What we can do · From old or damaged photos
Portraits Painted From Old, Damaged or Low-Quality Photographs
We paint from the photographs you actually have — old prints, faded and creased photos, small or blurry files — and tell you honestly, before you commit, which detail level they will support.
- Accepts
- Prints, scans, faded and damaged photos, low-resolution and blurry files, screenshots as a last resort
- Best practice
- Scan prints at 600 dpi, or photograph them flat in daylight without flash
- Combining
- Several weak photos are often stronger together than one
- Honesty rule
- We say when a photo will not work, and ask for another
- Mediums
- Acrylic (default), oil, charcoal, pencil — charcoal suits black-and-white originals
The photographs people have of the people and animals they have lost are rarely the photographs they would choose. They are old, small, faded, creased, out of focus, or a photo of a photo taken through the glass of a frame. We paint from these every week, and the first thing we do is tell you honestly what they can support.
What we do with them
A print is scanned at 600 dpi or photographed flat in daylight without flash. Faded colour is read for what it was; creases, stains and tears are simply not painted. A blurry photo that still shows the eyes and the shape of the head can carry a Painterly or Refined portrait, especially with a second photo — even a poor one — to supply the coat colour, the ear set or the smile. Several weak photographs are often stronger together than one, and combining them is not charged separately.
What we will not do
Invent. Where a feature is genuinely lost — an eye in deep shadow, a face turned away — we ask for another photo rather than make it up, because the family will know. And when a photograph will not support a portrait at all, we say so at the quote stage.
Medium
Charcoal or graphite on paper suits black-and-white originals and keeps the character of the photograph; oil at the Refined or Hyperreal level gives a memorial portrait the presence people are looking for. See memorial portraits and pet memorial portraits; the photo guide covers scanning and photographing prints.
Proof of hand
Real paint, real brushstrokes
Every piece is completed by one painter from start to finish — no assembly line. Below: a close-up crop of a finished painting, and a painter at work. Every image on this site is a photograph of real hand-painted work.
From old or damaged photos FAQ
Can you paint from a blurry photo?
Often. If the eyes are recoverable and a second photo supplies colour or detail, a blurry reference supports a Painterly or Refined portrait. We tell you which level before you commit, and we say no when it genuinely will not work.
Can you repair a damaged photo in the painting?
Yes. Creases, tears, stains and missing corners are not painted; the painting shows the person or animal, not the damage. Where a feature is lost entirely we ask for another photo rather than invent it.
Can you paint from a screenshot?
As a last resort. A screenshot loses resolution; if the original file or print exists anywhere, send that instead.
Is an old-photo portrait priced differently?
No. Price is set by size, number of subjects, detail level and medium.
Can I order a single piece at trade pricing for a client?
Yes. Trade pricing starts from a single piece, and a project — a series for one interior, or a standing monthly order — is quoted the same way. Request the trade price list from the trade page.
Ask about a from old or damaged photos portrait
Send a photo and a few details. We reply with a quote and tell you honestly whether the photo will work.
Thank you — we have your inquiry.
We reply within 24 hours on business days. Want an answer sooner? Message us on WhatsApp and mention your name.
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