If you have ever seen old photos left behind by your elders, you may have noticed that these photos have started to fade or turn yellow, and even become blurry. The photos that captured your childhood memories will eventually suffer the same fate. Therefore, it is important to restore and digitise them in a timely manner before they completely deteriorate, in order to preserve the original and authentic moments. "Old Photo Restoration" is a crucial step in this process.

Why do old photos fade?

Before the digital camera era, photos taken with traditional cameras had to be developed from film to create physical copies. However, these old photos can deteriorate, fade, turn yellow, or even become damaged over time.

Since the colouring elements of colour photos are organic compounds, they are unstable by nature. When exposed to ultraviolet radiation in sunlight and some invisible light, the colouring elements will decompose, causing the colours of the photo to gradually fade.

In addition to sunlight exposure, poor quality photo paper and ink, high humidity in the air, chemical substances in the air, acidic glue, paper, or mould can also cause photos to fade or turn yellow. Physical damage, such as tearing or scratching, can also accelerate the degradation of the photo.

Before and after showcase — Photo Source: Capture.HK

How to restore old photos?

Each old photo carries a fascinating story or moving memory behind it. It would be a great pity if these valuable moments are lost due to fading or yellowing of the photos.

With the advancement of technology, the restoration of old photos has become increasingly powerful. To restore an old photo, the first step is to digitise it. The process is roughly as follows:

Scan the old photo into a suitable digital format using a scanner
Save the digital image to a computer or smartphone
Use application software or technology to restore the photo, including colour restoration, fine-tuning, and repair of damage.

Is the photo repair app useful?

There are many photo repair apps on the market, each with their own unique features and interesting additional editing functions and effects, some even offer intelligent quick repair technology. However, even with the use of these apps, repairing a large number of old photos often requires the tedious process of repairing each photo one by one, which can be extremely time-consuming.

Furthermore, the automatic intelligent repair function of editing apps itself may not completely restore the original tone of the photo, or may even cause the photo to become distorted due to excessive editing, requiring human visual judgment to make additional adjustments to brightness and colour.

As for online photo repair services, they usually charge based on the number of photos and the degree of repair needed, and the costs involved may be higher than using photo repair apps on your own. However, these services are performed by professionals with specialised photo repair skills, resulting in photos that are closer to their natural state and achieve the best repair results.

Top 5 photo repair apps

Currently, most free versions of photo repair apps provide basic editing functions, but advanced functions require additional purchases of paid versions. Here are five photo repair apps that are more familiar to people:

	Adobe Lightroom	Meitu Xiu Xiu	PicsArt	Remini	Snapseed
Introduction	Published by Adobe, the advanced version offers professional-level editing functions.	Developed by Meitu, it is known for its beauty function, particularly for selfies.	A photo editing app that focuses on creative elements and offers powerful post-processing functions.	Positioned as a photo editing app with powerful intelligent repair technology, it can also repair videos.	Developed by Google, it has an easy-to-use interface design.
Function	The "Content-Aware Removal" tool in the repair function can quickly remove difficult stains.	Provides a one-click restoration function to restore old photos to clarity.	It has a comprehensive photo editor with a large number of editing tools.	The repair function is perfect and can repair low-pixel, out-of-focus, or degraded photos/videos, significantly improving pixel and clarity.	It can adjust local details, and the "Repair" tool can quickly remove defects or unnecessary objects.
Paid Version	Monthly fee $68／Annual fee $816	Monthly fee $38／Annual fee $238	Monthly fee $38／Annual fee $378	Basic version: $38 per week Professional version: $78 per week	N/A

Professional Old Photos Restoration Fees

There are countless online photo restoration service providers on the market, who charge different fees based on the level of restoration and complexity. The minimum cost for restoring a single photo is a few hundred Hong Kong dollars, and if complex restoration techniques are required or if the photo is severely damaged, the cost can go up to several thousand Hong Kong dollars. Most photo restoration apps charge a subscription fee, ranging from tens to hundreds of Hong Kong dollars per month.

How to choose an old photo restoration service?

Since old photos involve personal privacy, when looking for an old photo restoration service provider, it is important to choose a reputable business to avoid inappropriate handling of your photos.

In addition, customers should also refer to the service provider's customer reviews and the quality of their restoration work to ensure that the business can provide the restoration services you need. When placing an order, it is also important to carefully read the service terms, such as whether digitalisation services for old photos are included or whether modifications can be made after delivery of the final product.

The process of digitising old photos also includes photo restoration!

Capture.HK's photo digitisation service not only efficiently digitises each photo for you, but also performs a certain degree of restoration on the photos, including removing yellowing, restoring colour, and reducing glare. This recreates every precious moment (you can refer to the before and after restoration comparison chart below), allowing you to share precious photos with friends and family that more accurately reflect their original appearance. Future generations can also see what things looked like in the past, ensuring that these photos are passed down through the generations.

In fact, most photo restoration apps and services require customers to submit digital-format photos, and do not accept physical photos. Customers must digitise the photos themselves before they can be further restored. However, Capture.HK's one-stop service solves all these problems, from digitising old photos, optimising them, to uploading them to Google Photos. We even offer album digitisation, using non-contact digitisation processes and unique digital patent technology to ensure that photos are not taken out of your album or damaged by contact.

Before and after showcase — Photo Source: Capture.HK

Digitising Old Photos - Prevention is Key!

Converting old photos to digital format can help protect precious memories from being lost or damaged, and also prevent the risk of deterioration and damage to old media over time. As the saying goes, prevention is the most effective measure. Digitising old photos is the first step in preventing the loss of memories. Take action now and digitise your old media with Capture.HK!

References:

Step-by-step Guide to Restoring Old Photos [Complete Tutorial] - imyfone
Photographs capture memories, but have you ever wondered why colour photos fade? The reasons behind this phenomenon are quite fascinating! - kknews
What's new in Lightroom - Adobe
Top 10 Recommended Photo Editing Apps Ranking - Mybest
Capture Photograph Digitisation - Capture