Dannj

I found a box of slides in my attic that are about 50 years old and faded. Can they be restored?

Tote1940 Loc: Dallas

Try scanning using Vuescan
It has auto restore functions, quite often it helped tona point mine.
Save as TIFF not JPEG. then try Adobe.
Some were better as monochrome conversions, some were just fit to be discarded.
Good luck, plenty of patience and good memories
Kodachromes dating to 50’s almost pristine, some had fungus
Ekta not so good, Agfachromes some color shift but OK, Ferrania 3M terrible

Dannj

Thanks. I was surprised to find them and some are the only shots of significant events and I’d love to save them.

Tote1940 Loc: Dallas

Started scanning our pictures over 20 years ago, around 3 Tb including 8mm Super 8 movies Beta, VHS etc
Want to leave grandkids and those that follow not only images but a family biography with photos and videos
Yes, we must save those old slides!

User ID

Restore ?

Not to anything like when they were new.

But depending on what remains today of each image you could have a foundation on which to create a new interpretation that is pleasant enough for viewing and family reminiscing.

This moves the goal from "how can I fix this ?" to "What might I do with this ?"

rcarol

If you can't restore the color to something that resembles the original scene, try saving it as a B&W image.

Bunko.T Loc: Western Australia.

Can restore the scans but not the transparencies I’m pretty sure. Edit the digital image once scanned.

Bushpilot Loc: Minnesota

Using Photoshop, Auto Tone, and/or Auto Color does a really good job of restoring the colors of scanned slides and prints. I have done hundreds, and that "one click" in Photoshop works wonders.

Henry Leeds

I recently scanned a number of Agfachrome slides taken in 1955. The slides had faded almost to the point of non-recognition. After a little experimenting, my Epson Scanner V600 did a fantastic job of restoring most of the slides in a jpg format.

chasgroh Loc: Buena Park, CA

...and if you go to Neural Filters there is a Beta Restoration tab that isn't 100% but does alot of work.

Steved3604

VueScan, Photo Shop, Topaz and other AI programs. Usually depends on how "good" (or bad) the original is. There are a couple of sites online that do "automatic" AI restorations. I've had fair results. How much $$ and/or effort you want to put in to each one will make a difference in your wallet and the final product.

KillroyII Loc: Middle Georgia

Some assumptions here... and an offer.

Assumption 1... that you do NOT have a slide/film scanner

Assumption 2... that you may be interested in scanning yourself since it is a small batch and you would want to scan as TIFF to get the best chance of editing the results. My scanner has options like JPG but I found TIFF, at a higher resolution, to be the best choice for editing results.

Assumption 3... that you live in CONUS (for shipping)

I have a "PlusTec Optical 7300" (bought in 2009). It worked PC or Apple. You can search on-line but this link (https://www.filmscanner.info/en/PlustekOpticFilm7300.html) provides an adequate description with pictures. It is complete, as I received it. Haven't used it in several months but it worked last time I did... and I had bought an upgrade to the provided SilverFast software.

I am willing to give it to you but ask that you reimburse the shipping charges. I would 1st ship it (in CONUS), allow you to give it a test run, and then send me $ (check is OK) the shipping charges after you are sure you are satisfied that it works for you.

If the assumptions are correct, you want it, PM me with your name and shipping address.

I had thought about advertising this on UHH buy/sell page (same deal... shipping only) but just wasn't sure about dealing with the comments and/or offers.

Steved3604

Good scanner. Would produce very good scans. Very nice offer. Would need to check software -- second computer/etc.

ecurb Loc: Metro Chicago Area

Yes the slides should be able to scanned and post processed to an as acceptable or artistic image. Then once scanned, the physical slides themselves may be treated chemically with dyes or bleach to modify the physical image. Just like studio transparencies we're retouched in the film era. If your slides are Ektachrome or similar chemical modifications should be easy, not so easy with Kodachrome, Anscochrome or other dye injection process film.
Kodak used to publish a lot of retouching information, I would think there would be something on the interwebs. I used to watch my studio retoucher work on transparencies from 35mm to 11x14.

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

I've restored numerous faded color slides successfully using Epson scanners and Silver Fast drivers. https://www.silverfast.com/

Depending on your level of skill and patience the restored scan can be quite impressive. In some cases, details not visible to the naked eye will appear in the scanned image.
--Bob