DIY Network

Photo Restoration: Black and White Photographs Digitally remove imperfections from those aging family photos, and print them with archival ink so they'll last for several lifetimes. From "The Whole Picture" episode DTWP-209

Have you ever wanted to restore some of the old black and white photographs you have stored in your closet? Professional photographer Erin Manning shows how--with the help of photo editing software--you can do just that.

Erin also discusses the causes of photograph deterioration and the importance of using archival paper and materials. She offers instructions and tips on how to properly scan old negatives and prints, and on digitally "repairing" tears and cracks using some basic photo-editing software tools. Other tips include how to correct the color of the old photograph which may have faded or yellowed.

advertisement

Erin instructs her student in how to digitally manipulate levels and use touch-up tools to "repair" damaged photos.

Materials:

photo scanner
old photographs
photo editing software

Note: On DIY's The Whole Picture, Erin used Adobe Photoshop image-editing software, so instructions are based on the current version of that program and its interface. Other image-editing software packages typically offer similar capabilities and functions, though the interface and menu choices may be different.

The original b&w photo, scanned with color information included.

Photo Restoration: Scanning

Digitizing a photograph simply means you're turning that photo into a digital image. Typically this is done using a scanner in conjunction with your computer. Here are some tips and suggestions from professional photographer Erin Manning.

• Before you get started with the scanner, first make sure the scanner is clean, eliminating the chance of dust or debris to further damage your picture. Be sure to dust off the picture, too. When all elements are clean, your picture is ready to be scanned.

• Most scanners come with their own software. In most cases it's advisable to use the professional mode this mode gives you more manual options, allowing you more control over the scanning process.

• Even if you're working on a black and white picture, Erin recommends that you scan the photo in color. This will give you more digital information to work with during the restoration process. Plus, you can always convert it back to gray-scale, sepia or dualtone. Essentially, you can always go from color to black and white, but not the other way around.

• Scan the image at a high resolution. By doing this, you can archive the most information in the working file for anything you might want to do later. If you plan to print, 300 dpi is usually sufficient for most family photographs, but it's best to scan your picture at a resolution of 600 dpi so you can maximize the detail.

Once You've Scanned the Image

• Before you make any adjustments or changes to the photo, you'll want to save your scanned image as a copy and perform the restoration on this version, keeping your original as an archive copy.

• Often the best place to start is to crop your image. Sometimes your scanned image might include a bit of your scanning bed cover or the original photo might have a matting border. Getting rid of the excess will allow you to get a better analysis of the image's digital information.

• Also, consider the overall quality of the photograph. If the image is badly damaged, it may make sense to crop closely to the subject and avoid having to correct a lot of background deterioration.

• If you have some old film negatives in a shoe box lying around and you want to digitally restore these pictures too, most good scanners come with film or slide adapters, allowing you to scan a negative and digitize the image. The adapters are easy to use. They simply pop into the scanner bed cover and the scanning process is the same.

Page  1 | 2 | 3 | 4