Photal Recall — Iowa City Area
Manual hand-editing combined with AI enhancement for torn, faded, water-damaged, or scratched photos. Local pickup and delivery — your originals handled personally.
Old photos get damaged. Tears, water stains, mold spots, fading from decades in a box — these are the realities of physical photographs. Photo Restoration at Photal Recall combines careful manual editing with AI enhancement to bring damaged photos back as close to their original state as possible.
This is not an automated filter. Each photo is worked on individually, by hand, using professional editing software. AI tools assist with specific tasks — filling in missing areas, reducing noise, recovering color — but a human is making the decisions throughout.
Photo Restoration Pricing
Every restoration is different. We start at $9.99 and quote complex work individually.
Send me a photo of the damaged original and I’ll give you an honest assessment of what’s achievable and what it will cost. No obligation.
Step 1 — Send a photo first. Before pickup, text or email me a photo of the damaged original. I’ll let you know honestly what’s achievable, give you a quote, and set your expectations. No point picking it up if the damage is beyond what restoration can address.
Step 2 — I pick up the original. Once we’ve agreed on scope and price, I pick up the photo from your home in the Iowa City area.
Step 3 — Restoration work. The photo is scanned at high resolution, then worked on manually in editing software. AI enhancement tools assist with specific areas. The goal is a result that looks like the photo before it was damaged — not an obviously computer-generated reconstruction.
Step 4 — Review and delivery. I’ll show you the result before final delivery. Your original comes back, plus the restored digital file on your engraved flash drive.
FAQ
Not every photo can be fully restored. Photos with missing sections, severe chemical deterioration, or extreme physical damage may only be partially recoverable. That’s why I ask to see a photo of the damage first — so I can give you an honest answer before we begin.
Yes. The original is handled with care, scanned at high resolution, and returned to you. We never alter the physical original.
Simple fading or color restoration typically takes a few days. Complex work with significant damage takes longer. I’ll give you a realistic timeline when I quote the job.
Your original photo back, plus the restored digital file. For major restorations we can also provide a high-quality print through a third-party print service if you’d like one — just ask.
Iowa City, Coralville, North Liberty, Solon, Mount Vernon, West Branch, University Heights, Hills, Oxford, and surrounding communities.