Make & keep
Record edits when digitally restoring a photo strip
A cleaner image should still have a traceable relationship to its source.
A restoration copy can make a damaged portrait easier to read. It should not make the surviving scan disappear or turn newly invented detail into historical evidence.
Keep the starting file
Begin our edit log with the filename of the unmodified capture and the filename of the working duplicate. Record which marks you intend to remove before editing. Keep condition observations separate from your preferred visual result: a scratch on the original and a blemish in the scan are different questions.
Write an edit log
Our example separates rotation, tonal adjustment, dust retouching and reconstructed areas. A caption can say: contrast adjusted; scratch retouched on copy; missing corner left blank. If generative software fills a damaged face, identify that area as a speculative reconstruction rather than a recovered expression.
Compare two versions
Present the source and the edited image at the same scale when deciding whether the change helps. Check that visible handwriting has not changed and that crop choices have not removed an important neighbour or edge. Use the edited version for an agreed purpose while keeping the master and the edit log available for later research.