Disappearing Tape

Take a look at your photographs with tape in various areas. Always scan the entire photo to preserve the original image. Then consider cropping out as much of the tape as possible by moving the scanner's selection tool and scanning the smaller section (with less tape showing) at a high enough resolution to print at the size you desire. Photo editing techniques can lighten the tape or make it a different color to help make it disappear. Don't let that tape keep you from preserving those damaged images. If you have to scan a photo taped to an album, look at the tips on other blog posts regarding scanning from albums.

Photos Stuck to Glass

Sometimes photos get stuck to flat glass, sometimes to domed glass. Depending on the situation, it might require a professional's help in scanning if you are facing an issue with curved glass. However, if the glass (with photo stuck to it) will fit your scanner bed, place a transparency sheet down on the glass bed of your scanner. Then carefully place the glass and photo down over the transparency sheet so you don't scratch your scanner's bed. Scan at correct resolution for print size. Then carefully lift the glass and photo. Most of the time there will be problems with color, tears, cracks, or changes in surface texture. If it's a one-of-a-kind photograph, it's better to try and get a good scan before the image degrades any further. Digital editing can be done at any time. Preserving the original should be your prime motivation to scan as soon as possible.

Missing Pieces of a Photograph

This photo has suffered so much damage throughout the years, and the family hoped to recover whatever they could of the darling image before it completely fell apart. Fortunately there is enough of the original to "borrow from" to fill in much of the missing areas because the family was not looking to maintain historical accuracy. Budget constraints might cause you to place limits on the extent of restoration done by a professional. Be sure to fully discuss the options of printing a smaller size, cropping to lessen the area to restore, and any other ideas a specialist might suggest. There is a positive side to this limitation of funds you might be facing. In effect, you will end up with what can be considered a "more historical image" when restoration stops short of perfecting such a photo. No matter what level of restoration you can achieve (or afford to have done), the result will always provide you with the joy of a newly-found image for your family to print and share.

Restoration from a Damaged Negative

Here is a composite layout to emphasize the importance of saving ALL your negatives, no matter how damaged. The wrinkled negative (below left) was scanned. The result of the scan can be seen as the unrestored portion of the photo (above right). The restored portion of the photo demonstrates just how much of an image might be recovered with some heavy-duty restoration techniques. Definitely inspiring to those hoping their one-of-a-kind negatives will yield a photo treasure! A larger negative can be scanned at 2400dpi or even 1200dpi, instead of the usual 3200dpi used for the smaller negatives and slides.

Water Damaged Photo

A severely damaged photograph just might be saved by some tight cropping as well as heavy restoration. Before deciding to toss such an image, be sure to look at the background and other parts of the image to see if anything can be "borrowed" to cover the damage. Sure the waves and sand are similar, but the main focus of this priceless image is now back on the girl, and that's how it should be! When scanning such images, you will want to increase the resolution enough to make a 300dpi print of the final cropped image. So if the original photo is half the size you intend the final print to be, scan at 600dpi. Scanning at above 600dpi increases your options regarding print size when the restored photo is cropped tightly.

Grainy Photographs with Severe Surface Damage

The original is 3.5" x 4.5" and the family hoped to print this image much larger than it's original size. It isn't the damage that is determining the final print size, but the photo's "texture" or spotted appearance. Were this to be a very sharp original, a slight blurring of the surface would have produced a smoother image ready to print at the desired size. Unfortunately, it is so blurry to begin with that smoothing the surface would harm the final image too much. Printed at a smaller size, the photo looks great hanging on a wall in a wonderful frame. When looking at your old photos, remember that hanging their restored prints on a wall minimizes the appearance of surface texture enough to trick the eye into thinking you must have a marvelous original. Also, consider printing in black and white. The contrast helps "sharpen" the image, as opposed to the softer tones of a sepia print. However, sometimes sepia prints help minimize surface damage. Experiment with printing to see which works best for your image.

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.

Dark Photo Brought to Light

Many times we look through our old photographs and come upon some that are so dark and grainy, and yet it might be the only photo of an individual we have during a certain time frame. Here is an example of just such a photo. Add a bit of damage producing uneven fading and you have what some people erroneously consider "too far gone for restoration." This poor photo turned out to be a wonderful glimpse into the life of a woman raised on the prairie in a sod home. We can almost make out enough detail to confirm she is not standing in front of the "soddy," although for years family members thought that was the case. Amazing what a little restoration work can do for genealogy researchers!!!

Faded Slide

Many people have slides that are damaged or faded...or both. Here is an example of just such a slide, and the results achieved after some serious effort and time. Slides can be scanned using a film scanner. A higher resolution of about 2400-3200dpi is the setting used to obtain these wonderful digital copies to restore and print. Hopefully you will look at your own stash of slides in a different "light" after seeing this restoration. What a darling photo! The baby in this picture has a child of her own now...and a photo of her baby that almost matches this pose!!! This treasured photo hangs in a frame with her little one's baby photo!

