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Film restoration & repair

Damaged film, honestly assessed.

Most mail-in services return damaged film with a “can’t be transferred” sticker. Most premium restoration services oversell what’s possible. We do neither. Every reel gets inspected by hand, you get a written assessment of what we found and what it’ll cost to recover, and you approve the work before we start. If something’s beyond our scope, we’ll tell you where to send it instead.

Get an assessmentSee pricing
Damage conditions
18 we handle
Assessment fee
$0 before commit
Free written assessmentBefore any work
Basic repair includedIn every scan
Per-reel pricingNo arbitrary bundles
Honest referralsWhen we’re not the right lab
01 / What to expect

The industry is built on two kinds of dishonesty.

Budget mail-in services promise to digitize anything but refuse damaged film at intake. Premium restoration services promise miraculous recovery using marketing phrases like "95% grain removal" and "Hollywood-grade restoration." Both approaches fail you. Here\u2019s what FPL actually offers.

What we'll tell you

The actual tradeoffs.

  • Grain removal softens the image.Film grain is part of the image. Removing it reduces detail along with noise. We can do it when you want, but we’ll explain what you’re giving up.
  • Stabilization crops the frame.Smoothing out shaky handheld footage requires cropping edges. We stabilize up to about 10% — beyond that, you lose too much image area.
  • Humidity damage can’t be fixed.Water stains, cracks in the emulsion layer, and deep scratches that hit the image — we can’t digitally paint those out. We’ll show you what the scan looks like and you decide if it’s worth it.
  • Some film is beyond our scope.Severely shrunk film (3%+), fire-damaged film, sewer/flood-contaminated film — we refer these to specialists. Names listed below.
What other services tell you

The marketing version.

  • "We remove 95% of film grain."Technically true. Also misleading — that’s a quality degradation marketed as a feature, achieved by blurring detail along with noise.
  • "Hollywood-grade restoration."An aspirational phrase. Real Hollywood restoration uses teams of specialists, months of labor, and budgets in the hundreds of thousands per film.
  • "We can restore almost any damage."Until the film arrives. Then comes the email explaining why your specific film is the 1% that can’t be helped.
  • "Item couldn’t be digitized."Budget services’ honest response — they return damaged film untouched with a sticker. No assessment, no recommendation.
02 / How our service works

Two categories. That’s it.

We don\u2019t use tiered "good/better/best" restoration packages. Those are marketing devices that force you to pay for services you might not need. Here\u2019s our actual model:

Category A · Always included

Basic repair & prep

$0 · bundled with every scan

  • Individual reel inspection
  • Written condition assessment
  • Compressed-air dust removal
  • Broken splice repair (rebuild with archival tape)
  • Damaged or missing leader replacement
  • Emulsion-side confirmation before scanning
  • Standard film cleaner treatment (non-aggressive)
  • Basic color correction during scanning
Category B · Quoted separately

Specialized intervention

Per-reel · priced individually

  • Vinegar syndrome stabilization & capture
  • Mold remediation (pre-scan cleaning)
  • Heavy scratch and surface damage reduction
  • Per-scene color correction
  • Image stabilization for handheld footage
  • Re-canning in archival storage materials
  • Re-shelling (moving film to a new reel)
  • Digital frame-by-frame cleanup

Why this matters

The alternative — the model every competitor uses — is to build tiered packages where you pay for restoration services you may not need. “Pro 2K includes grain removal, stabilization, and scratch repair for $90 per reel.” But if your film doesn’t need grain removal or stabilization, you’re paying for them anyway.

Our approach: inspect first, quote for only what your film actually needs. Many reels only need what’s included in Category A. Some need one or two Category B services. Very few need the full suite.

03 / Vinegar syndrome

The deterioration that threatens every acetate collection.

Vinegar syndrome is the single biggest preservation threat facing amateur and institutional film collections worldwide. It's chemical, irreversible, and contagious between reels. The sooner it's captured to digital, the more is recoverable. Here's the stage-by-stage map.

Stage 1

Early onset

Faint vinegar smell. No visible warping. Film still flexible. No color shift yet.

Full recovery
Stage 2

Mild degradation

Clear vinegar smell. Film slightly wavy at edges. Beginning of color shift toward magenta or pink.

Full recovery
Stage 3

Active decay

Strong vinegar smell. Noticeable warping. Moderate color shift. Film edges cupping. Shrinkage 0.5 — 1%.

