Today, the photo restoration sector of the global photofinishing industry generates $600 million to $1.8 billion in revenue. Photos are restored to repair physical damage, decay, or other ravages of aging. The goal is to recover or preserve memories from families to events.

Advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI) now make it possible for individuals to restore and even bring color to old photos.

I use a two-prompt sequence to restore aged photos into color. To demonstrate the use of these prompts, below is a public domain image from the Library of Congress of an unidentified child that dates back to 1840-1860.


After running the first prompt to restore the photo, one gets the below image:


Afterward, I run the prompt to introduce color.


Below are two before-after images. Again, I used public domain photos from the Library of Congress. Top Photos: John M. Washington, head-and-shoulders portrait, three-quarters to the left, in military uniform (published between 1844 and 1853). Bottom Photos: U.S.S. Constitution frigate in Newport Harbor, Rhode Island (published between 1861 and 1865).


Prompt 1:

Use the uploaded aged photograph as the sole visual source and sole authority for all image content.
Your task is to perform a meticulous, historically faithful archival restoration of this exact photograph.
CRITICAL FORMAT LOCK — ORIGINAL PROPORTIONS MUST NOT CHANGE
Before making any restoration changes, determine and lock the source photograph’s exact pixel dimensions, width-to-height ratio, orientation, crop, and visible border geometry.
These properties are immutable.
If the source is 3:4, the restored image must remain exactly 3:4.
If the source is 4:3, 2:3, 3:2, 5:7, 1:1, panoramic, or any other proportion, the restored image must retain that exact same proportion.
Do not substitute a nearby standard format.
Do not convert:
• 3:4 into 2:3,
• 4:3 into 3:2,
• 5:7 into 4:5,
• portrait into a taller portrait,
• landscape into a wider landscape,
• or any nonstandard source ratio into a standard AI-generation ratio.
The output canvas must conform to the source photograph, not the other way around.
Exact Canvas Preservation
Preserve exactly:
• original pixel width-to-height relationship,
• original aspect ratio,
• original portrait or landscape orientation,
• original crop boundaries,
• original outer edges,
• original borders,
• original mount dimensions,
• original frame dimensions,
• original corner shapes,
• original amount of space above, below, left, and right of the photographic subject,
• original location of the photographic image within any mount or border.
Do not:
• crop,
• trim,
• zoom,
• stretch,
• squeeze,
• widen,
• narrow,
• make taller,
• make shorter,
• extend the canvas,
• outpaint beyond the source,
• add padding,
• add new border space,
• remove border space,
• resize individual regions to fit a different canvas,
• reposition the image within the canvas.
If the restoration system internally requires a standard generation canvas, the source photograph must be fitted inside that process without changing the final visible image geometry, and the final delivered image must be returned to the exact original aspect ratio and crop.
No generated content may appear outside the original photograph’s boundaries.
Registration Requirement
The restored result should geometrically register with the source.
If the source and restored image were placed directly on top of one another at the same dimensions:
• all four outer edges should coincide,
• the border edges should coincide,
• the photograph-to-mount boundary should coincide,
• major architectural lines should coincide,
• faces and bodies should coincide,
• objects should occupy the same coordinates,
• the horizon should remain at the same height,
• and the subject should occupy the same percentage of the frame.
A restoration that changes the image proportions, even while preserving the subject itself, is not acceptable.
________________________________________
The objective is to recover the appearance of the original photograph before physical aging and damage—not to reinterpret, modernize, beautify, stylize, rearrange, improve, complete, or creatively reconstruct it.
The finished result must remain unmistakably the same photograph, with all surviving visual information preserved in its original location.
1. Absolute Source Fidelity — Highest Priority
Treat the source image as a fixed geometric and anatomical reference.
Preserve exactly:
• Every person’s identity
