Photo Enhancement and Restoration
Anyone is capable of restoring and enhancing old and new photographs. I recommend photo editing software
Adobe PhotoShop Elements and learning how to use a few Photoshop tools such as cloning and healing. Like any
skill, practice will make you proficient.
In my opinion photos and slides should to scanned into digital format. These images degrade over time or get dirty
and dusty, even if you can't see this by looking at them.
Thinking about digitizing your family photo album or an old picture?
A lot of my clients take my classes and discover they scanned their images at the wrong dpi (resolution) and their
images are useless. If you want to scan and reprint an image you need to print at 300dpi or higher.
Scan your slides at 1200 dpi
Scan your images at least 800 dpi
Some scanners have photo restoration software like ICE that can clean up some of the dirt and scratches when you
scan an image. It won't get all of it, however.
My advise is this: If the image is pre-1960 do not use ICE or other photo restoration software. Images 1960 to today
try the ICE and see if it works. Pre-1960 images have an old look about them, and using ICE you lose the look.
Also, certain older images use grainy photographic paper. ICE technology can't read the paper or the image and
you can get odd looking results.
Don't try and resize an image that is 4x6 inches into a poster size photograph. Small images can be grainy or fuzzy
(even if it doesn't look that way to you) and oversizing them can lead to a unfortunate result. Typically, you can size
up 1 or 2 sizes over original. Sometimes I don't even recommend doing that.
Two sizes over original. Let's say you have a 4x6 inch image. You may be able to size this 5x7 or 8x10 inches.
Take time be patient and be rewarded
Enhancing and/ or restoring a bunch of photos and slides can be overwhelming but knowing how to take out a
thumb print or dirt or fix a tear or bend in an image can be very satisfying.
Here are some photo restoration examples.
Anyone is capable of restoring and enhancing old and new photographs. I recommend photo editing software
Adobe PhotoShop Elements and learning how to use a few Photoshop tools such as cloning and healing. Like any
skill, practice will make you proficient.
In my opinion photos and slides should to scanned into digital format. These images degrade over time or get dirty
and dusty, even if you can't see this by looking at them.
Thinking about digitizing your family photo album or an old picture?
A lot of my clients take my classes and discover they scanned their images at the wrong dpi (resolution) and their
images are useless. If you want to scan and reprint an image you need to print at 300dpi or higher.
Scan your slides at 1200 dpi
Scan your images at least 800 dpi
Some scanners have photo restoration software like ICE that can clean up some of the dirt and scratches when you
scan an image. It won't get all of it, however.
My advise is this: If the image is pre-1960 do not use ICE or other photo restoration software. Images 1960 to today
try the ICE and see if it works. Pre-1960 images have an old look about them, and using ICE you lose the look.
Also, certain older images use grainy photographic paper. ICE technology can't read the paper or the image and
you can get odd looking results.
Don't try and resize an image that is 4x6 inches into a poster size photograph. Small images can be grainy or fuzzy
(even if it doesn't look that way to you) and oversizing them can lead to a unfortunate result. Typically, you can size
up 1 or 2 sizes over original. Sometimes I don't even recommend doing that.
Two sizes over original. Let's say you have a 4x6 inch image. You may be able to size this 5x7 or 8x10 inches.
Take time be patient and be rewarded
Enhancing and/ or restoring a bunch of photos and slides can be overwhelming but knowing how to take out a
thumb print or dirt or fix a tear or bend in an image can be very satisfying.
Here are some photo restoration examples.
This photograph from the early 1970s had a lot of dust and scratches on it. You can learn tips and tricks to
easily fix this. You don't have to be a Photoshop Guru to do this. I teach my students to make great
photographers even better.
easily fix this. You don't have to be a Photoshop Guru to do this. I teach my students to make great
photographers even better.
You can restore older photographs with a little bit more time and effort. Having a photograph professionally
restored can cost money. Why not learn to do this yourself.
restored can cost money. Why not learn to do this yourself.
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