Good recovery
Stage 4

Advanced decay

Severe warping and cupping. Film brittle. Heavy color shift. Base becomes cloudy. Shrinkage 1 — 2%.

Partial recovery
Stage 5

Terminal decay

Crystal growth on film. Emulsion lifting or flaking. Base crumbling. Shrinkage 2%+. Film may fuse to itself in the can.

Refer to specialist

Stages based on FIAF (International Federation of Film Archives) and Image Permanence Institute frameworks. Not every lab distinguishes between stages — most bundle all vinegar syndrome into one “advanced” category. Stages matter because they determine what’s recoverable and how much specialist intervention is required.

04 / Condition guide

Every damage condition, named.

The specific problems we see most often — what they are, what we do about them, and whether they're fixable, partially fixable, or beyond our scope. Color-coded: emerald = we handle this, amber = we can partially help, warn = we refer to a specialist.

Broken splices

We handle

The tape holding scenes together dried out and failed. Very common in 40+ year-old film. Repaired with archival splicing tape in a professional splicer.

FixIncluded in every scan · no charge

Missing / damaged leader

We handle

The opaque header at the start of a reel that threads through the projector. Often brittle or missing. Replaced with fresh archival leader.

FixIncluded in every scan · no charge

Torn perforations

We handle

Sprocket holes torn along the edges. Our sprocketless capstan scanners pull film by its edges, so torn perforations often don’t prevent scanning.

FixSprocketless scanning · included

Surface dust & dirt

We handle

Accumulated dust and surface grime from storage. Removed with compressed air and non-aggressive film cleaner (PEC-12 or equivalent) during preparation.

FixIncluded · $8/reel for heavy contamination

Vinegar syndrome (stages 1 — 2)

We handle

Early-stage acetate decomposition. Film still flexible, no warping, minor color shift. Full recovery through scanning at this stage if done before progression.

Fix$25/reel · stabilization + careful transport

Light surface scratches

We handle

Scratches on the film’s base side that haven’t penetrated the emulsion layer. Can be reduced significantly with wet-gate scanning or digital scratch concealment.

FixBasic: included · heavy: $40/reel

Vinegar syndrome (stages 3 — 4)

Partial recovery

Active to advanced decay. Film warped, brittle, 1 — 2% shrinkage. Requires specialist handling. Sprocketless capstan helps significantly but some footage may still be unrecoverable.

Fix$60 — 100/reel · quoted individually

Light mold

Partial recovery

Mild surface mold on base or emulsion side. Cleanable with appropriate solvents before scanning. Mold that’s eaten into the emulsion layer is permanent.

Fix$35/reel · evaluated per case

Brittle film base

Partial recovery

Film has become rigid and tends to crack. Common with acetate film past 50 years old. Scanning is possible with extra care, but film may still break during transport.

Fix$45/reel · hand-threaded · one-time capture

Film grain / noise

Reducible (tradeoff)

Visible grain structure inherent to film stock. Can be reduced with digital noise reduction, but this softens the image. We recommend keeping grain unless you specifically want it removed.

Fix$40/reel · digital cleanup pass

Image instability (shake)

Reducible (tradeoff)

Handheld-shot footage with significant camera shake. Digital stabilization can smooth playback but crops the image. Limit is ~10% before crop becomes noticeable.

Fix$35/reel · cropping tradeoff explained

Color fade / shift

Partial recovery

Ektachrome shifts magenta/red. Some Kodachrome holds color indefinitely. Recovery depends on original stock and storage. Scene-by-scene correction can usually restore natural-looking color.

FixBasic: included · per-scene: $75/reel

Severe shrinkage (3%+)

Refer out

Film physically smaller than original dimensions. Requires specialist scanners with custom gates. Beyond the tolerance of our equipment.

FixRefer to TMTV or Colorlab

Vinegar syndrome (stage 5)

Refer out

Crystal growth, emulsion lifting or flaking, film crumbling or fused in the can. Specialists use techniques like bath rehydration that are beyond our scope.

FixRefer to TMTV (BC) or specialist

Water / flood damage

Refer out

Film that’s been submerged or exposed to flooding. Requires specialist drying protocols and contamination remediation, especially for sewer water exposure.

FixRefer to TMTV · time-sensitive

Fire / smoke damage

Refer out

Film exposed to fire or heavy smoke. Requires specialized cleaning protocols and may require emulsion stabilization that’s beyond our scope.