• Age and apparent age
• Facial expression
• Head angle and tilt
• Gaze direction
• Eye position
• Eyelid position
• Mouth position
• Facial proportions
• Facial asymmetry
• Body anatomy
• Body proportions
• Posture
• Torso orientation
• Shoulder height and angle
• Arm position
• Elbow angle
• Wrist angle
• Hand position
• Finger placement
• Finger spacing
• Finger bend and orientation
• Which hand is visible or obscured
• Which objects each hand touches
• The precise contact point between a hand and any chair, table, lap, garment, object, or other surface
• Leg position where visible
• Foot position where visible
• Hairstyles and hairlines
• Clothing shape, folds, seams, buttons, trim, collars, cuffs, pleats, patterns, jewelry, and accessories
• Furniture and props
• The original composition, framing, crop, camera viewpoint, perspective, and geometry
• The exact size, position, shape, orientation, overlap, and spatial relationship of every visible subject and object
• Architecture, vehicles, landscapes, signage, studio backdrops, foliage, furniture, and environmental details
• The original lighting direction
• Shadow placement
• Highlight placement
• Depth of field
• Focus characteristics
• Optical softness
• Historically meaningful imperfections that belonged to the image when originally made
Zero-Repositioning Rule
Do not reposition anything.
This applies especially to people and anatomy.
Do not move, rotate, straighten, enlarge, reduce, center, rebalance, or otherwise alter:
• heads,
• shoulders,
• arms,
• elbows,
• wrists,
• hands,
• fingers,
• legs,
• feet,
• clothing folds,
• chairs,
• tables,
• props,
• objects,
• background elements.
If a hand is resting at an unusual angle in the source, preserve that exact angle.
If fingers are partially obscured, awkwardly posed, overlapping, curled, separated, or difficult to interpret, preserve that ambiguity. Do not invent a more natural-looking hand pose.
If an arm is positioned unusually, preserve it.
If posture is asymmetric, preserve it.
If clothing is wrinkled or sitting irregularly, preserve it.
Do not “correct” anatomy or posing.
2. No Substitution or Generative Reinterpretation
Do not add, remove, replace, relocate, resize, redesign, complete, or reinterpret any visible person, object, garment, prop, feature, or environmental element.
Specifically:
• Do not replace damaged hands with newly generated hands.
• Do not replace damaged faces with reconstructed faces.
• Do not invent missing fingers.
• Do not invent hidden limbs.
• Do not redraw clothing.
• Do not complete obscured furniture.
• Do not infer unseen objects.
• Do not create decorative details that are not visibly supported.
• Do not make uncertain features more definite than the source permits.
When information is uncertain, preserve uncertainty.
A slightly incomplete but source-faithful restoration is preferable to a visually perfect but invented reconstruction.
3. Pixel-Relationship Preservation
Where the source contains clearly visible subject geometry, maintain those relationships as closely as possible.
Use the source as a positional template.
Preserve:
• relative distance between facial landmarks,
• relative position of eyes, nose, mouth, ears, and hairline,
• distance between hands and torso,
• distance between hands and furniture,
• relationship of fingers to garments and objects,
• contour of shoulders,
• silhouette of clothing,
• position of buttons and fasteners,
• shape and location of chair arms,
• overlap relationships between body parts and nearby objects.
Restoration must occur within the existing forms, not by replacing them with newly rendered equivalents.
4. Archival Restoration Objectives
Correct only deterioration introduced after the photograph was created, including where clearly identifiable:
• Dust
• Dirt
• Lint
• Surface particles
• Scratches
• Abrasions
• Scuffs
• Creases
• Cracks
• Tears
• Folds
• Small areas of emulsion loss
• Mold spots
• Stains
• Fingerprints
• Water marks
• Chemical discoloration
• Uneven yellowing
• Silvering
• Age-related tonal casts
• Fading
• Washed-out tonal separation
• Uneven density
• Scanner glare
• Reflections
• Moiré
• Scan noise
• Edge shadows caused by scanning
• Minor geometric distortion introduced by photographing or scanning the physical photograph
Repair deterioration conservatively and locally.
Do not alter intact areas simply to create greater visual uniformity.
5. Reconstruction Threshold — Extremely Conservative
Reconstruct missing information only when the original structure is strongly supported by immediately adjacent surviving evidence.
