Old Photo Repair Tips and Tricks

Most of us have ancestral photos that we love to cherish.These photos give us a clear understanding of the portrayed lifestyle. We also get to know about their clothing, jewellery, physical resemblances, and traditions. Sometimes, we may not be able to maintain and safeguard those precious photos. Due to various factors, they may lose their quality and sheen. Before learning about the tricks in repairing old photos, we shall discuss the reasons for photo deterioration. What causes photo deterioration? 1. Environmental factors Relative Humidity- High relative humiditycauses the adhesive in the photograph to become sticky resulting in image deterioration, whereas low RH causes the adhesive to shrivel causingcracks and curls. Extreme temperatures- Very high temperature for a long period increases the rate of deterioration. Exposure to light-Light causes the photographic material to become weak andresult in yellowing of the photos. 2. Handling Skin oils, accidental spillage of food and drink, handling by kids are big culprits of photo damage. Use of ink pens on photos causes photo deterioration. 3. Storage Storing the photos in attic or basement, where environmental conditions are extreme are also causes of damage. Rodents and insects too cause damage to your photos. Use of self-adhesive albums destroys the back of photos. 4. Display Continuous display of photos for a long time exposes the photo to dust, dirt, moisture, light, and varying environment conditions ultimately resulting in photo damage.rnPhoto repair If you want to make your old photos accessible for future generations, you can repair those photos and preserve them digitally.Repairing old photos gives a new life to old damaged photos. You can repair a damaged photo in two ways. • Physical restoration • Digital restoration Nowadays, physical restoration is not much common means of repairing photos. There are number of drawbacks in this type of restoration of photos. Digital restoration on the other hand is cost efficient, safer and allows most repairs. Added advantage is that you can stop further deterioration when you repair your photos digitally. Tips and tricks in repairing old photos • Before beginning the repairing process, you need to clean the surface of both the scanner and photograph very softly with a soft cotton or soft brush. • Scanning should be done at a resolution of more than 300dpi and in color mode, even if the original photo is in black and white. The color depth must be around 32 bit. • File size should be checked to ensure proper resolution. • Preview the photo before scanning to avoid distortion and creased edges. • Always back up the images in different hard drives. • Basic repair involves color, contrast, and brightness correction followed by removal of stains and scratches. • Clone stamp tool can be used to fix the missing portions in your photograph. • To restore an old photo that has cracks and rolls, you need a controlled environment to introduce some moisture. As this process is risky, you can take help of experienced photo repair professionals for this job.rnPhoto repair depends on the age of the photograph and the degree of damage. It is a hard and risky process, and you cannot repair it perfectly without the help of a professional.