Missing Parts
Digital repair is made from visual clues and cloning parts from what exists around the flaw. We do not truly recreate missing matter. Half a face may be repaired left to right but not top to bottom. Even left to right is a best guess and will not be accurate.

Torn Originals
Not saying they can not be repaired, but It may be a long and therefore costly process. Missing portions will make it more difficult or nearly impossible. However, digital processing is the only way we know to make a seamless repair! (See repaired torn area on picture to right.)

Bad Focus
Digital repair can do nothing for a poorly focused or motion blurred original. Most consumer grade "snapshots" are usually weak in both these areas. Examine your originals closely and do not expect a focus correction better than original. Enlargement will definitely make poor focus look worse.

Textured surface
A form of accidental copy protection is the textured surface produced on some old photographs. A scan may pick these up as light reflection and degrade the quality. Sometimes with special effort or using a photographic copy process (rather than scan) we can eliminate this degradation. Give us a chance to work with what you have.