Services

I am offering digital photo editing to repair damages or improve the quality of old photographs. Also, improve suboptimal portraits or new photos in general. This ranges from retouching slight blemishes to restoring massive damages, like parts missing or unrecognizable, where lost content has to be rebuilt. Most pictures can be salvaged or improved, it has to be decided on a case to case basis.

cosmetics

Remove red-eye, facial blemishes, stray hairs

Soften wrinkles, smoothen skin

Correct color cast or skin tone

basic restoration

Remove color cast, restore faded colors

Improve contrast, re-crop picture

Fix minor scratches, stains, dust spots

advanced restoration

Repair tears, small holes, torn corners in background

Remove widespread dust spots, stains, scratches

Improve grain, sharpness, excessive darkness in image

serious restoration

Reconstruct missing or badly damaged features in:

faces, clothing or essential objects

Change or re-invent background, where big parts missing

manipulations

Add or remove people or objects

Switch heads between 2 group pictures from same session (e.g. eyes closed)

Replace background

color games

Colorize black & white pictures (like hand-coloring before color film)

convert color photos to black & white

add nostalgic “sepia” tone or other color cast to b/w photo

enhancements

Improve suboptimal digital images and make them “glow”. Portraits, landscapes, vacation pictures, etc.

Fix bad lighting, haze, sharpness in otherwise beloved photos.

printing

I also offer professional printing, using top quality archival materials. All images can be printed in the original size, most can be enlarged to 8×10″ (A4). Bigger sizes depend on the quality/resolution of the original scan. Technically, I can print up to 17×22″ (40x50cm).

restoration step by step:

(1)  You email me your image for evaluation and let me know what you are planning to use it for (digital only, or same size print, or enlarged print). I will assess the damage and give you a free estimate of the restoration cost, based on how time consuming the job will be, and let you know when I can have a proof ready for you. You won’t be charged until the project is finished. This image you send for evaluation can either be a quality scan already, or just a “temporary” picture you took of the original with your cell phone.

(2)  The original needs to be digitized at the best possible quality level and in an appropriate file format, so I can go to work.

  • If you own a scanner, please scan the photo at a minimum resolution of 300-600 dpi, or more if possible. The higher, the better, really. Especially if you plan on printing the restored photo. The file format (preference in this order!) should be .TIF or .PDF or .JPG
  • Or you can have your original picture scanned at a print/copy shop for very little money.
  • If everything else fails, you could take a picture of your original with your cell phone on the highest possible resolution level. However, this may limit the possibilities I have in the restoration process and the quality of the end result. Make sure that you have good lighting but no glare on the surface, and hold the phone perfectly parallel to the object to avoid distortion.
  • While I do not recommend sending a unique original in the mail, it is certainly a possibility as well. If you happen to live in the Dallas/Ft.Worth, TX area, maybe a meeting can be arranged to get the picture to me. In this case, I would do the scanning for you.

(3)  I will email you a proof as soon as I’m finished. In case you are not immediately satisfied with the result, I can still make some minor changes at this point, at no extra cost. Once you approve, your credit card will be charged and the final version of the digital file in full resolution (.jpg format, 300 dpi) will be emailed to you. If you also ordered a print from me, it will be shipped a couple of days later.