What each one changes
| What it changes | What it cannot tell you | In a Hello Once More order? | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restoration | Repairs scratches, tears, stains, and fading | Detail that is completely gone; AI repair may also alter the face | Not included |
| Colorization | Adds color to a monochrome image | The real colors of clothes, eyes, or rooms, unless other records show them | Not included. Our public example was colorized separately. |
| Animation | Adds a few seconds of generated movement | How the person actually moved or sounded | Yes: a silent 5- or 10-second film |
If you want more than one, the order matters
Animation starts from whatever image you send. If a restoration step changed the shape of someone’s eyes, the film inherits that change and moves it. Work in small steps and compare as you go.
- Keep the untouched scan as your master copy.
- If the photo is damaged, repair a copy, by hand or with a tool you trust.
- Put the repaired copy beside the original and compare the face. Ask someone who knew the person.
- If you want color, colorize a copy of the version you are happy with.
- Send the version you are happiest with for animation, and keep every earlier file.
Where edits can go wrong
AI restoration tools can smooth skin, sharpen eyes into a standard shape, and fill gaps with generic features. Colorization guesses skin tone and clothing. Each change may be small, but together they can move the face away from the person, and animation adds its own interpretation on top.
None of this means you should avoid these tools. It means the original stays the reference, and each step is checked against it.
Label every version
- grandma-1952-original-scan.jpg: never edited.
- grandma-1952-restored-copy.jpg: repaired, not the original.
- grandma-1952-color-copy.jpg: colors are estimates.
- grandma-1952-animated.mp4: movement generated by AI.
Clear names help relatives years from now tell the historical photograph from later interpretations. The National Archives makes a similar point about doing work on copies rather than originals.
If you need restoration first
Use a restoration service or editor separately, then upload the finished image as a JPG, PNG, or WebP with at least 512 pixels on each side. If restoration or color is essential and you are unsure where to start, contact us before ordering, and we will tell you plainly what the standard order can and cannot do.
Sources
We checked these pages on October 8, 2026 for the specific facts mentioned above. The advice is our own, and the linked pages may have changed since.
Need help choosing? Contact us before ordering.