How to Enhance Old Photographs With GIMP

Using GIMP, you can despeckle, sharpen and brighten your old photos.

Using the free graphics editor GIMP, you can digitally enhance old photographs. Whether your files are scanned-in family photos or other low-resolution images, GIMP can help with its Despeckle and Sharpen filters. The free software also lets you adjust image brightness and contrast so you can achieve the best results, making your old photos look better than ever.

Instructions

1. Launch GIMP and open the first old photo you want to edit by clicking "File" and "Open." The photo will appear in a free-standing GIMP workbook separate from the application's other two dialogs: the main toolbox and the layers window.

2. Select the "Filters" tab and the "Enhance" subsection. Click "Despeckle," and a corresponding dialog will appear. Use the scroll bars to adjust the radius, black level and white level. Look at the preview box while you make your changes to see what settings suit your particular image. Select "OK" when you're satisfied.

3. Click "Filters" and "Enhance" once again, this time selecting "Sharpen." Use the scroll bar to increase the sharpness until desired. Click "OK" when you've finished, and the effect will be implemented.

4. Select the "Colors" tab and then "Brightness-Contrast." Use the scroll bars to increase the brightness and contrast as dictated by the picture. Click "OK," and the changes will be made.

5. Save your enhanced photo by clicking "File" and "Save As."

Tips & Warnings

• If you're unsure how an effect will look, you can implement the effect and then remove it if it is, in fact, undesirable. To remove an effect, click "Edit" and "Undo."

• Save your enhanced photo using a unique file name as to not overwrite the original file.

References

• GIMP: Despeckle
• GIMP: Sharpen
• GIMP: Brightness-Contrast

Resources

• GIMP