Before reconstructing any damaged region, ask:
Is the missing detail visually certain from the surrounding photograph?
If yes, restore only the minimum necessary.
If no, do not invent it.
For ambiguous damage:
• retain subtle residual damage,
• preserve soft transitions,
• allow incomplete detail,
• avoid fabricated contours or textures.
Never use stylistic plausibility as a substitute for visual evidence.
6. Faces — Maximum Identity Protection
Faces receive the strictest protection.
Preserve exactly:
• head shape,
• forehead,
• hairline,
• eyebrows,
• eyes,
• eyelid opening,
• gaze,
• nose,
• nostrils,
• cheeks,
• lips,
• mouth opening,
• jawline,
• ears,
• facial asymmetry,
• wrinkles,
• scars,
• age characteristics,
• facial hair,
• expression.
Do not:
• change expression,
• add a smile,
• close or open the mouth,
• open closed eyes,
• enlarge eyes,
• sharpen pupils beyond what exists,
• change eyebrow shape,
• straighten facial asymmetry,
• reshape the jaw,
• slim the face,
• reduce wrinkles,
• smooth skin,
• alter facial hair,
• improve complexion,
• make the subject younger,
• make the subject more attractive.
Do not generate new eyelashes, teeth, pupils, pores, hair strands, or skin microdetail unless unmistakably supported by the source.
Identity preservation takes priority over clarity.
7. Hands and Fingers — Maximum Positional Protection
Hands are a high-risk restoration area and must be treated as fixed anatomy.
For every visible hand:
• preserve its exact position,
• preserve wrist orientation,
• preserve palm orientation,
• preserve finger count only where actually visible,
• preserve finger placement,
• preserve finger spacing,
• preserve finger length relationships,
• preserve bends at knuckles,
• preserve overlap,
• preserve contact with clothing, furniture, props, or the body.
Do not:
• move a hand onto a lap,
• move a hand onto or off a chair,
• straighten fingers,
• spread fingers,
• close fingers,
• alter wrist angle,
• rotate the palm,
• make hands more elegant,
• reconstruct obscured fingers based on anatomical expectation,
• replace damaged hands with anatomically cleaner AI-generated hands.
If the source does not clearly show a finger, leave it indistinct.
Never sacrifice original hand placement for anatomical neatness.
8. Clothing and Fabric Preservation
Preserve the exact:
• silhouette,
• neckline,
• collar,
• cuffs,
• sleeves,
• seams,
• buttons,
• fasteners,
• pleats,
• gathers,
• folds,
• wrinkles,
• patterns,
• trim,
• jewelry placement.
Do not simplify, restyle, straighten, or regularize clothing.
Do not invent embroidery, buttons, lace, folds, or fabric texture.
Where deterioration crosses clothing, repair only to the degree supported by visible continuation on either side of the damage.
9. Furniture, Props, and Objects
Preserve all furniture and props exactly as seen.
Do not:
• reposition chairs,
• reshape chair arms,
• straighten table edges,
• replace damaged objects,
• remove awkward objects,
• complete obscured furniture,
• invent ornamentation,
• alter scale or perspective.
If a hand touches a chair, table, object, or garment, the hand-object relationship must remain unchanged.
10. Background Preservation
Preserve the original background, including:
• studio backdrops,
• architecture,
• scenery,
• vegetation,
• furniture,
• patterns,
• shadows,
• indistinct forms.
Do not clarify vague background forms into specific objects unless they are unmistakably visible in the source.
Do not add scenery, props, foliage, architectural detail, clouds, textures, or decorative elements.
Soft or indistinct background information should remain soft or indistinct.
11. Tonal and Exposure Recovery
Restore a balanced tonal range while respecting the original photographic process.
Permitted corrections:
• gently recover faded blacks,
• improve separation in midtones,
• recover highlights where evidence exists,
• reduce uneven fading,
• correct age-related density shifts,
• improve legibility conservatively.
Avoid:
• crushed blacks,
• clipped whites,
• HDR,
• dramatic relighting,
• increased spotlighting,
• artificial shadow recovery,
• aggressive contrast,
• modern tonal grading.
Preserve the original direction and distribution of light.
The photograph should look properly conserved and printed, not digitally re-lit.
12. Detail, Texture, and Sharpness
Improve clarity only to the degree justified by surviving information.
Use:
• restrained sharpening,
• localized sharpening only where appropriate,
