Andor Kraszna-Krausz was born in Szombathely on 12 January 1904. His parents were Adolf Krausz and Iren Krausz (née Rosenberger). Andor Kraszna-Krausz added the “Kraszna” to his name at some point before 1925. He graduated from Szombathely Roman Catholic High School in 1922.

Kraszna-Krausz later enrolled in the Department of Theatre Studies and Cinema Technology at the Technical Institute in Munich. In 1923 he moved to Munich University to study at the School of Photography and Cinematography.

Kraszna-Krausz edited the new magazine Filmtechnik from 1926 under publisher Wilhelm Knapp and also worked on the journal “Close Up” dedicated to the art of film (published 1927-1933).

Kraszna-Krausz came to England in 1937 as a refugee and founded the Focal Press in England in 1938 which published practical guides to photography at affordable prices for the general public. Focal Press publications were both accessible and informative, providing expert information in the fields of professional photography and image technology science. The scope of Focal Press spread also to Cinematography, Television and other audio-visual technologies.

In 1982 he set up the Kraszna-Krausz Foundation. In recognition of this and his outstanding contributions to the media he was awarded the prestigious Kulturpreis by the Photographic Society of Germany in 1979 and received an honorary doctorate from Bradford University ten years later.