That Hand-colored Look

A devastating bush fire destroyed the original hand-colored photo. A sepia-toned copy was scanned, then tinted using digital techniques. Although it is a bit tricky to replicate those delicate tones of the original, this image makes the family happy to have their treasured picture back.

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.

Taped Photo in Album B

 

Yes, there it was, a beautiful, original old photo of my husband's grandmother...TAPED INTO HIS AUNT'S ALBUM...OHHHHHH, NOOOOOOO!!! The resulting photo made all the restoration work so worth it! And we are thrilled a relative allowed me to scan this photo, because now it is in the hands of many other family members! A family's old photo album is a collection of prints gathered over the years by ancestors who then handed the album down to the next generation. Unfortunately, many families choose to remove some photos and, in essence, destroy the integrity of a priceless collection. Please consider scanning and sharing copies of its contents as a way to ensure your family's irreplaceable old photo album remains intact.

Photo Copies B

This was a rough print of an old photograph many in our family felt lucky to possess. We don't have many pictures of this old guy. It was a privilege to restore craggy good looks to this weathered face. When you are scanning a copy of a photograph, even if it is a copy of a copy of a print, be sure to scan with the final print size in mind. If your image is the size you want to print a restored version, then scan at 300dpi. If you hope to print a final photo twice the size of your original, then scan at 600dpi. Increase the resolution if you need to repair lots of damage. Hanging in a frame on the wall, these "copies" don't look quite so bad when they are restored! We are grateful for any images we can get!!!

Taped Photo in Album A

 
Recently a family member gave permission for her treasured scrapbook full of photos and documents to be scanned. Within the pages were many items other relatives had never seen, such as this wonderful image taken 102 years ago during a trip this gentleman described in his personal history. Hopefully this restoration example will encourage all who may find themselves "stuck" in the same situation, attempting to preserve and share similarly damaged items. Most tape damage can be overcome by using the same techniques employed for covering larger spots and cracks. Scan these photos at a higher resolution, as you would a surface-damaged image, in order to "borrow" good pixels and cover the "bad" pixels.And always scan the entire page of the album, without attempting to remove a photo such as this. Too much further damage might ensue to both the photo and the album--a priceless combination not to be harmed--if you try to "untape" those old photographs.

Surface Damage on Photos

The original of this dapper gentleman's photo is 4-1/4 inches tall and 2-1/2 inches wide, mounted on some sort of cardboard. It is terribly dirty and damaged, leading to a difficulty in seeing details in his clothing and features. Thanks to some nifty photo editing techniques, most of the fashionable attire can now be seen again. Blurry facial features are more difficult to restore because you run the risk of making changes that future generations will then erroneously refer to as their ancestors' true portrait. Go cautiously when editing faces!

Give Yourself Peace of Mind

This gentleman was born in 1826. Don't know for certain when this photo was taken, but suffice it to say he looks rather mature. The original print was only 3-3/8 inches tall and 2-1/2 inches wide. It is stuck onto a yellow piece of cardboard which is probably not archival material. If this original portrait was lost to further degradation from the cardboard or other damage, it could be replaced by a print of either the original or this restored version. That is one of the major reasons to consider restoring your one-of-a-kind photos. You will have a digital file of both the original scanned copy and your fabulous restored version. This will give you a great peace of mind and allow you the freedom of displaying your ancestors' portraits for all to see.

Sharing Sparkling Spangler

This poor photo obviously ran into some water puddles on its journey to my mom. She hoped to share it with her cousins--but first the portrait needed a little drying out. My favorite part to work on was the face and those sparkling eyes. Even without a bit of sharpening they looked amazing. My mom doesn't have to worry any more about having the only photo of this ancestor. She is so excited to share this "new" old photo.

'22 Model T

Even without a date on this photo, the vehicle gives some idea of the time frame since it's a '22. It helped to find photos of this car on the internet so the front fender could be recreated. This little (1-1/2 by 2-3/8 inch) gem was treasured by the man's son who now has a much better 6x9 inch print to share with his family.

Scanning at about 1200dpi or so would have been sufficient to print at the size required (about 4 times the original's size). However, a higher resolution was required so that the scan would include more "good" pixels to fix so many "bad" pixels. When scanning images with more damage, you need to scan at a higher number than normally indicated. Look at the numbers listed on your scanner and choose the next higher number. Scanning at 300dpi means you can print at the same size as the original. A 600dpi scan will give you twice the original's size to print. 900dpi would give you a print three times the original's size, etc.

In some cases a photo can only be rescued by cropping off the most damaged, irretrievable portions and focusing on the main subject. If one of your photos just seems too far gone, beyond the level of expertise you have achieved in your photo restoration skills, then consider that option. OR, if it is a very important one-of-a-kind picture, ask a professional to evaluate it (especially if the part to crop would be the face--NOT an option!!!) before you shove it back into a drawer or box. As you can see from the examples above, there is hope for revealing the hidden details of such incredible glimpses into your ancestors' past.