It’s a delicate dance, really. First you keep the original file untouched – that’s your baseline, the artist’s pure voice. Then you work non‑destructively, layer by layer, so you can always revert if something feels off. The key is to enhance, not overwrite. Restore colors with the same palette the artist chose, fix noise without blurring detail, and preserve texture – that’s where the soul hides. If every tweak respects the original intent, the piece stays authentic. But if you start over‑smoothing or altering the composition, you’re basically rewriting the story. So the “soul” survives when the restoration is a dialogue with the artist’s vision, not a second opinion.