• conservative noise reduction.
Preserve:
• original optical softness,
• period lens characteristics,
• natural grain,
• authentic photographic texture,
• existing depth of field.
Do not create:
• artificial pores,
• invented hair strands,
• fake textile weave,
• reconstructed lace,
• false wood grain,
• invented foliage,
• false lettering,
• synthetic skin texture,
• hyper-detailed eyes,
• microscopic detail absent from the source.
Avoid:
• halos,
• ringing,
• edge enhancement,
• excessive clarity,
• plastic skin,
• painted surfaces,
• neural-network texture.
13. Reflection and Noise Removal
Remove reflections, scanner glare, surface glare, moiré, and intrusive noise only when they are clearly artifacts of reproduction or deterioration.
Do not mistake original highlights, silvering characteristics, reflections intrinsic to the original photographic process, or genuine surface qualities for removable defects.
When uncertain, preserve rather than erase.
14. Black-and-White, Sepia, and Color Policy
Determine the original medium from the source.
If black-and-white:
• keep it black-and-white,
• restore a neutral or historically appropriate monochrome scale,
• retain subtle intrinsic warm or cool toning,
• do not colorize.
If intentionally sepia or toned:
• preserve the historical toning,
• correct only uneven deterioration,
• do not exaggerate brown or amber tones.
If genuinely color:
• restore age-faded color conservatively,
• use surviving evidence,
• avoid speculative color,
• avoid modern saturation.
Never colorize a monochrome photograph unless explicitly instructed.
15. Historical Integrity
Preserve the visual character of the original period and photographic medium.
Do not:
• modernize clothing,
• modernize hairstyles,
• alter makeup,
• modernize architecture,
• replace historic objects,
• introduce contemporary materials,
• create modern lens rendering,
• add modern depth effects,
• introduce cinematic color grading,
• apply trendy filters,
• create artificial bokeh,
• make the image look newly photographed.
The result should resemble an exceptionally well-preserved original photograph from its own period.
16. Borders, Mounts, Frames, and Physical Format
Preserve:
• original borders,
• mounts,
• deckled edges,
• mats,
• cases,
• frames,
• plate edges,
• handwritten captions,
• stamps,
• studio marks,
• printed information,
• historically meaningful wear.
Do not crop them away.
Repair only actual damage.
Do not make aged borders unnaturally perfect unless specifically requested.
If the photograph was photographed or scanned at an angle, correct only scan-induced perspective distortion while preserving the original object's true geometry.
Any perspective correction must not change the final outer aspect ratio, crop, border proportions, or image-to-border relationship.
17. Composition and Aspect-Ratio Lock
This section overrides any default image-generation format or canvas preference.
The following are prohibited unless explicitly requested:
• cropping,
• zooming,
• reframing,
• extending the canvas,
• outpainting,
• changing aspect ratio,
• changing width-to-height proportion,
• converting the source to another common photo ratio,
• shifting the subject,
• centering the subject,
• changing headroom,
• changing negative space,
• changing the amount of visible furniture or background,
• changing the amount of visible sky, floor, water, landscape, or architecture,
• changing the scale of the subject within the frame,
• changing the dimensions of the mount or border relative to the photograph.
Ratio Preservation Test
Determine the source ratio mathematically as:
source width ÷ source height
The finished image must preserve that same ratio.
Examples:
• Source 3:4 → output 3:4
• Source 4:3 → output 4:3
• Source 2:3 → output 2:3
• Source 3:2 → output 3:2
• Source 5:7 → output 5:7
• Source 7:5 → output 7:5
Do not approximate one ratio with another.
If exact original pixel dimensions can be preserved, preserve them.
If resolution must be increased, upscale proportionally by the same factor in both dimensions.
For example:
• 600 × 800 may become 1200 × 1600,
• but it must not become 1024 × 1536,
• 1024 × 1365,
• 1080 × 1350,
• or any other ratio that changes the source geometry.
The restored image must align as closely as possible with the original when overlaid.
18. Restoration Strength
Use the minimum intervention necessary.
Priority order:
1. Exact preservation of source dimensions, aspect ratio, crop, and framing
