Restoration or Reconstruction?

Ok, so you’ve brought us your photos and videos to convert to digital, and things don’t look or sound quite right when we’re going through them together. What’s going on, and how do we fix it? Well, depending on the original material, we have options for either restoration or reconstruction. These are two very different categories of work, and the distinction between the two is incredibly important! So, what are the differences?

Restoration involves fixing something that is already there. For photos, restoration services could be:

• Fixing small tears and scratches.

• Adjusting colors for faded photos.

• Sharpening existing photos or adding contrast.

Reconstruction involves adding in something that wasn’t there before. For photos, reconstruction services would look like:

• Fixing major damage, like fixing a photo of someone with half their face missing.

• Adding color to black and white photos. As scientifically accurate as grayscale reading can be, it’s still a reconstruction.

• Adding in details that weren’t there before. This includes removing objects, because whatever is behind that removed object must be added in.

For VHS tapes, restoration usually involves changing the tracking feature on a VCR, then running the tape multiple times to capture the best combinations of audio and video output. We can also adjust filters and due some overall color changes while still in restoration mode. However, VHS tapes very quickly run into reconstruction mode because they are so fragile. The audio and video are both magnetic markings on a piece of film, and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. The better a VHS tape was originally created and stored, and the more recent the tape is, the better for digital storage. Otherwise, while we’re able to make very accurate inferences based on information from other frames, we’re still having to create something brand new to reconstruct your videos.