Manual repair to color portrait

[NatalieM]

First of all, let me say I am not a professional photographer. I simply love taking and looking at photos and treasure my photos, and especially treasure family portraits. Yesterday, in trying to remove a tiny spot of something stuck to a color portrait of my son, I accidentally scratched off a very small part of the portrait itself - the size of two or three pin heads. Thankfully, it was not part of his image, it's part of the background which happens to be "white". The board the portrait is mounted on is even whiter, however. The background in the portrait is light-grayish in comparison.

I am not interested in scanning, doing digital repairs and printing a copy. I want to repair or camouflage the damage to the actual portrait. Are there any marker pens or paints I could use for this? I'd rather do nothing than apply something that could further damage the photo, but if there are materials that could safely be applied, I'd like to do so.

Is it likely that a professional portrait photographer would make such repairs?

Thanks for any advice!

[Tony W]

Re: Manual repair to color portrait

There are dyes and pens for retouching

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Pencils/ci/885/N/4077265223

However this type of repair needs skill to blend tones and this skill is only acquired with practice.

You may be lucky and get an acceptable result but you should practice first on a similar image that you are willing to scrap.

My feeling is that many professional photographers have lost or never even acquired the skills of this type of retouching, certainly in the age of digital capture. So you may have some difficulty finding someone.

[NatalieM]

Re: Manual repair to color portrait

Thanks, Tony W!

I think I'll get the Marshall Retouching Pencils on that site. They have a gray pencil and white and I can practice on some proofs I have. (17 years ago, the photographer still provided hard copy proofs for you to make your selections - thankfully). I think the touch up will look better than leaving it like it is - and I think I can work with pencils more easily than paint. Even if it's not perfect, I believe I can get it close enough to look better than it does now. At least I know what I'm putting on the portrait won't harm it. Thanks again for your advice!

[Antony_A]

Re: Manual repair to color portrait

You can go to the Studio that works on film. Usually in such studios there is a retoucher that works with negatives and photo prints. He retouches directly the photo originals and has the experience and the necessary tools.