Towards the automated restoration of old photographic prints: a survey

Abstract

The ubiquitous fruition of cultural and artistic heritage in the field of photography requires as a first step the conversion of a huge amount of old printed material into digital form, for successive manipulation and data management. This process is particularly delicate for photographic prints, which often show the effects of aging. This paper reports a list of the principal defects that can be detected in an old photography; the different origins of them, and their different features, suggest different restoration approaches.