SErvice
Digital Restoration
Old photographs, paintings, artifacts, and heirloom documents can experience significant fading and damage over time, especially if they haven’t been handled with the best care over time. Physically restoring the original items can be risky, cost-prohibitive, and has limitations. With digital restoration, on the other hand, there is no risk to your original item, and there is very little that can’t be repaired. Fading, discoloration, cracks, tearing, water damage, dirt/dust, and more, are all within the scope of what can be repaired with digital restoration. Old Town Editions has over 20 years of experience providing digital restoration services, breathing new life into aged photographs and documents, returning them to their original condition.
About the Process
We’ll start by taking a high-res digital capture of your photograph. We digitize old photographs and documents the same way we digitize artwork, creating a large, highly detailed file. We use a digital scanning back paired with a traditional view camera, so your heirloom will not be face down in a scanner, keeping your heirloom safe.
Next is the digital restoration. We employ numerous tools and techniques to fix fading, discoloration, cracks, tears, and any other damage. We can restore a photograph to its original black and white, or create a sepia tone to give a vintage look. Once the digital restoration is done, your image can be printed! We can print as many copies as you need to share with friends and family.
In-House Digital Restoration
All of our digital restoration work is done in-house, so your precious and fragile heirlooms won’t be shipped out
Make Copies for Family
Print as many copies as you need for family and friends
Easily Adjust Sizing
Prints can be made larger or smaller than the original. The amount an image can be enlarged will depend on sharpness of the original
Digital Restoration Pricing
Digital capture: $75
Digital Restoration: $125-$375
The digital restoration is priced on a scale depending on how much damage there is to the original. Heirlooms that have normal fading and minor damage typically fall at the lower end of the scale, while more heavy damaged items will land more in the middle/high end of the scale. This price is determined on a case-by-case basis, and we’ll need to see your photograph in person to give you an exact quote.
If you’re not sure about the process, or if it’s difficult to make it to our studio, you can e-mail us an image of your photograph to get an estimate. Please note that this estimate would be subject to change upon seeing your photograph in person, as there can be fine details/damage only visible in person.
Print Pricing
Either one print up to 12″ on the long dimension or two to three smaller prints will be included in the digital restoration cost. Any additional prints will be priced at a square-inch rate.
For example, additional 5×7 prints would be $8.75 each, while 8×10 prints would be $20 each. You can find a full breakdown of print pricing here.
Make an appointment to come by our studio and see even more samples!
Bring your heirloom photographs with you for a consultation and we can let you know what’s possible with digital restoration.
FAQ
How do I get started?
If you have an old photograph, document, or other heirloom you’d like to have digitally restored, just let us know! You can reach us at 703-684-0005, or via e-mail at info@oldtowneditions.com. We do require appointments, so please reach out to set up a time to with your photographs and heirlooms.
What happens with my files?
Once we’ve finished the digital restoration process we’ll give you the final files so you have them for your records. We also keep them safely archived in our system. Only you will have access to view or order additional prints from your files. If a family member or friend would like to order prints directly from us, we’ll need your permission first.
How do I get Discounts?
Digital restoration is a very specialized skill and a time-intensive process. As such, we do not offer discounts on our digital restoration service.
Is there anything that can't be digitally restored?
While digital restoration can repair significant damage, it’s not entirely without limitation. These limitations come in when there is a lack of detail/information in the original item. For example, if there is a piece missing from a photograph, and that piece included someone’s face, we’re going to be limited on what can be done there. If you have another photograph of that missing person, we can digitally borrow from that second photo to recreate the first one. Otherwise, we may just have to fully remove that person to create a seamless image.
We’ll always let you know if we have any concerns about digitally restoring your photographs/heirlooms, and offer you options if there’s damage that’s going to require us to get particularly creative in order to repair.