There are now myriad Vintage pin-up images from the 20th century that have been transferred to digital format. While some of these are fine and need minimal or no attention, I have found that many images can be poor quality. This is due to many factors. Firstly; the photographic materials and techniques of that period, while adequate, were nowhere near as good as today's modern equipment and digital photographs. Secondly; the time elapsed since the original photos were taken means damage from any number of sources—natural fading, scratches, stains etc. These flaws will, obviously, also be copied when an image is scanned to a computer. Other factors include scan quality, re-sizing, general meddling with the original scan and so on.

I decided, therefore, with my own collection, to improve those images that needed it and to restore them to as much of their former glory as possible, while keeping the original photographic image as it was meant to be seen. Nowadays, most of us are familiar with software that can be used to alter or improve any image. This is mostly done with modern photos, but the materials and techniques can also be applied to older pictures.

The restoration process (and time needed) can range from quite simple with an image that is not too badly affected, to a prolonged session of taking out as many flaws as possible in other, more badly damaged pics. From cutting and pasting sections, to adjusting lighting/contrast and lots of other tools, the picture is improved little by little until it looks how it was probably meant to look. (I will not enter into the whole process here as it is quite detailed). Most pictures are improved in some way; even the best scans may copy dust or a hair that was on the scanner, unbeknown to the person scanning the image.

Below are 3 examples of restored pictures with before and after effects. This clearly shows the benefits and the different levels of restoration.