A Complete Guide to Restoring Old and Damaged Photos

Old and damaged photographs can be found in the attics and boxes of probably every house in Ireland.
They hold memories that are part of our family story, that remind us of our origin and the people who laid the path for the quality of life we experience today.

While these pictures may fade or be damaged over time (particularly in our damp climate), they can be restored to their former glory with a little bit of effort and patience.
Whether it is a family photo or a vintage picture, if you have access to a scanner and a computer, you can bring them back to life by restoring them. In the following article, I will provide you with some top tips for restoring your old and damaged photos.

Table of Contents:

1. Assessing the Damage

i) Identifying the types of damage (fading, tears, stains, etc.)

ii) Cleaning the photograph gently to remove dust and debris

iii) Scanning

iv) Choosing the right tools

2 Restoration Techniques

i) Basic editing techniques (cropping, resizing, etc.)

ii) colour correction and restoration

iii) Fixing tears and scratches

iv) Removing stains and blemishes

v) Using clone and heal tools

vi) Sharpening and enhancing the details

3. Finishing Touches

i) Adjusting the brightness and contrast

ii) Dealing with dust and scratches

iii) Sharpening for print

iv) Printing the restored photo

1. Assessing the Damage

i) Identifying the types of damage (fading, tears, stains, etc.)

This basically involves carefully examining the photo for any signs of fading, discolouration, scratches, tears, or other forms of damage. By understanding the extent of the damage, you can determine the appropriate restoration techniques to use and avoid causing further damage during the restoration process.

ii) The next step in restoring an old, damaged photo is to clean the photo's surface.

This involves using a soft brush or cloth to gently remove any dust or debris that may have accumulated on the photo's surface over time. Some marks on the surface of the photo print might require a bit of water on your cloth in order to shift it - take your time and be gentle to avoid damaging the photo's delicate surface.

Once the photo is clean and dry, you now need to digitise it, by scanning it, before you can move on to digital restoration techniques such as repairing tears, removing scratches, and restoring colour. These require a good working knowledge of a photo editing application such as Adobe Photoshop, Luminar, GIMP, Pixlr, and Corel PaintShop Pro.

Finally, store the original photo in a dry, cool place to protect it from further damage.

iii) Scanning:

A combination desktop printer/ scanner device is fine for most types of photographs. However, it's very important that you use the correct scanning settings. Basically you need to go into the manual settings, and select a scanning resolution of 600 dpi, and then save the scanned file as a jpg.

TOP TIP: If the photo is warped/ bent, you may need to place something heavy on the lid of the scanner to ensure that the photo is flat on the glass prior to scanning.

iv) Choosing the Right Tools and Techniques:

After you have a digital copy of the photo, and you can zoom in to view the small details up close, you need to re-assess the damage to determine the restoration process required. There are various techniques and tools available for restoring old, damaged photos, including cloning, masking, and airbrushing. Before you start the Photo Restoration process, it's essential to select the appropriate techniques and tools that will work best for the specific type of damage present in the photo. For example, if there is colour fading or discolouration, you can use colour correction tools to restore the photo's original colours. If there are creases then the clone tool or healing tools are more appropriate. Its only through trial and error that you can understand which tool is best to use in which scenario.

2. Restoration Techniques - for anyone using any version of Adobe Photoshop

TOP TIP: Always practise non-destructive editing! (make a copy of your layer before working on it)

i) Clone Stamp Tool

The Clone Stamp tool is used to copy pixels from one area of an image to another area. This tool can be used to remove scratches, stains, or other small imperfections from the image.

To use the Clone Stamp tool, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the tool from the toolbar
   2. Press the Alt key and click on an area of the image that you want to copy
   3. Use the tool to paint over the area that you want to replace with the copied pixels

The Clone Stamp tool is useful for fixing small areas of damage in an image. Remember you can also reduce the tool’s opacity to blend in the effect more gently.

ii) Healing Brush Tool

The Healing Brush tool is similar to the Clone Stamp tool, but it is better for removing larger imperfections from an image.

To use the Healing Brush tool, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the tool from the toolbar
   2. Find an area of the image that has similar texture and colour to the damaged area
   3. Press the Alt key and click on that area to sample it
   4. Use the tool to paint over the damaged area

The Healing Brush tool is useful for removing large scratches, stains, or other imperfections from the image.

iii) Patch Tool

The Patch Tool is used to remove larger areas of damage from an image.

To use the Patch Tool, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the tool from the toolbar
   2. Draw a selection around the area that you want to replace
   3. Click and drag the selection to an area of the image that has similar texture and colour to the damaged area

The Patch Tool is useful for removing large areas of damage, such as tears or holes in the image.

iv) Content-Aware Fill

Content-Aware Fill is a powerful tool that can be used to remove large objects from an image.

To use Content-Aware Fill, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the object that you want to remove from the image
   2. Go to Edit > Fill and select Content-Aware from the drop-down menu
   3. Click OK to apply the fill

The Content-Aware Fill tool is useful for removing large objects, such as people or buildings, from an image.

v) Curves Adjustment

The Curves adjustment is used to adjust the brightness and contrast of an image.

To use the Curves adjustment, follow these steps:

1. 1. Select the adjustment layer from the Layers panel
   2. Click on the curve to add anchor points and adjust the curve as needed

The Curves adjustment is useful for correcting the exposure of an image.

vi) colour Balance Adjustment

The colour Balance adjustment is used to adjust the colour balance of an image.

To use the colour Balance adjustment, select the adjustment layer from the Layers panel, then adjust the sliders to add or remove colour from the shadows, midtones, and highlights of the image. The colour balance adjustment is necessary to remove a colour cast from an image.

3. Finishing Touches

i) Adjusting Contrast and Brightness:

One of the most important finishing touches for any photo restoration project is adjusting the contrast and brightness of the image. This can help bring out details that were previously obscured by damage or ageing and is particularly relevant for black and white photos. To do this, use the Brightness/Contrast adjustment tool in Photoshop. Increase the brightness and contrast until the image looks clear and sharp, but be careful not to overdo it and create an unnatural look.

TOP TIP: If it's a color photo, then the curves tool does a better job of increasing or decreasing the exposure.

ii) Removing Dust and Scratches:

Even after the restoration process is complete, there may still be dust and scratches on the image that need to be removed. Use the Spot Healing Brush tool in Photoshop to carefully remove any remaining blemishes. Use a small brush size and work slowly to ensure that you don't accidentally remove any important details from the image. You can also experiment with the Dust and Scratches filter in Photoshop.

iii) Sharpening:

Another key step in finishing a restored photo is sharpening the image. This can help bring out details and make the image appear more crisp and defined. Use the UnSharp Mask tool in Photoshop to carefully sharpen the edges of the image without overdoing it. Be careful not to over-sharpen, as this can create a grainy, unnatural look.

TOP TIP: View your photo at no more than double print size on your monitor to estimate the appropriate amount of sharpening to apply.

Overall, these finishing touches are important for bringing the restored image to life and making it look as clear and natural as possible.

iv) Printing:

By all means, print at home (selecting quality photo printing paper not office paper) if your printer heads are all clear. Or alternatively use a local photo printing service. I use Image Express in the Swan Shopping Centre in Rathmines, as they are speedy and convenient. Another good service is Photobox.ie.

Conclusion:

With the above tips, you can restore your old and damaged photos to their former glory. It is important to remember to be patient and gentle when restoring old and delicate photographs. By following these tips, you can preserve your memories for generations to come.

Or if the above sounds a bit too complex, once you have them scanned, email them to me for a quote!