DIGITAL PHOTO RESTORATION

by Joelle Steele

In 1982, I was working on my family genealogy. I had more than 500 photographs that were faded, ripped, scratched, discolored, etc. I tried my hand at restoring them in a dark room. It was very difficult, extremely time-consuming, and a bit pricey since I had to rent a dark room. I gave it up after about a year.

In 1995, I got Photoshop (for my PC) and also bought my first scanner. I picked up where I left off with my family photos. Wow! What a difference. The digital process was less time-consuming, and I could do a lot more than I could in the dark room. And, I ended up with a lot of clients for whom I digitally restored some very large collections.

The following are 18 before and after examples of digital photo restorations that I've done since then. Keep in mind that all of my work is done by hand. I don't like "restorations" made by programs that create a graphic illustration effect. Over-restoring often creates a similar effect. So you may see slight shadows of the damage I removed in the photos below. Also, remember that not every photo can be digitally restored to perfection, as it may have been a poor photo to begin with.

COLOR CORRECTION

Before (above), After (below) [Faded sepia tone family photo]

Before (above), After (below) [Reddened color family photo]

Before (above), After (below) [Reddened color photo, Martin Luther King, Jr., Smithsonian Collection]

Before (above), After (below) [Car on 17-mile Drive, Pat Hathaway Collection]

DAMAGE REPAIR - PHOTOS ON PAPER

Before (above), After (below) [Hand-tinted family photo in which the color reddened in addition to the spots, scratches, and tears]

Before (above), After (below) [Old grade school photo with water and handling damage]

Before (above), After (below) [scuffs and scratches, Elvis Presley in Frankfurt, Germany, with Austrian girlfriend Anke Braun, 1959, photo by Viki Leitner]

BEFORE (above), AFTER (below) [minor damage plus one large tear]

Before (above), After (below) [Very tiny photo with scratches and tears]

Before (above), After (below) [print from cracked negative, Miss Otey, Smithsonian Collection]

Before (above), After (below) [tiny photo cut from a badly faded and water-spotted family group photo, with major improvement but not perfect]

Before (above), After (below) [Glare at bottom and upper parts of family photo]

DAMAGE REPAIR - IMAGES UNDER GLASS

Before (above), After (below) [Severe damage, Dolley Madison photo by Brady, 1848]

Before (above), After (below) [Color-tinted, former slave in New York]

Before (above), After (below) [Spots and streaks, Frederick Douglass by Brady, 1890]

Before (above), After (below) [Faded and darkened tinted image, California Native American Boy by Baker, 1851]

Before (above), After (below) [Multiple forms of damage, James Polk, by Brady, 1849]

Before (above), After (below) [Many spots, Martin van Buren by Whitehurst]