Frequently asked questions

Restoration starts at $38 per photo for our Experienced Artist and goes up to $148 for our Senior Artist, who handles the most severe damage. Colorization is an optional $19 per photo. The price you see is the price you pay — it never goes up because your photo turns out to be more damaged than expected. Order more than one photo at once and a volume discount comes off automatically: $20 off at 3 photos, $40 off at 5, and $100 off at 10.

Then you don't pay. If we honestly cannot bring a photo back, we tell you plainly and refund every cent — cash, not store credit. It almost never happens, but if it does, you are never left out of pocket.

No, and most customers never do. A picture of your photo, taken with your phone at your kitchen table, is all we need. Your original never leaves your hands. If you'd prefer to mail it (some photos are too large or too delicate to photograph well), we return originals free, by tracked mail.

Often, yes. A lot of photos get turned away not because they're impossible, but because they're hard. Tears, missing corners, water stains, heavy fading and faces with lost detail are exactly the work our Senior Artist specializes in. Send it to us and we'll give you an honest answer — and if we can't do it, you pay nothing.

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.

We restore old, damaged and faded family photographs by hand — repairing tears, removing water stains, rebuilding lost detail and faces, and bringing faded color or black-and-white photos back to life. A real restoration specialist is responsible for every result, and nothing is final until you approve it. We also turn finished restorations into museum-quality prints you can frame and share.

Almost always. We've worked from tiny wallet photos, faded Polaroids, cracked tintypes, and pictures of pictures taken on a phone. If you can see the faces, we can usually work with it. If you're unsure, upload what you have and we'll tell you honestly whether it's workable before you pay a cent more.

Not a thing. You upload your photo, tell us what matters most to you (a face, a date, a color), and we handle the rest. There's no jargon, no technical settings, and no decisions only an expert could make. You stay in the loop the whole way and nothing is final until you say it's right.

If your photo is black-and-white or has badly faded color, colorization is usually a great fit. It works best when faces and clothing are still visible, even faintly. We research period-appropriate tones so the color looks real, not painted on. You can add it to any artist tier for $19 per photo, and you'll see the result before you approve anything.

Send what you have. Missing corners, torn-off halves and pieces that have been lost over the years are routine for our Head and Senior artists. We can often reconstruct missing sections from context — the rest of the scene, period references, and what's visible. Tell us in the notes what you remember about the parts that are gone.

Yes. Box cameras, Kodak Instamatics, Polaroids, 35mm film, tintypes, glass plates — the format doesn't matter. What matters is that we can see the image. If you only have a physical print, a phone photo of that print is enough to start.

Head to the order page, upload your photo (or tell us you'll email or mail it later), pick your artist level and options, and enter your contact details. Nothing is charged until the final step — the buttons along the way only show your price. Once you approve the estimate, your photo goes straight to an artist.

Ensure they're clean and flat. If scanning, use high-resolution settings; if taking digital photos, shoot in natural light without flash. For the best results, your original photos should be free from smudges and dust. When scanning, a resolution of at least 300 dpi is recommended for optimal clarity. If you're using a smartphone, capture your photo in a well-lit area to prevent shadows and keep the camera steady to avoid blurs. Our team can assist with specific instructions if needed, ensuring your photos are primed for the restoration process.

No hard limit. A single order can hold up to 25 photos, and the more you restore at once, the more you save — $20 off at 3 photos, $40 off at 5, and $100 off at 10. If you have more than 25 or a whole family archive, contact us and we'll set up a custom batch.

Yes. Everything happens online — you upload from wherever you are, and your finished restoration is delivered to your inbox. You never need to visit a shop, and your originals never need to leave your country.

JPEG, PNG, HEIC, HEIF, TIFF and WebP all work, and we can also work from a PDF. Send the largest, sharpest version you have — a big file is always better than a small one. If your phone saved it as HEIC, that's perfectly fine; no need to convert it.

You'll see a confirmation on screen right after you upload, and we email you a receipt with a private order link. If you chose to email or mail your photos later, that same link is where your order lives — you can check its status any time. If you ever don't see the email, check spam, then call us at (203) 364-4537.

Send them all. You can upload up to 25 photos in one order and add a note telling us which ones matter most and why. We'll look at every one before we start and let you know which are good candidates for restoration. You only pay for the work you approve.

Absolutely — it's the most common way people send us photos. Prop the original up in good natural light, keep your phone steady, and avoid flash. That's enough for almost every restoration. Your original stays with you the whole time.

First, check that each file is under 40 MB and in one of our accepted formats (JPEG, PNG, HEIC, TIFF, WebP or PDF). On a slow connection, large files can time out — try one at a time. If you'd rather skip uploading, choose 'Email us your photos later' or 'Mail physical photos' on the order form and we'll send instructions. Still stuck? Call us at (203) 364-4537, Mon–Fri 9am–5pm Eastern.

Tears and rips, water damage and stains, mould, fading, discoloration, creases and folds, missing corners, cracked emulsion, sun-bleached faces, and detail lost to age. If you can name a kind of damage, we've probably fixed it. Browse the damage types on our home page to find photos like yours and see real before-and-after results.

Yes, and we encourage it. Add notes to your order about what matters most — a face that has to look right, a date you want preserved, colors you remember. During the restoration you can reach your artist through your private order link, and nothing is final until you approve it.

