1980s friends' trip photo restoration — through discoloration and mold marks

Over long storage, photos discolor. The yellow deepens, mold spreads at the corners, stains bleed, and the surface goes hazy. But inside that photo is a moment that cannot be made again.

This work began with a group photo of three friends taken at the entrance of Bulguksa Temple in the 1980s. One in a gray suit, one seated slightly forward in sunglasses and a white polo, and one on the right in a black-striped shirt — all smiling brightly. A heavy yellow overlay covered the photo, mold had spread across the left corner, and the surface was blurred.

The order of work: damage assessment (discoloration, mold, surface damage) → separating the yellow overlay → restoring the original color channels (based on skin tone, clothing, and natural color data) → reconstructing detail in the mold and stain areas → preview review. The clothing kept its original gray, white, and black stripes, and the temple's dancheong paintwork and stone wall were re-set using period color data.

Forcing color in or painting over damaged areas with an app makes it a different photo. With 32 years of restoration technique, Davinci protects the original color and the original face.

Davinci restores memory, not resemblance. Since 1994, for 32 years, the original photo has been protected by hand.

Standard turnaround is 1–2 days. Output is usually finished at 4R–6R, but any size the family wants is possible.