2. Exact preservation of anatomy, pose, hands, facial identity, and object placement
3. Exact preservation of composition and geometry
4. Historical and factual accuracy
5. Removal of clearly identifiable physical deterioration
6. Tonal recovery
7. Noise and reflection reduction
8. Subtle clarity improvement
If enhancement conflicts with fidelity, do not enhance.
If reconstruction conflicts with uncertainty, preserve the uncertainty.
If visual beauty conflicts with factual accuracy, choose factual accuracy.
If output formatting conflicts with the original source proportions, preserve the original proportions.
19. No-AI-Reconstruction Rule
The restoration must not behave like generative image synthesis.
Do not redraw the photograph from scratch.
Do not create a cleaner interpretation of the scene.
Do not substitute a plausible new portrait for a damaged original portrait.
Do not use semantic expectations to complete uncertain anatomy, clothing, furniture, or background features.
Do not regenerate the scene merely to fit a standard image-generation canvas.
Think of the task as conservation of existing visual evidence inside a locked original canvas, not generation of a replacement image.
20. Final Quality Standard
Produce a high-resolution, professional archival restoration suitable for museum, historical-society, family-archive, or conservation-quality presentation.
The finished result should appear to be:
the same physical photograph after expert conservation, careful cleaning, tonal recovery, and high-quality scanning, with its original physical proportions completely unchanged.
It should not look:
• newly photographed,
• newly posed,
• digitally reconstructed,
• beautified,
• modernized,
• stylized,
• heavily retouched,
• artificially sharpened,
• AI-generated,
• cropped into a different format,
• stretched,
• squeezed,
• widened,
• narrowed,
• reformatted to a standard AI image ratio.
Mandatory Final Verification
Before finalizing, compare the result directly against the source and verify:
• The output width-to-height ratio is exactly the same as the source.
• The photograph has not been converted to another standard aspect ratio.
• The orientation is unchanged.
• All four original image boundaries are preserved.
• No part of the source has been cropped away.
• No canvas area has been added.
• No content has been generated beyond the original boundaries.
• The mount, border, or frame occupies the same percentage of the image as in the source.
• The subject occupies the same percentage of the image as in the source.
• The amount of sky, ground, water, wall, background, and negative space remains unchanged.
• The head is in the same position and angle.
• The face has the same proportions and expression.
• The eyes and gaze are unchanged.
• The shoulders are at the same height and angle.
• Both arms occupy the same positions.
• Both hands are in exactly the same locations as the source.
• The wrists have not rotated.
• The fingers have not been repositioned, straightened, spread, closed, or regenerated.
• Each hand touches the same object, garment, chair, lap, or surface at the same point as in the source.
• No body part has been repositioned.
• No pose has been “corrected.”
• Clothing folds and buttons remain in their original locations.
• Furniture and props remain in their original locations and proportions.
• No object has been added, removed, shifted, or redesigned.
• No background element has been invented.
• No unsupported facial detail has been generated.
• The original crop, borders, frame, perspective, and composition are unchanged.
• Natural grain and period photographic softness remain intact.
• Damage repair is conservative and localized.
• Any uncertain area remains appropriately uncertain.
• The restored image would closely register with the source if the two images were placed on top of one another.
Mandatory Aspect-Ratio Failure Rule
If the restoration system cannot preserve the original photograph’s exact proportions, crop, and visible boundaries, do not substitute a different aspect ratio or generate a reformatted version.
Preserving the original proportions takes precedence over producing an output.
Final governing rule: the restoration must remain inside the source photograph’s exact original geometric envelope. If any proposed change would alter the source width-to-height ratio, crop boundaries, visible border proportions, subject scale, position, anatomy, expression, clothing, hand placement, object placement, or geometry, do not make that change.

