Dogs' Eyes Don't Have to Glow

Yes, you could simply color in the eyes on a dog's photo with a black marker. However, here's another trick that would probably have your family rewarding you with fabulous treats! Be certain to scan the original "bad eyes" photo at a high resolution, perhaps about 800dpi or more, so that when you zoom in on the digital file to edit the eyes you see smoother edges instead of pixels (tiny square boxes). Grab another good photo of it's eyes, scan that "good eyes" photo at a high resolution as well, then select the eyes (one at a time) from the new "good" photo's digital file and move them to cover up the glowing orbs in the "bad" photo. Or you could use the photo editing tool that is supposed to fix pets' eyes...but it's not a guarantee. Or, in this instance, these eyes came from a photo of a totally different dog. Be creative in rescuing such darling photos of furry family members.

Uncle's Gotta Go...Just Need Dad

This fabulous photo has so many amazing historical details and is truly appreciated by the family holding it in their collection. However, it also holds an opportunity to gain the one and only photo of their ancestor taken at this period of his life. Fortunately it is a very sharp and well-lit photograph, so a close-up of any size was definitely an option.

Cropping this closely means making a higher resolution scan of the original. A closer crop can make for a better image and helps keep the work of removing other people to a minimum. However, it is a personal decision as to how much of the original photo's details will be cut off in the process. Sometimes it is more important to keep the details in the entire photo, especially if it helps link the item to a particular period of time. If you aren't sure exactly how much you want to cut off for the final print, then restore the entire photo and make the decision after you have totally removed the other image(s).

"Well, shut my mouth"...an old Southern saying comes to life!

Recently a friend showed me her only photo of an ancestor and asked if this gentleman (born about 1839) could have a digital "makeover." Intent on maintaining her historical collection of photographs, she knew the original would never be harmed in the process.

Because of the relatively plain background this "fix" was quick and easy. A digital cut made across the entire photo and through his mouth enabled the top half of the photo to be slid down just enough to make his mouth look much more natural. Sure, the "blown out" lighting is one of the hardest (if not impossible) things to bring back. But at least this family's collection now includes a kinder-looking version of this amazing photo.

Removing Writing on Photos

There is much more than writing to remove on these two photos. Damage across the middle and bottom of one includes writing and surface problems. The other darling photo has writing across the middle. Thankfully the family had both photos, and restoration involved using parts of each to repair the other. If you are considering restoring damaged photographs, be sure to check for similar images. Even if they are not exactly the same, it might be possible to "borrow" some parts to fix the damages. When scanning such images, be sure to increase the resolution to gather more "good" pixels to repair the "bad" parts. If you need to crop most of the damage to retain a salvageable image, then be sure to increase the resolution in order to print an edited  image the size you desire.

Eyes Closed, Eyes Open!

These photos came from some old negatives one of these two cute sisters had in her possession. Scanning them at a high resolution produced the original files with enough pixels to make larger prints. Restoring these pictures to the owner's satisfaction meant giving open eyes to her sister in her favorite of the prints--the one to the right. Evaluating the restoration requirements of photos can mean scanning at an even higher resolution than originally planned. The "extra" pixels can make little details like eyes much easier to work with...and on.

Once the color and damage were brought under control and the photos matched well enough, it was time to "borrow" the eyes from one and "give" them to the other photo. Thankfully there are digital tools to help skew objects and make them a better fit. Even though the sister's eyes were at an angle in the one picture, it was possible to turn them enough to make this family's favorite photo good enough to print as an 8x10"!

1870's Photo

Taken in the 1870's, we have been told this is the only photograph of an ancestor on my mom's side. It was offered to a family newsletter, and I was asked if I could do anything with it before publication. These old images are treasures as they are, but bringing out features allows descendants the opportunity to enjoy the portraits in a "new" way. A risk is making faces something they are not, so less restoration is the best with these historical items. Closely working with existing features and filling in the blanks, as it were, gives faces more life without creating a "new" portrait. When considering the improvement of these really old images, it is up to the family to determine just how much to enhance such old photographs. Be sure to scan the original and place the digital file in a safe place to preserve this irreplaceable photo for your family. A copy of the original scan can be printed and hung in a frame, while preserving the original print by placing in a safe, if desired. This is a copy of an image, and that limited the restoration possibilities for me to begin with. If I had the original to scan myself, it might have been a different result.

Frowns to Smiles

This photo was known as "that really frowny picture" and, truth be known, never prominently displayed except in genealogy books my mom has written. We decided to change Susanna's countenance by "skewing" the corners of her mouth just enough to let a bit of a smile peek from this now-restored photo. The updated Weddle book will now include this matriarch's more endearing photo. Sure this might upset purists wanting exacting restorations. However, for those families hoping for a better glimpse at an ancestor, damage restoration might just include turning frowns upside down!

Miniature Photo Restoration

The original of this photo was just about 1.25 inches by 1.5 inches, if that. So small. Yet this little photo prompted so many memories about my grandfather, a giant of a man with huge hands toughened by years of working on his farm and automobiles. If you scan these small photos at 2400-3200dpi or thereabouts (like you would a negative or slide), it gives you plenty of pixels to print a large photo. Sometimes the print will look grainy as you look closely. However, hang the print on a wall and you won't notice the imperfections as much. It certainly was worth the effort to restore this little gem of a photo.