How Photo Restoration Works, Step by Step

Photo restoration is the repair of a damaged, faded, or torn photograph, done on a high-resolution digital copy so the original is never altered. An artist removes the damage and rebuilds missing detail by hand, then delivers a repaired digital file, a new print, or both.

No. Most people take a phone picture of their photo and upload it from home, so the original never leaves their hands. Mailing the original is optional: shipping is tracked both ways, the photo is scanned in high resolution within 24 hours of arriving at our New Jersey lab, and it is returned to you free.

Your first proof usually arrives by email in 1 to 3 days, and a 24-hour rush is available if you are on a deadline. After you approve the restoration, digital files are finalized and any prints ship within 24 hours. Revisions along the way are free.

Restoration starts at $38 for your first photo. The price depends only on the artist tier you choose, with three levels where a more senior artist costs more. It never depends on how damaged the photo is. Local studios commonly charge $50–$500 for comparable work.

Yes. A real American artist does the work in professional editing software, cloning intact detail over the damage, rebuilding missing areas from what is genuinely in your image, and matching the original grain and tone. The software is the tool, the person makes every decision, and nothing is generated by AI.

Tell us what feels off, and the artist revises it free of charge, as many times as it takes until you love it. If we still cannot get it right, there is a 30-day money-back guarantee, in cash, not store credit. You are never stuck with a result you do not want.

Yes, that is our normal starting point. Take the picture in soft, even light, ideally near a window with the flash off, and get the whole photo in the frame. A little glare or tilt is workable. If the photo is behind glass, photograph it right through the glass rather than prying it out.

Yes. We email you the address of our New Jersey photo-scanning lab after you order, shipping is tracked in both directions, and your photo is scanned in high resolution within 24 hours of arrival. The original is returned to you free. If you would rather not part with it at all, simply upload a phone picture instead.

Right here, from your kitchen table. There’s no shop to drive to anymore (most drugstore photo counters are gone): you take a picture of your photo with your phone, upload it, and our American artists restore it by hand within a few days. If you’d rather talk to a person first, call +1 (307) 218-6920.

Real restoration artists do. At MemoryCherish, only humans ever touch your photo. Our artists have 37+ years of combined experience and have restored photos for museums, historical societies, and hundreds of thousands of families. You can meet the team on our Who We Are page.

Not anymore. Walgreens discontinued its photo restoration service in 2024, and most drugstore photo counters are gone. MemoryCherish is where those customers come now: restoration done by hand by American artists, from $38, delivered in a few days, with no store visit needed. Read our full Walgreens comparison here.

Almost always, yes. Even photos other services turned away. Tears, creases, water stains, fading, mold, fire damage, photos stuck to glass, photos in pieces: our artists restore them all by hand. And in the rare case a photo just can’t be saved, we’ll tell you honestly and you won’t pay anything.

Restoration starts at $38 per photo. You choose one of three artist levels — Experienced Artist at $38, Head Artist at $58, or Senior Artist at $148 — and the price never depends on how damaged the photo is: a torn photo costs the same as an easy one at the same level. Free revisions and your digital files are always included, and nothing is ever added after. You’ll see your full total on the order form before you pay a cent, and the three artist levels are laid out on our Why choose us page.

Most photos come back in a few days. You’ll pick your speed on the order form. And if you need it tomorrow (a memorial service, a birthday), there’s a 24-hour rush. Tell us the date and we’ll treat it as a promise.

The simplest price list is the order form itself: start an order (about two minutes, no commitment) and you’ll see your exact total for your photo before you pay anything. You choose the artist level, and the price never depends on the damage. You can also see all three artist levels and what each one includes on our Why choose us page.

You can try one free. Many of our customers did first. Here’s what they tell us: the app “restored” the photo, but the face that came back wasn’t quite Mom anymore. AI apps don’t recover your photo’s real details. They borrow face parts from strangers in a database and paste them in. For a photo of someone you love, that’s the one thing that can’t happen.

Our artists only recover what’s really there. That’s why every restoration includes a before-and-after comparison and your approval before it’s final: it has to look like her, or you don’t pay.

If you have any more questions, email our team at support@memorycherish.com, or give us a call at +1 (307) 218-6920. A real person will get back to you and walk you through anything you're unsure about.