How to restore and frame an old photo

  1. Photograph or scan the print, or bring it to the gallery if it's fragile.
  2. We repair the damage on a digital copy.
  3. Choose a print size for the restored copy.
  4. Frame the new print behind glass, with a mount between the photo and the glass.
  5. Use UV-filtering glass or acrylic if sunlight reaches the wall.
  6. Store the original flat, dark and dry.

Frame a fresh copy, not the original

This is the decision that matters most.

An old print on the wall gets light every day. Light is a big part of why old colour prints turn yellow and pale. Put the original back in a frame and it carries on fading. Frame a fresh print instead and the original can go back into an album or an envelope, safe.

And if the framed copy fades in twenty years? Print another one.

What restoration can fix

We restore faded, torn and stained prints, including photos from the 1980s and earlier:

  • Faded colours and yellowed paper
  • Tears, creases and folds
  • Stains, spots and water marks
  • Scratches and missing corners

The work is done on a digital copy, so your original is never altered. Restoration usually takes about 5 days from when you confirm the order. Want colour added to a black-and-white photo? Ask us when you send it, and we'll tell you what's possible for that image. Our photo restoration page has the details.

How to send the photo

A good scan or a clear phone photo of the print often works. Lay the print flat near a window, avoid flash and glare, and take the picture straight on so the whole photo fills the frame.

If it's very fragile, don't try to flatten it. Bring it to us as it is and we'll scan it carefully at the gallery.

Framing a restored photo

Photos are paper, and paper is fragile. That changes the framing rules compared with a painting on canvas.

  • Always use glass or acrylic. A photo marks, fades and curls without it.
  • Add a mount. The card border keeps the photo from touching the glass and gives the picture room to breathe.
  • Block the sun. If sunlight reaches the wall, ask for UV-filtering glass or acrylic. In a busy family room or a child's bedroom, acrylic is lighter and won't shatter.
  • Pick a frame for the photo, not the curtains. Dark wood or black suits black-and-white photographs. Gold suits warm colour photos and traditional family portraits.

We frame in teak wood. Our guide to choosing a frame covers width, colour and hanging height in more detail.

Restored photo or painted portrait?

A restored photo stays a photo: the same picture, repaired. Sometimes that's exactly right.

But if the photo is very small, very damaged, or has someone missing, a portrait can do more. Many customers restore an old photo first and then order a custom portrait from the restored copy. Our artists can replace a busy background and bring people from different photos into one picture. Our guide to a memorial portrait from an old photo explains how that works.

Already have a photo that needs a frame?

Bring it in. We frame artwork from elsewhere too, not just pieces we've made. You can see finished framed pieces at the gallery on Road No. 14, Banjara Hills.