Disaster to Masterpiece!

The Disaster to Masterpiece

This is a disaster to masterpiece I have seen more than once and restored many times. This original photo is a dye sublimation print made on a 'Kodak Picture Maker'. These were perhaps the one of the first useful tools of the early digital photo labs. You could copy printed photos even if you didn't have the negative. Back in the day when film photography was a big thing. This technology was a revelation for millions of people. This enabled them to get copies of their cherished photos. Without having to search for those pesky strips of film that no one could ever find.

Unfortunately this technology was flawed. In the next few decades the prints would dry and the lamination that secured the printed image to the sub-strait paper layer would de-laminate. This leads to small strips flaking off and the image literally falls apart before your eyes.

Below is the time-lapse video of more than 5 hours of delicate photo restoration work using Photoshop. The results are fantastic and the new photo has been printed out as a Ultrachrome Archival Photo print that can now be enjoyed for many years to come.

Before and After

YouTube Video Time Lapse

Colourizing an Old Photo

Colourizing an old photo is a very rewarding job. You can see the results appear before your eyes. The image comes alive again when new colour is added.

How to Colourize a Photo

Colourizing old black and white photos is not a new idea. The practice has been around for many years. In the old days, the colour was painted directly onto the printed photograph. Special dyes were used that penetrated the surface of the print and embedded themselves into the image. The colours usually quite bright and obvious. But I have seen some quite amazing examples that looked very realistic.

New Digital methods make the whole process much more accessible. There is also the 'undo' button, which means mistakes are much easier to correct. The painting is still done by hand. But this time using a digital pen to paint on the colours and make the image look alive.

Before & After

Colourizing an Old Photo Photo restored and colourised by Pixelfix — Before and After Photo Restoration and Colourisation

This is the before and after image from this restoration and colourization. Whilst this particular photo did not have much colour to it. It does now have much more facial colour and interest. The full video of the restoration and

is available to watch on YouTube. Also please subscribe, like and share the video with your friends and family.

Covid-19 Level 1

Covid-19 Level 1 Update

As of Tuesday the 9th of June, we are now at Covid-19 Level 1. This means life is back to normal with the exception of international travel. You are welcome to drop off your photo for restoration during normal business hours. Which I have listed below. We no longer have to wear masks or sanitise our hands every 2 minutes. Which is all great news. Lets hope we can get New Zealand moving again in the right direction. Please support your local businesses as they are the backbone of the New Zealand economy.

Time-lapse

To celebrate the end of the severe lock down measures. I have put together my latest time-lapse movie for you. This was a restoration of a nice family portrait that had definitely seen better days. With a few hours work though, we had the photo looking very nice and it is going to be framed and displayed again. If you would like to learn more about our photo restoration services please click here. Please enjoy and let me know what you think of this latest time-lapse video. Also please 'subscribe', 'like' and share the video please.

Corona Virus Update

I would like to update everyone how the corona virus Covid19 is affecting our operations and business at the moment. The short answer is that it is not affecting us at the moment. Which is good news. We are open for business and I have a desk full of restorations currently underway. So if you have a photo that you think may need restoration, then please contact us and I would be happy to give you a FREE QUOTE.

But if you are in self isolation because of the corona virus. Then there are many ways that you can send us your photo for restoration;

Internet

Firstly you can send us your photo via the internet. Options to send us your photo by email. The upload facility on our webpage are available 24hrs a day, 7 days a week. To use this service you will need to scan your photo or take a photo of it by using your phone. If you need help with any of this then please give me a call and I'll be happy to talk you through the process. There are details of the scanning requirements on our Photo Restoration page in the FAQs section.

Post

Secondly you can send us your photo via a courier service. Pass the Parcel is a very good service that will pick up from your home and take payment online. If you are able to visit the Post Shop then of course just pop your photo into a courier bag and let the lovely people at the Post Shop do the rest. Once your photo has arrived I can get to work on the restoration.

Friend

Lastly, you can ask a friend or relative to drop off the photo for you. Just put the photo in a ziplock bag and wipe the bag with antiseptic wipe. The photo will then be safe to travel with your friend or relative.

I hope this was helpful and remember Keep Calm and Carry On.

Waitangi Day

Christmas Time Again

Christmas is a time for giving. Why not give something a little bit special. Give someone a memory of time gone by. Or turn a memory into something new and fantastic. Such as colourizing an old black and white photo of a loved one for Christmis. Like the example below.

Frame it and wrap it, put it under the tree and wait for the smiles! These gifts are special for everyone. We can offer the full package from restoration to colourizing, printing and framing. Now is the time to get your orders in because time is limited and Christmis is coming!!

Colour Restoration

More Colour Please

Ken sent me this old and tired portrait that had lost its colour and needed restoration. I was able to restore the colour using Photoshop and many layers of colour hand-painted to make this wonderful portrait come to life again. The colourization and restoration were very successful and Ken was very happy with the result.

Hi Richard

This is really looking good. So much better than before. We are really pleased
Ken – Auckland

More Colour Please

Before
After

Add Colour This Year

We are back! Happy new year to everyone. Towards the end of 2018, I had quite a few clients requesting photo colourization. Either from Black and white photos. Or old colour photos that have faded or become discoloured and require restoration and re-colourization.

Add Colour This Year

With Peter Jacksons new Film ‘They Shall Not Grow Old’ boring old black and white film into the modern colour era it is not surprising that lots of people are now realising how much of a difference it can make to an old image.

This year has started off in the same way the last ended so expect to see many more colourization restorations to come.

Photo restoration and rcolourization by pixelfix Add Colour This Year — Photo Restoration and re-coloured = $160

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Tag: Colour