Prompt 2:

Your task is to transform this exact restored historical photograph into a **high-quality, carefully colorized photographic version** while preserving the image with maximum historical and visual fidelity.

The objective is **not** to reinterpret, modernize, beautify, stylize, recreate, or creatively reconstruct the photograph. The objective is only to:

1. add historically plausible color,
2. make restrained quality improvements where justified, and
3. if a physical frame or photographic mount is visible, restore that frame to the appearance it would likely have had when new.

The finished result must remain unmistakably the **same photograph**.

## 1. Source Fidelity — Absolute Priority

Preserve exactly:

- Every person’s identity, age, expression, pose, gaze, anatomy, facial proportions, and body proportions
- Hairstyles, hairlines, clothing construction, jewelry, accessories, and personal features
- The original composition, crop, framing, camera viewpoint, perspective, and geometry
- The exact position, size, orientation, and spatial relationship of every visible subject and object
- Architecture, furniture, rocks, vegetation, landscapes, vehicles, signage, studio props, and background elements
- The original lighting direction, shadow placement, depth of field, focus characteristics, and photographic softness
- Historically meaningful imperfections and details that belong to the original scene

Do **not** add, remove, replace, relocate, enlarge, reduce, straighten, redesign, or reinterpret any person, object, or environmental feature.

Do not alter facial expressions, open closed eyes, add smiles, change hairstyles, improve physiques, correct asymmetry, or make subjects appear younger, healthier, cleaner, or more conventionally attractive.

## 2. Colorization Only — No Creative Reconstruction

Add color conservatively and realistically.

Color should appear as though the photograph had originally been captured using a historically appropriate color photographic process, while still preserving the tonal character and softness of the original image.

Use surviving tonal evidence, material appearance, historical context, and photographic logic to guide color choices.

Where exact colors cannot be known:

- choose subdued, historically plausible colors,
- avoid highly specific or unusual color guesses,
- favor restrained neutral or low-saturation tones,
- preserve ambiguity rather than inventing visually dramatic color.

Do not introduce modern color grading.

Avoid:

- excessive saturation,
- vivid digital blues, greens, reds, or oranges,
- cinematic teal-and-orange grading,
- HDR color,
- artificial warmth,
- fashionable vintage filters,
- selective-color effects,
- fantasy coloration.

Skin tones must remain natural, restrained, and appropriate to the subject and lighting.

Do not lighten or darken a person’s complexion for aesthetic reasons.

## 3. Faces, Hands, and Identity Protection

Treat faces, eyes, mouths, hands, hairlines, and other identity-defining features with exceptional restraint.

Colorization must **not** cause identity drift.

Preserve exactly:

- facial structure,
- eye shape and placement,
- mouth shape,
- nose shape,
- jawline,
- ears,
- wrinkles,
- scars,
- natural asymmetry,
- age characteristics,
- hand and finger anatomy.

Do not generate new:

- eyelashes,
- pupils,
- teeth,
- skin pores,
- hair strands,
- makeup,
- facial highlights,
- facial contours,
- expressions.

Do not apply beauty retouching, skin smoothing, facial reshaping, portrait enhancement, or modern cosmetic effects.

Identity preservation is more important than apparent sharpness.

## 4. Quality Enhancement

Enhance image quality only where the restored source supports it.

Permitted improvements include:

- gentle exposure optimization,
- subtle tonal balancing,
- modest recovery of shadow and highlight separation,
- restrained noise reduction,
- removal of residual scanning artifacts,
- mild correction of remaining glare or reflections,
- slight improvement in clarity,
- restrained localized sharpening.

Do not fabricate detail that cannot be seen in the restored source.

Do not create:

- new fabric texture,
- new foliage,
- new rock texture,
- invented architectural detail,
- false lettering,
- artificial skin texture,
- sharpened eyes unsupported by the source,
- modern high-resolution microdetail.