FixRefer to specialist lab

Nitrate film

Refer out

35mm film made before 1952 on cellulose nitrate base. Highly flammable, legally restricted in many jurisdictions. Requires specialist handling with fire-safe protocols.

FixRefer to LOC Packard / Eastman Museum

Emulsion detachment

Refer out

The image layer is physically separating from the film base. Sometimes visible as flaking or peeling. Requires specialist emulsion-fixing protocols.

FixRefer to institutional preservation lab

When we refer out

We’d rather send you to the right lab than attempt something we’re not equipped for. Specific referrals for conditions beyond our scope:

  • TMTV (Nelson, BC, Canada) — 45+ years specializing in severe damage recovery. Vinegar syndrome stage 5, heavy shrinkage, water/flood damage.
  • Colorlab (Rockville, MD) — Full-service motion picture lab, handles commercial archive work.
  • Library of Congress Packard Campus — For institutional customers with nitrate film or nationally significant collections.
  • George Eastman Museum — For historically significant collections requiring archival-grade preservation.

We won’t earn a penny from referrals. We’d rather you get the right help than the wrong attempt.

05 / Assessment & process

How a restoration project runs.

Restoration work adds a step before scanning begins: individual condition assessment. You get a written quote for any Category B work before anything is started.

01

Intake inspection

Each reel examined individually. Condition photographed and documented: damage type, severity, recommended interventions, recoverable percentage estimate.

02

Written assessment

You receive a per-reel report listing condition findings and a specific quote for any Category B work needed. No work starts without your approval.

03

Treatment & scanning

Approved interventions applied first (stabilization, cleaning, repairs). Then scanning. Unusable sections flagged during scanning; decisions logged per reel.

04

Delivery with documentation

Final files delivered with a condition-and-treatment report per reel. Documents what was found, what was done, and what remains as a residual limitation.

06 / Pricing

Restoration pricing, per condition.

Priced per reel, per intervention. The basic repairs are included in every scan — we don't charge extra for work that should be standard. Specialized interventions are quoted individually based on actual condition.

InterventionPriceWhen it applies
Individual reel inspectionIncludedEvery reel, every scan.
Broken splice repairIncludedReels with 1 — 3 broken splices (common).
Leader replacementIncludedWhen original leader is damaged or missing.
Standard cleaning & dust removalIncludedCompressed air + non-aggressive film cleaner.
Sprocketless capstan scanningIncludedTorn perforations, brittle film, warped film — no sprocket risk.
Basic batch color correctionIncludedCorrection during scanning for typical color shift.
Heavy cleaning / contamination$8/reelReels with heavy dust, dirt, or attic-storage contamination.
Re-canning in archival materials$8/reelMetal or plastic archival cans + polyester core replacement.
Complex splice rebuild$15/reelReels with 4+ broken splices or full leader rebuild required.
Vinegar syndrome stabilization (stage 1 — 2)$25/reelClimate-controlled transport + pre-scan acclimation.
Mold remediation$35/reelLight surface mold; evaluated before treatment.
Image stabilization (post-scan)$35/reelDigital stabilization pass. Crops image by up to 10%.
Heavy scratch / surface reduction$40/reelDigital scratch concealment on affected sections.
Grain reduction pass$40/reelSoftens image in exchange for less grain. Tradeoff discussed.
Brittle film handling$45/reelHand-threaded scanning; one-time capture only.
Vinegar syndrome (stage 3 — 4)$60 — 100/reelQuoted individually. Free assessment before commitment.
Per-scene color correction$75/reelManual correction with reference points on skin tones, sky.
Digital restoration pass$125/reelComprehensive digital cleanup: scratches, flicker, dirt, color.

All pricing is in addition to scanning

These are restoration rates — they apply on top of your per-foot scanning rates. A typical order with moderate damage might add $30 — 60 per reel to scanning. A heavily damaged reel with multiple interventions could add $150+ per reel.

You approve every charge individually. The written assessment lists exactly what each reel needs. You can decline any restoration work and we’ll scan the film as-is.

07 / Questions

Restoration, common questions.

The questions that come up most often about damaged film, repair scope, and what we honestly can and can't recover.

Ready to start

Send us a damaged reel.

Free assessment before any work. Honest verdict on what’s recoverable. A quote for exactly what your specific film needs — not a package you might not.

Start an assessmentSee full pricing