Chapter 19: Photo Retouching

Overview

Since the introduction of the box camera by Kodak in the late nineteenth century, photography has become a popular pastime, practiced by countless people. If your attic is anything like mine, there are no doubt hundreds of photographs sitting in envelopes or boxes that haven t been looked at for years . We don t throw these images away because they are valuable to us and are part of our legacy. Many of these images are of relatives who have passed on and are the only living reminder we have of their lives.

Unfortunately, few of us have the time or money to create an environmentally safe archive for the original images, and so, with the passing of time, many of these photographs remain neglected and begin to fade or collect dust, scratches, and abrasions. This chapter is about restoring those long-neglected pictures.

You ll learn about:

• Scanning old photographs

• Removing dust and scratches

• Adding missing pieces to a photograph

• Restoring contrast

• Making and browsing an archive