Picture restoration

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Picture restoration
4
Sun, 05-27-2007 - 2:12pm

Has anyone ever tried to have an old picture restored?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2006
Sun, 05-27-2007 - 4:38pm

I'd be afraid to hand over an heirloom to Walmart! I'd suggest talking to your local historical society and see who they recommend for restoring the actual photos and/or documents. Obviously, you can't replace this stuff if you go to the wrong place. Here's an online place that does stuff (but I know nothing about them other than I found the site once): http://www.practicalmagic.org/photoRestoration.htm

An alternative would be to scan the images and documents and find someone well-versed in Photoshop to help you. Once scanned, the original isn't harmed and you'll have an electronic copy. For a few years I've been polishing up our family's holiday pics by widening eyes, brightenting teeth, smoothing a few wrinkles (my mom adores this part) and have swapped out one person for another version -- not to the extent that US Magazine does, but we look pretty good! One memorable year, I took out the background and put us in a moonscape with a few additional eyes and appendages. :)

The bonus to the Photoshop route is that it's cheaper, you have it electronically, and you can print it out on photo-quality paper more than once to share with others.

Good luck!

Avatar for cl_shywon
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Sun, 05-27-2007 - 7:20pm

Handing them over to Walmart scares me too.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-31-2006
Sun, 05-27-2007 - 7:58pm

Check out that link that I gave you -- it shows how some really old images can be remedied. Not that you have to do the same thing, but it might give you ideas. If you'd like, you can scan one and send it to me. I might be able to at least explain how PS could help you -- there isn't really a "time limit" on what Photoshop can do. In the same way it can erase wrinkles on a person it can erase a line on a photo or add similar background that has been lost. Obviously there has to be something to work with, otherwise you'd be asking for a photographic artist to recreate something that isn't there (like if a photo is so beat up that the artist would be adding his/her own conception of what might be there.)

If nothing else, and you say there are hundreds, the electronic images can be cropped within the faded borders to recapture the focus of the image and get rid of the bad stuff.

I do agree with your idea of scanning them all "as is" and archiving them in that way -- at least you can share what you've got even if you don't have something "picture perfect."

And it IS fun to see the old pics! Like your Studebakers, I have some of my family whooping it up after Prohibition. Hard to imagine all that's gone on in the last hundred or so years, isn't it? And then you realize you have images documenting it all. Gives me the shivers sometimes :)

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-21-2005
Mon, 05-28-2007 - 11:23am

I think places like WalMart, CVS, and Walgreens simply scan the original photo, use computer software to do the restorations, and then print off a new copy of the picture, returning the original to you the way you gave it to them.

You could always scan the photo yourself if you have a scanner, put it on a disk, and just bring the disk to the store, too.

I have actually played around with old photos myself - Photoshop has features that allow you to fix stuff in pictures. I've actually taken pictures of people where their eyes were closed in the photo, found other pictures of them where their eyes were open, and the photo was taken from a similar angle, then "cut" the eyes out of the good photo and pasted them over the eyes that were closed. When done correctly, you cannot detect that this was done. :)