Digital photograph restoration

This article is about the restoration of photographs and other documents using digital techniques. For the mechanics of altering images, see Image editing. For the uses, cultural impact, and ethical concerns of image editing, see Photo manipulation. For direct physical restoration of non-digital documents, see Conservation and restoration of books, manuscripts, documents and ephemera.
A damaged photograph of some bison
A damaged 1870 photograph of some bison...
The same image with the damage removed
...and the same image restored. The restoration had extrapolated features beyond the edges of the original.

Digital photograph restoration is the practice of restoring the appearance of a digital copy of a physical photograph that has been damaged by natural, man-made, or environmental causes, or affected by age or neglect.

Digital photograph restoration uses image editing techniques to remove undesired visible features, such as dirt, scratches, or signs of aging. People use raster graphics editors to repair digital images, or to add or replace torn or missing pieces of the physical photograph. Unwanted color casts are removed and the image's contrast or sharpening may be altered to restore the contrast range or detail believed to have been in the original physical image. Digital image processing techniques included in image enhancement and image restoration software are also applied to digital photograph restoration.