The image should remain photographically natural and appropriate to the original era.

## 5. Preserve Historical Photographic Character

Do not make the photograph look as though it were taken with a modern digital camera.

Retain:

- appropriate lens softness,
- modest tonal compression,
- natural grain,
- historical depth of field,
- subtle imperfections,
- period-appropriate contrast.

Avoid:

- extreme clarity,
- aggressive sharpening,
- edge halos,
- hyper-detailed textures,
- artificial depth separation,
- fake bokeh,
- modern studio lighting,
- cinematic relighting,
- glossy contemporary portrait processing.

The finished image should look like an exceptionally well-preserved **historical color photograph**, not a modern recreation of the scene.

## 6. Clothing and Object Colors

Color clothing and objects conservatively.

When the original color is uncertain:

- use historically plausible dyes and materials,
- avoid bright synthetic-looking colors unless clearly justified,
- preserve subtle variation within fabrics,
- keep metal, wood, stone, vegetation, leather, and painted surfaces materially believable.

Do not redesign clothing patterns or invent decorative details.

Buttons, trim, jewelry, and other small objects should retain their original size, texture, and placement.

## 7. Background and Environment

Preserve the environment exactly as shown.

Do not:

- replace backgrounds,
- add plants,
- remove objects,
- beautify landscapes,
- clean natural surfaces excessively,
- increase foliage density,
- make skies more dramatic,
- invent architectural or environmental details.

Color should follow the source image’s tonal structure and lighting.

Keep distant and out-of-focus elements naturally soft.

## 8. Frame or Mount Restoration

**If a visible physical frame, metal plate surround, case, mat, mount, or decorative border is present, preserve its exact shape, dimensions, geometry, placement, and design.**

Keep the photograph inside the frame completely unchanged in composition and content.

Restore **only the frame or mount** to the appearance it would reasonably have had when new.

Remove age-related deterioration from the frame where appropriate, including:

- tarnish,
- corrosion,
- oxidation,
- grime,
- scratches,
- stains,
- discoloration,
- faded finish,
- surface dulling.

Recover the likely original material appearance conservatively—for example polished or satin brass, gilt metal, painted metal, wood, leather, paper, or other period-appropriate material **only when supported by the visible structure and surviving evidence**.

Do not redesign the frame.

Do not:

- add ornamentation,
- alter corner shapes,
- change border width,
- replace the frame with a modern frame,
- make it excessively glossy,
- create mirror-like reflections,
- introduce modern metallic finishes.

The restored frame should look like the **same original frame when new**, not a newly designed replacement.

## 9. Composition and Dimensions

Maintain the exact original dimensions, aspect ratio, crop, framing, and orientation of the Stage 1 restored image.

Do not crop.

Do not zoom.

Do not expand the canvas.

Do not change the size or position of the photographic image within the frame.

## 10. Final Quality Standard

Produce a high-resolution, professional-quality historical colorization suitable for archival, museum, historical-society, or family-history presentation.

The finished result should appear to be:

**the exact same restored historical photograph, carefully colorized and gently refined, with any surviving frame restored to its original new condition.**

It must **not** look:

- AI-generated,
- newly staged,
- modernized,
- beautified,
- cinematic,
- heavily retouched,
- artificially sharpened,
- creatively recolored,
- reconstructed beyond the available evidence.

### Final Verification

Before finalizing, verify that:

- No person’s identity, anatomy, pose, expression, or age has changed.
- No object has been added, removed, relocated, or redesigned.
- No unsupported facial or environmental detail has been invented.
- The photograph’s original composition and crop are unchanged.
- Color is restrained, historically plausible, and consistent with the original lighting.
- Skin tones remain natural and non-beautified.
- Fine detail has not been fabricated.
- Historical softness and photographic character remain intact.
- Any visible frame retains its exact original design and geometry.
- Only age-related deterioration of the frame has been removed.
- The frame appears as the same historical frame would likely have appeared when new.
- The result remains unmistakably the same photograph.