Photo Restoration Best Practices
Scenario
Old photos often include scratches, fading, and low contrast. The goal is restoration, not identity rewriting.
Steps
- Repair structural damage first (scratches, tears, dust).
- Recover tonal range and local contrast.
- Apply optional colorization with conservative settings.
- Validate details against any known references.
Parameter Guidance
- Detail preservation: keep skin texture natural.
- Contrast recovery: moderate and localized.
- Colorization: low saturation baseline, then slight tuning.
- Export: archive master plus web delivery copy.
Failure Troubleshooting
Symptom: Faces look synthetic
Fix:
- Lower enhancement aggressiveness.
- Prioritize geometry preservation over cosmetic smoothness.
Symptom: Colors look modern and unrealistic
Fix:
- Reduce saturation and warmth.
- Use neutral, historically plausible palette language.
Compliance Boundary
- Do not use restoration for deceptive identity manipulation.
- Confirm rights to edit and publish historical photos.
FAQ
Should all old photos be colorized?
No. Colorization is optional and should be applied only when it improves context without distortion.
What is the safest restoration order?
Repair -> tonal recovery -> optional colorization.