How to Digitally Restore Old Photos

By eHow Computers Editor

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Old photos are family heirlooms passed down from one generation to the next. Even with the best of care, they sometimes become blemished, tattered and torn. It's possible to restore these old images digitally, however, and even make them better than they were in some cases. Here's how.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

  • Flatbed or other media scanner that will accept the size photo you have
  • Photo manipulation software

Step1
Scan photos using a flatbed scanner or other scanner that can accept whatever size you have.
Step2
Open photos with your photo manipulation software. You will need good photo editing software for this operation, such as Adobe Photoshop, Microsoft Picture It or Printhouse. Download a shareware program with premium restore functions at Eusoftnet.com listed in the resources section below.
Step3
Crop images as needed to suit the purpose you have in mind. There's no need to work on areas of the photo you don't want to include in your final print.
Step4
Repair any large blemishes, scratches, water marks or other defects with a paint command or use a clone painting or rubber stamping tool. These tools can even be used to restore areas of images that are completely defaced or missing.
Step5
Use a despeckle, remove noise or smooth command to remove fine dust spots over the whole image. Your program may call this function a dust filter.
Step6
Adjust brightness, contrast and focus, if needed.
Step7
Correct the tint. You can make a black and white photo look really old by applying a sepia, or brown tone, or make it look like an old tin-type photo. Experiment with antiquing and metallic effects if your program has them.
Step8
Save and print your new "old" photo.

Tips & Warnings

  • Handle old photos with care. They can be very fragile and are irreplaceable if destroyed before copying.

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eHow Article:  How to Digitally Restore Old Photos

eHow Computers Editor

eHow Computers Editor

Category: Computers

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