Professional Photo Restoration Services
Professional photo restoration and retouching, repaired by hand from $2.35 an image. There is no reshoot for a photograph taken sixty years ago. Cracks, tears, water damage, fading and mould are repaired by hand, pixel by pixel, from the best scan you can give us — from $2.35 an image, within 24 to 48 hours. Pixel Retouching has restored photographs since 2014, from ISO-certified studios in Singapore and Dhaka.
After editBefore
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3 photographs restored free. No credit card, no sign-up.
Trusted by Families, Studios & Archives
Families, photographers, museums and local archives send us damaged prints and scans and get repaired, printable files back within a day or two.
What Is Photo Restoration?
Rebuilding damaged areas of a photograph by hand so the repair is invisible — reconstructing what was lost from what survives, rather than blurring over the gap.
These images are irreplaceable
A wedding can be reshot and a product can be rephotographed. A photograph of someone who has died cannot. That is the whole reason this work is done carefully.
Reconstruction, not blurring
A missing corner of a face has to be rebuilt using the symmetry of the face and the grain of the print. Smoothing it over is what makes a bad restoration obvious.
The scan is the ceiling
Restoration quality is limited by what the scan captured. A high-resolution scan of a damaged print beats a phone photograph of a pristine one.
It should look its age
A restored photograph should look like a well-kept print of its era, not like a modern digital image. Over-processing erases the character that makes it worth keeping.
How Our Photo Restoration Service Works
Four steps from raw frames to listing-ready files, with no account setup in between.
Send the scan
JPEG or TIFF at the highest resolution you can manage, by upload link, Dropbox, Google Drive or WeTransfer.
Hand repair
A named retoucher rebuilds the damaged areas by hand, reconstructing detail rather than smoothing it.
Quality control
A second editor checks the repair at full size, where clone marks and soft patches would show.
Delivery
Print-resolution files return within 24 to 48 hours. Revisions are unlimited.
Our Photo Restoration Services
Every kind of damage a print picks up over decades. Drag any slider to see the real file, before and after.
Crack, Tear & Crease Repair
Physical damage rebuilt by hand — cracks across a face, torn corners, fold lines from being kept in a wallet. The surrounding detail and grain are matched so the repair does not read as a patch.
- Cracks and fold lines rebuilt
- Torn corners reconstructed
- Grain matched across the repair
- Missing areas rebuilt, not blurred
Fading & Discolouration
Colour prints from the seventies and eighties that have shifted orange or magenta brought back to a natural balance, and faded density restored so the image has contrast again.
- Orange and magenta shifts corrected
- Faded density restored
- Natural skin tones recovered
- Contrast brought back honestly
Water, Mould & Stain Damage
Water marks, tide lines, mould spotting, foxing and adhesive residue from old albums removed, with the underlying image reconstructed where the emulsion was lost.
- Water marks and tide lines
- Mould spotting and foxing
- Album adhesive residue
- Emulsion loss reconstructed
Black & White Colourisation
Monochrome photographs coloured by hand with historically plausible tones. If you can tell us the real colours of clothing, hair or surroundings, the result is far more convincing.
- Coloured by hand, not filtered
- Historically plausible tones
- Real colours used where known
- Skin tones kept believable
Scratch, Dust & Spot Removal
Surface scratches, dust, specks and scanner marks cleaned from the whole frame without softening the grain, which is what keeps the print looking like a print.
- Scratches and dust cleaned
- Scanner marks removed
- Grain kept, not smoothed
- Full-frame cleanup
Face & Detail Reconstruction
Where damage has taken part of a face, hand or garment, the missing area is rebuilt from the symmetry of the subject and any surviving detail elsewhere in the frame.
- Damaged faces rebuilt
- Symmetry used as reference
- Detail matched to surviving areas
- The hardest restoration work
Photo Manipulation & Composites
Adding or removing people, combining several photographs into one family group, or replacing a background — commonly requested for memorial and anniversary prints.
- People added or removed
- Several photos combined
- Backgrounds replaced
- Memorial and anniversary prints
Damage We Repair
Most old photographs arrive with several of these at once. All of them are repairable from a decent scan.
Cracks & creases
Fold lines and surface cracking rebuilt.
Tears & missing corners
Lost areas reconstructed from what survives.
Water damage
Tide lines and staining removed.
Mould & foxing
Spotting cleaned without flattening the print.
Fading & sun damage
Density and contrast restored.
Colour shifts
Orange and magenta casts corrected.
Scratches & dust
Surface marks cleaned frame-wide.
Album adhesive
Glue and tape residue removed.
Fire & smoke damage
Scorching and soot marks reduced.
Insect damage
Holes and edge loss rebuilt.
Low-quality scans
Compression artefacts and banding cleaned.
