2019
am
3 Ways to Save Old Picture Memories with Your Grandparents Written by: Brandon Harris, Smooth Photo Scanning Services
Is there a box, drawer, or carton full of old pictures stored somewhere in your house? If you are someone who was born before the 21st century, we bet you can relate.
While looking at old pictures and reminiscing memories of our grandparents and carefree childhood days may be fun, the unfortunate reality is that paper photographs don’t last forever. They are difficult to preserve and share.
Many people have photographs saved and stored securely for decades, but what good are these pictures when you can’t even look at them when you want to.
Fortunately, you don’t have to worry about losing your old photographs now. Modern technology offers several techniques that can help you digitize your photos and bring the damaged ones back to life.
Here are 3 ways in which you can save old picture memories with your grandparents – forever.
1. Photo Scanning
The best way to protect and preserve your old photos is to digitize them. This can be done at home or through a photo scanning service. Given the increased demand for photo scanning, you will find many companies that offer bulk photo scanning services at a reasonable price. You can always do it yourself at home, but even with the best photo scanner, it can still be a very time-consuming task, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of pictures.
Modern technology also gives you a chance to scan your negatives and slides, as they used to be the essential source of printing pictures back in the day. If you don’t have the photo prints or if they’re in poor condition, you can get your slides and negatives digitized and saved forever as well.
2. Retouching and Restoration
Modern photo retouching services can bring back your old, damaged photographs to life. Retouching and restoration is all about making your old photos look as if they were just taken yesterday.
The process starts with a high-resolution scan of at least 600 DPI. Then skilled photo restoration technicians us advanced software to remove any cracks, tears, blemishes, or even object and people. They can also fix faded colors, colorize black and white pictures, fill in missing pieces, and more.
3. Preserving Photographs
After you digitize your photos you can either keep the originals or get rid of them. If you want to save and preserve the originals, you’ll want to make sure they are stored in optimal conditions so that they don’t fade or get damaged.
The ideal temperature for storing photos is 68°F and the ideal humidity is 30-40%. Higher temperatures and humidity will promote the growth of mold and increase the chances of the pictures being damaged. Putting the photos into archival acid-free boxes will certainly help prolong their shelf life. You can store the pictures in a dark closet, but make sure there aren’t any leaks in the ceiling or floor that can cause damage to the paper photographs.
Generally, it is not a good idea to store old photos in a basement, attic, or garage as it is hard to regulate the temperature and humidity in these places. Remember to keep the negatives separated from the printed photographs. Use clean cotton gloves while handling your photographs to avoid any fingerprints.
Smooth Photo Scanning offers the best digitization services around. We care about your memories and offer high-quality photo scanning, retouching, restoration, and other digitization services at reasonable rates. We offer various resolution options and bulk discounts to meet your needs and your budget. We take pride in digitizing your memories so you can enjoy those precious moments again and again.
My father has been in the document scanning industry for as long as I can remember. I worked for his company Smooth Solutions, Inc. during summer breaks growing up and for a couple years after college. Wanting to venture off on my own, I gained experience in several careers including wholesale seafood sales as well as owning and operating a bakery for several years. When my father approached me with the opportunity to expand upon his already successful business by providing high quality, professional scanning services to the general public, I jumped on board. From personal experience, I recognize how important it is for most people to have their family memorabilia preserved for future generations and I want to be a part of helping others do that.