www.kadenar.com

More than a decade ago photo retoucher’s work was comparable with oil painting restorer’s scrupulous efforts. It goes without saying that digital technologies turned over image restoration service: complicated procedures became easy; some things seemed impossible at the time are real now. Faded colors, scratches, tears, missing or damaged areas are not the problem. Would you like to turn your black and white picture into color, adjust contrast and sharpness, replace an old background by a new one? Photo restoration artists will do their best. They fix only a digital copy, not the original picture.

It’s not a secret that new digital culture led to a boom in online use. There are a lot of photo restoration web studios, which offer faultless service to its customers. Yet is it so easy to find really professional and right artist? That is the question and I’ll try to find an answer. I got a lot of mails from the customers who asked me to redo restoration work made by some other studio. And their complains are really not without reason. So let’s try to settle the requirements a professional online digital photo service must meet.

Pay attention to sample images on the site. Are there enough quantity of quality works? Enlarged pictures could tell you much more about studio artists skills than small versions. Trustworthy online resource has second level domain name, professional layout and design. Be curious about methods and order of payment. Could you pay for your order only after you’ll get a proof? Will the artist promise to touch up your image after you paid for it and notice some small defects? Does the studio provide a bonus and discount system? It will be also good if you can see how the work is going. It’s nice if you get an answer during one business day. Professional photo restoration studio gives a free price quote and offers “rush order” service. You can find customers testimonials on the right studio site. It offers maximum services, individual attention, full confidentiality, convenient files upload form, good site navigation. You should have a possibility to get a detailed calculation and to discuss the details of your order. Careful attention to client and his/her photos is the most important thing.

Its hard to write about all details in one article. I’ll be glad to answer any questions you may have.

Kind regards,

Photo 911 - digital photo service

leading expert,

Victor Strelkovsky

www.photo911.biz

svs@svsphoto.com

Victor Strelkovsky, a professional photographer (you can view his portfolio here - http://www.svsphoto.com), who loves photography (it is his lifework!), has many years’ experience and prefers to avoid computer filters when it’s possible and work on each pixel personally.

” I feel pleasure when I back old photographs to life, enhance modern digital images or create photo collages and montages. I’m happy to serve you! “

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While browsing through a box of photos handed down to you
from a relative, you come across a studio portrait of your great
grandfather and his family. The picture is in sepia tone, the edges
are tattered and there are deep scratches across the picture. To
make matters worse, someone folded the picture to fit into a small
box producing a crease across the center of the picture.

In spite of it’s faults, you would like to enlarge the picture and
frame it for your family gallery. With a photo editor, you and your
computer can make the photo like new. First scan the photo at
400 dpi resolution. Save the file as a .tif and scan again saving as
a .jpg file. Using the JPEG file to work with, choose the clone
tool to extend the corners and to remove any marks in the photo.
The clone size should be about twice as large as the blemish and
set to fifty per cent strength. Save your work after ten or so fixes,
more depending on your RAM memory.

There are three basic methods of fixing missing or damaged areas
in the photo. The source area of the clone tool is centered over an
area similar to the missing patch but undamaged. A fifty per cent
strength (eighty five per cent for skin) clone brush used in a tapping motion will replace the damaged area. A second method drags the
clone brush and source through the damaged area for replacement.
Finally, a third method involves masking out an undamaged area that
is identical to the damaged area, making it into an object and dragging
the object to the new location for a perfect fit. Some edge blending
may be necessary. Work at the highest magnification possible for an
invisible fix.

Most difficult are problems with the nose and eyes. If one eye is
undamaged, it may be possible to make an object of the eye area, flip
it left for right and replace the damaged eye. Blend the edges and use
the smoothing brushes for a natural look. Do not sharpen the eyes
too much or they will look unnatural.

When satisfied with the retouching, open the histogram to stretch the
contrast to a proper level. I recommend desaturating the image and
using the color balance to simulate the original sepia tone. Some editors
have a special sepia tool for this purpose. For enlarging more than
two hundred per cent, I recommend using PureImage or equivalent
software to reduce artifacts, smooth out the one tone areas and sharpen
the edges. Your efforts will be well appreciated, for after all, if it weren’t
for your ancestors, you wouldn’t be here.

A retired portrait photographer, not quite as old as some pictures.

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Often having a pastel or chalky or simply just a photographic brown or black and white appearance in the early 1900’s, the large family portrait hanging over the mantle was an expensive and difficult project to undertake. Hometown photographers throughout the world simply were not able to produce the large “portraits” easily and resorted to mail order services. These mail order studios were generally located in large cities and could provide, what history has proven, a truly lasting and fine product by using photographic equipment capable of oversized printing, the use of talented hand-tinters (artists) and excellent photo mounting facilities - not to mention a very efficient mail shipping room.

Over the years I have studied and usually repaired more than 3000 of these pieces and have noted their constitution. May of these prints are convex, oval and hand colored. Others look like flat black and white or brown tone prints. Some look like drawings where as others look just like a large photograph. All of these large convex and flat photos are mounted on rag-board. Over the years, sunlight, heat and moisture have given the prints an “aged” look usually accented by a large exquisite frame. What matters most about them is that they are someone’s ancestors. The family traits, eyes, noses and mouths are important, but what matters most is they are family from the past, our heritage.

Can they be refurbished if there is damage from years of storage and neglect? The answer is nearly almost “yes” though sometime the task is made considerably more difficult if the photographs are actually broken. The process that was used in their initial manufacture is the key to the remarkable ability to bring these prints back to a nearly new condition without sacrificing the established aged look.

When a restoration or refurbishing is undertaken, special attention must be paid to the brittle nature of the pieces and the highly acidic nature of the photographic paper in which the silver image is embedded. Careless use of the wrong retouching materials and lacquers may severely damage any effort to rescue an otherwise fine image. Insect manifestation and water lines must receive special attention. The fine touches of color must be made with ground up oil-based pastels.

The technical beauty of these photographs lies in their inherent archival qualities. When properly taken care of, these objects will grace the walls of any home for decades without any significant deterioration of the image content unlike its contemporary counterpart, the natural color photograph which begins a slow, but steady decomposition from the time it is purchased.

William Heroy - Owner of Old Photo Specialists - Founded in 1973

If you would like more information:

Visit Our Website
http://www.oldphotospecialists.com OR email us at oldphotospecialists@triad.rr.com

Old Photo Specialists is a highly specialized restoration studio. We provide a variety of services including original restoration, digital restoration, archival black and white and sepia tone printing, hand oil tinting, oils on canvas and a large variety of photography services. We educate our clients on how to take care of, preserve, and archive their precious family photos.

Write to Our Studio
Old Photo Specialist
909 N. Elm St.
Greensboro, NC 27401
(336) 271-6960

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