Photo Restoration Blog

Archive for the ‘photo restoration’ Category

You may find that the photos that you want to repair are in more than one piece. When scanning an old photo with the intention of repairing it you may want to check what your scanner is up to again. See Saving your images correctly. When you scan two bits of a photo you may find that the two halves end up looking completely different. The tones and exposure and even colour may look great on one half and totally different on the other, what is going on?

When your scanner when set to automatic just like a digital camera set to “auto”, it will exposure and correct the image where and how it sees fit. Images with more dark tones in them, may be compensated for and end up lighter and vice versa for light images ending up darker. Colours may even change too.

It is best to set your scanner to manual and switch off all the automatic settings and keep the scanning resolution the same. Turn off the auto tone, brightness, contrast, colour sections and just scan in colour, as basic as you can get. This way both scans should end up the same in their tones and exposures and size. You can then be sure when you are trying to match up the two halves that they will meet easily and make the photo repair simpler too. In fact you can apply this technique when scanning large prints bigger than your scanner. Make sure you scan with around 25% overlap on each scan then this will give plenty to match up when getting your restorer to stitch them together again.

Photo repairs and fixing your old photos.

Canon CanoScan 5600F Scanner USB2.0 Film and Slide 14.6msec/line 4800x9600dpi A4 Ref 2924B008AA

The following offer has been extended to give you continuing value for money!

£5 off and FREE 10×8 inch print with any Grade 3 restoration

Order one or more Grade 3 restoration and a print, and get one 10×8* inch print Free and £5 off!

Quote this order code G31085OFF when ordering.

Valid till 13 of April 2010

* Subject to the condition and size of the original photo

 see our current photo restoration offer

Scrapbooking, Genealogy, family trees and digging around for old photos  is very much on the mind of many people today. There are many publications on the magazine shelves and several TV series to keep reminding us of how important our family histories are.

Making a family tree is not all about names it is about photos as well. The visual side of the ancestry helps with putting a face to the names. To help smarten up your family tree arrange your photos or portraits alongside the names on the tree, so when you can’t remember what great uncle Cartwright looked like, he is right there for you. Of course don’t stick down  the original photos get your photos copied and restored and a digital copy to make an on-line family tree for your relatives to share. Keep the original safe and sound away from sunlight and in a dry place.

TOP TIP: If you want to see great uncle Cartwright above the fireplace then have your original photo restored and reproduced, so you can display the reproductions around the house in prominent, well lit places, will no fear of further fading and damage.