Questions, questions...

  1. Do you restore the original photograph?
    No, we do not restore the original photograph. We scan it, store it away for safekeeping, and then we do all our work on the digital file.

  2. But can’t you restore the original? I mean, isn’t that the way they used to do it?
    While it is true that some photos can be restored, most of them, even in the olden days of say, 20 years ago, before Photoshop, still had a copy process involved, and were restored in a couple of different ways. The damaged photo could be copied onto a special negative, the negative was retouched using special inks and dyes, and the result was printed onto new photo paper. Or the photo was copied and airbrushed. Either way involved a copy.

  3. Okay, so once you get my photo, how does this whole process work?
    Click here for information about the restoration process from beginning to end.

  4. How long will it take to restore my photo?
    I like to give it two weeks from the time we receive your photograph. Most of the time it takes less than two weeks, sometimes only a couple days, depending on the work needed. This information will be included in your estimate.

  5. How do I make my payment?
    We accept credit cards, Paypal, and personal checks. Click here for payment information.

  6. Can any photo be restored?
    Unfortunately no. Some photos are damaged beyond repair and cannot be saved. If there is still an image in the photograph, we may be able to at least rescue part of the photo, and this is most often the case. However, if we cannot restore your photo we will let you know why immediately.

  7. What if I’m not happy with the resulting photo restoration?
    We certainly hope this never happens, but if you’re not completely thrilled by the restored photo, we will send your original back to you and you will not be charged - not even for postage. No questions asked.

  8. Can you restore a photo using the negative or slide?
    We can. We will take the negative or slide to our trusty photolab and they will scan it with their high-tech, super-duper scanning machines for a high resolution digital image, and then we'll work on the restoration from the digital file.

  9. What do I get back?
    When all is finished, you will receive the following:

    • if you mailed the original, it will of course be returned
    • a photo CD with a digital file of the restored photo
    • a 5x7 print of the restored photo, printed on high-quality archival photo paper

  10. Can I get extra copies of the restored photo?
    Yes. Extra 5x7 copies are $8 each, and 8x10 copies are $12 each. You can also take the CD to your nearest photo lab and have the digital file printed there.

Ten seems to be a nice round number of questions, but if you have more, please e-mail them to me and I’ll add them to this page. Click on the side links for more detailed information about each category of restoration, a free estimate form and instructions, and other random bits of information, hopefully useful to someone.