When your restoration is ready, we email you a private link where you can view the finished result side by side with the original. If it's perfect, you approve it right there. If something isn't right, you tell us what to change and we revise — for free — until it looks the way you remember.

That's most of what we do. Even a photo with no tears can have faded color, yellowing, soft focus or a dull, flat look. We bring back the richness and clarity the print had when it was new, and we can add colorization to a black-and-white original so it feels alive again.

That's the goal — not a new, retouched version of your family, but the photo as it was meant to look. We preserve the character of the original while removing the damage. When we rebuild lost detail, we use period references and your notes so faces and settings stay true to memory.

Your satisfaction is our end goal. If you're not happy, we offer revisions or a money-back guarantee. We understand the sentimental value behind each photo and strive to meet your expectations. If the restoration does not meet your satisfaction, we welcome your feedback and will make necessary adjustments. Your contentment is the measure of our success, and we stand by our commitment to achieving it — love it or every cent back.

5×7", 8×10", 11×14" and 16×20" prints, plus wallet packs of eight for sharing with family. We also offer two curated collections — the Heritage Collection and the Legacy Collection — which bundle popular sizes together so you get a centerpiece print plus smaller prints for siblings and grandchildren.

Yes. We use museum-quality archival paper and pigment inks rated to last generations without fading. These are prints meant to be handed down, not drugstore prints that yellow in a few years.

We focus on delivering prints ready to frame in any standard frame you choose. This keeps your cost down and lets you pick a frame that matches your home. If you need a specific frame source or size advice, ask us and we'll point you in the right direction.

Of course. Many people order one large print for themselves and wallet prints or 5×7"s to share with siblings and children. You can set the quantity for each print size right on the order form.

Tell us the size you need in the order notes and we'll quote it. We can produce custom and oversized prints on request — just reach out before or during your order.

Keep them out of direct sunlight, frame them behind UV-protective glass if possible, and avoid hanging them in damp areas like bathrooms. With archival paper and pigment inks, a properly framed print will last generations. We include care instructions with every print order.

Contact us. Because we keep your finished restoration on file, we can reprint it for you at a reduced cost — you don't have to pay for the restoration work again. The file is yours, and reprints are always available.

Yes. Your restored file is saved with your order, so you can come back weeks, months or years later and order more prints. There's no expiration — the file is yours to keep and reprint whenever family asks for a copy.

Yes. Photos are stored on encrypted, access-controlled infrastructure and your order link is private to you. We never share, sell or use your photos publicly without your explicit permission.

Only the artist assigned to your order and a small review team ever see your photos, and only to do the work. Your photos are never posted online, added to a gallery, or used in marketing unless you specifically ask us to.

Uploads and downloads happen over encrypted HTTPS connections, the same standard your bank uses. Your private order link is unique and unguessable, so only someone with the link can access your files.

They stay privately stored with your order so you can download the full-resolution file and order reprints any time. They are never shared, sold, or used publicly without your permission. If you'd like everything deleted after delivery, just tell us and we'll remove your files.

Only the artist working on your restoration and, for quality review, a senior artist who signs off before delivery. That's it. No one browses customer photos, and nothing is ever shared outside that small circle.

Yes. If you'd prefer we delete your files once you've downloaded your restoration, tell us in the order notes or reply to your delivery email. We'll remove everything and confirm it's gone.

Your name, email and phone number are used only to contact you about your order and are never sold or shared with third parties. Payment is handled by Stripe, a PCI-compliant processor — we never see or store your card details. Read our Privacy Policy for the full details.

First, double-check that your card details and billing address are correct and that your card allows online purchases. If the payment form still won't load, try a different browser or device. If you're still stuck, call us at (203) 364-4537 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern) or email hello@healedmemories.com and we'll help you complete the order over the phone.

Yes. Note down what the message said and what step you were on, then call (203) 364-4537 or email hello@healedmemories.com. We can usually complete your order another way so you don't lose your place, and we'll fix whatever caused the error.

Call (203) 364-4537 — a real person answers Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm Eastern. Outside those hours, leave a message and a real person calls you back the next business day. You can also email hello@healedmemories.com any time, or add a note to your order and an artist will read it before touching your photo.

Gladly. We can suggest frame sizes, matting and placement based on the photo and your space. Ask in your order notes or when you approve the restoration, and we'll include suggestions with your print order.

Yes. We've worked on tintypes, cabinet cards, glass-plate negatives and photos more than a century old. Older formats often have their own kinds of damage, and our Senior Artist is experienced with period materials and techniques. Tell us the approximate era and we'll take it from there.

We do. A single order holds up to 25 photos with automatic volume discounts (up to $100 off at 10+ photos). For larger archives — family collections, historical societies, genealogy projects — contact us and we'll set up a custom batch with a dedicated timeline and price.

Almost certainly. Send it to us with a note describing what happened — fire, flood, a child with a marker, decades in a damp basement — and we'll tell you honestly whether it's workable. If we can do it, the price is still just the artist level you choose, never more because the damage is unusual.

Yes. Choose Rush on the order form and we'll begin immediately, with delivery in 24 hours. Tell us the date in the notes — a memorial service, a birthday, an anniversary — and we'll treat it as a promise. If something truly can't be done in time, we tell you before you pay.