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How to fix mould damaged photos

An old black and white portrait of a woman on a grey table, with white mould growing across the lower corner

Deal with the mould safely first, and only once it is dry and inactive photograph the print and repair the marks on the copy. Mould that has eaten into the image layer leaves gaps a repair tool has to rebuild.

What mould does to a print

Mould feeds on gelatin, which is what the image layer is made of. In a damp box or a flooded basement it grows as fuzzy white, grey or coloured spots, digests the image where it sits, and leaves stains behind even after it has died. Active mould looks fuzzy and smears when touched; inactive mould is dry and powdery.

Before you photograph it

  • Wear disposable gloves and a dust mask, and work outdoors or in a ventilated room; mould spores are a health risk
  • If the prints are damp, let them dry fully before touching the mould, because wet mould smears into the image
  • Once dry, brush loose mould off gently with a soft brush, away from you, and never wipe it
  • Keep mouldy prints away from the rest of the collection in a sealed bag until they are dealt with

Getting a good capture

  • Photograph the print after brushing, in soft even light, so remaining spots read as marks rather than texture

What to run, and in what order

Run Repair on the capture to remove the spots and stains. Where mould has digested part of the image, the tool rebuilds it from the surrounding picture. A face with mould across it is worth a Restore Faces pass and a careful comparison with the original.

The tool for this is Repair a damaged photo.

Before and after: a scratched black and white close-up of a man, with most of the thin scratches removed in the repaired version
Repair damaged photo: thin scratches fade away; the deepest ones can remain.

What to expect

Partly fixable. Scattered spots and the stains they leave clear well. Prints where mould has eaten large areas of the image come back as partial reconstructions.

Practical notes

  • For valuable or badly affected prints, a photograph conservator is worth contacting before you clean anything
  • Fix the damp that caused it, or the mould comes back on the originals
  • Capture every affected print early, since active mould keeps destroying the image

Questions

Can mouldy photos be saved?

Often, at least digitally. Once the mould is dry and brushed off, a photo of the print can be repaired. Areas where the mould ate the image are rebuilt from their surroundings rather than recovered.

Is mould on old photos dangerous?

It can be, especially to people with allergies or breathing problems. Handle mouldy prints with gloves and a mask, in a ventilated space, and keep them away from the rest of your photos.

Going deeper

How to restore old damaged photos explains the method behind this, including what it cannot fix.

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