Black & white
Colourised by hand where wanted.
Who Uses Our Restoration Services
Families with a shoebox of prints, and professionals who take restoration commissions.
Families & individuals
A single treasured photograph, with no minimum order.
Photographers & studios
White-label restoration for client commissions.
Museums & archives
Historic collections stabilised and digitised.
Genealogists
Family history images repaired for publication.
Publishers & authors
Archive photographs prepared for print.
Print shops & framers
Restoration handled behind your counter service.
Funeral & memorial services
Memorial portraits produced to a short deadline.
Local history societies
Community collections digitised at volume.
Why Restoration Is Worth Doing Properly
It is the one category of photo editing where the original cannot be recreated if the work is done badly.
Prints keep degrading
Fading, foxing and emulsion loss continue every year a print sits in a loft or an album. Scanning and restoring now preserves more than doing it in another decade will.
Automatic tools fail on real damage
One-click restoration handles dust and light scratches. It cannot rebuild a missing corner of a face, which is where most valuable old photographs actually need help.
A restored file can be shared and reprinted
Once repaired, the image can be printed at any size, sent to every family member and stored safely, which the single surviving print never could be.
Character should survive the repair
The aim is a well-kept print of its era, not a modern-looking image. Over-processing removes exactly what makes an old photograph feel old.
Our Restoration Workflow
The same four stages run on a three-image trial and a four-thousand-image catalogue.
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01
Assessment
The scan is checked and we tell you what is realistically recoverable.
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02
Repair
Damage rebuilt by hand, matching surrounding detail and grain.
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03
Quality control
Second editor checks the repair at full size for clone marks.
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04
Delivery
Print-resolution files by link within 24 to 48 hours.
Before & After Gallery
Real client files. Drag any slider to compare the damaged original with the repair.
Photo Restoration Pricing, per Image
Starting rates for standard complexity. Send a sample and we confirm the exact price before any work begins.
Dust, scratches, light fading and minor surface marks.
Cracks, creases, stains and moderate colour correction.
Tears, missing areas, water and mould damage rebuilt.
Hand-coloured with historically plausible tones.
Severe damage to faces or key detail. Quoted per image.
People added or removed, several photographs combined.
Bulk orders of 10+ images qualify for discounted pricing, and 100+ for up to 50% off.
Frequently Asked Questions
How should I scan my photographs?
Use a flatbed scanner at 600 dpi or higher and save as TIFF or maximum-quality JPEG. Scan the whole print including its border. A phone photograph can work for a straightforward repair, but a proper scan gives a much better result.
Do I need to send the original print?
No, and we would rather you did not. Everything is done from a digital scan, so the original never leaves your hands and cannot be lost or damaged in transit.
Can you repair a photo with a missing face or corner?
Usually yes. Missing areas are rebuilt using the symmetry of the subject and detail surviving elsewhere in the frame. Send the scan and we will tell you honestly what is achievable before you order.
Can you colourise black and white photographs?
Yes, by hand rather than with a filter. Tones are chosen to be historically plausible, and if you can tell us the real colours of clothing, hair or surroundings the result is considerably more convincing.
Can you remove water stains and mould?
Yes. Water marks, tide lines, mould spotting and foxing are all removable, and where the emulsion itself was lost the underlying image is reconstructed rather than smoothed over.
Can you fix the colour on faded 1970s prints?
Yes. Colour prints from that era commonly shift orange or magenta as the dyes degrade. The cast is corrected and faded density restored so the image has natural skin tones and real contrast again.
Can you combine several photos into one?
Yes. Adding or removing people, and combining separate photographs into a single family group, are common requests for memorial and anniversary prints. These are quoted per image.
Can you enlarge a restored photo for framing?
Yes, within reason. Restored files are prepared at print resolution and enlarged carefully. We do not use generative upscalers that invent detail, because fabricated detail on a family photograph is worse than none.
How long does restoration take?
Most restorations are back within 24 to 48 hours depending on damage. Heavy reconstruction and colourisation take longer, and we agree a date with you upfront rather than leaving it open.
Can you restore a large collection?
Yes. Archives, albums and family collections are handled at volume with a consistent treatment across the set, and priced per batch rather than per image.
Is there a minimum order?
No. You can send a single photograph, or start with the free trial of three. There is no minimum quantity and no sign-up required.
Are my family photographs kept private?
Yes. Scans are treated as strictly confidential, stored securely, deleted on request, and never used in our portfolio or marketing without your written permission.
Related Photo Editing Services
Restoration is most often ordered with enhancement for difficult scans, and by photographers who take restoration commissions alongside their own work.
Send Us Three Photographs to Restore, Free
Send scans of your three most damaged photographs and see what is recoverable before you commit. No credit card, no sign-up, no obligation.