30 | Simple restoration + removal of moderate dust, stains, scratches, cracks, and tears. |
Moderate | $50 | Minor restoration + removal of small objects or repair of small missing regions. Moderate color corrections. |
Severe | $75 | Removal of severe stains, scratches, cracks and tears, particularly requiring that important regions of the photo be reconstructed (such as facial features). Localized fading and/or color corrections. |
Extreme/ Custom |
$75/hour | Extremely damaged photo repair. Reconstruction of photos from torn pieces. Repair and reconstruction of large missing regions of the photo. Removal of major people, objects, or change of background. |
We offer a quantity discount of 10% off when you purchase 10 or more photo restorations. |
The Restoration Process:
Having restored many photos in our own personal family photo collection, we take a lot of pride in our restoration work. We are very self-critical and apply the same level of critique to work we perform for our clients. Our photo restoration process works according to the following steps:
1.) Get a free restoration estimate: Before we can perform any restoration work, we will need to examine the photos that you would like restored in order to estimate the level (and cost) of the restoration required. To get a free quote:
- Contact us via phone or email or through the contact form on our website.
- Deliver the photos in person or via email (already scanned or a digital image of the photos).
- Provide a description of how you want each photo restored.
- Once we are clear on your restoration goals we will generate and deliver a restoration cost estimate.
2.) When you are ready to proceed: We will require a high-quality digital scan of your photos to accomplish the best restoration possible. We prefer that you provide us with your original photos so that we may scan them according to our quality standards (photo scanning is included in the restoration cost).
3.) Proofing: Once completed, we will upload your restored photos to a proofing gallery (with protective watermarks) that you are free to share. You can then either approve each restoration or request additional improvements if needed. We continue this process until you approve ALL edited photos.
4.) Download and Delivery: After your full approval we charge the remaining balance of your order. We then deliver your restored photos (without any watermarks) on a provided memory stick or hard drive for large orders. We deliver the raw scanned TIFF files (if performed by us--think digital negative) and the restored versions in both JPEG and TIFF format.
5.) Printing Options: We also offer options for printing your restored photos once the restoration process is complete. Printing options are offered directly in your online proofing gallery once all restorations are completed for your convenience.