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Old Photographs, Recognition, Handwriting Deciphering => Free Photo Restoration & Date Old Photographs => Topic started by: Stella77 on Friday 15 May 09 10:18 BST (UK)
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Hi :)
I have on a previous topic asked about restoring “yellow photos”. Thank you Carol for helping me out and now I’m closer to getting this done.
I have found someone who knows about how to scan photos and we will try tomorrow morning all going well. If we have any trouble I will call for help.
I have a couple of questions that I hope someone can help me with before then.
I have 4 small photos (the old ones on a board with the photographer’s details on the back, these ones are printed in the late 1800s, Yorkshire). Can they be scanned together as if placed on an A4 sheet of paper and then put onto the computer in that format? or do they need to be scanned individually. I also have a larger one that would have to be scanned on its own. Can I put this one on as well or should it go on a separate topic?
Also, is it ok to put this many photos up for restoring at once, even if they are on a separate topic, or should I wait and do some more at a later date?
Thank you for your help.
Stella
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Hi Stella,
I’m no expert but I think I can help. Don’t worry how many photos you would like help with. I think scanning them individually would be best. So each photo has its own topic. That way you are likely to get more help/ replies.
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Hi :)
Thank you for your reply, and your suggestion, it is much appreciated.
I will go ahead with what you have recommended and scan them individually into different topics.
This will also help me if I have any problems with it and then I will know how (or how not) to scan the next one if I get it wrong, and I hope I will get better at it.
Thank you once again.
Stella
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Hello Stella
If your photos are for dating show all of the card (include edges) and the back.
jim
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Hello Stella
Jim helped date one of my photos in the past.
The back I understand, can be just as important as the front in dating these photos.
Steven
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Ok can I just add please scan at a high resolution, resize not compress and always, always scan in color
Irene
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Hi :)
Thank you everyone for your replies, they are much appreciated.
I have started scanning but I haven't got it right yet as it is too big and I don't know what to do now to resize it any smaller ???
I am using an HP 3in1 1210. I have HP Director scanning software. After I scanned the pic it gave me the following details:
Output type - Millions of colours Enhanced Colour - false
Crop area W. - 732.00 Crop area H. - 1232.00
Units - pixels Scale - 100%
Resolution - 300dpi Sharpen level - medium
Image size - 2.64mb (I know is much too high)
Can anyone help me please with what I should do now to resize it, before I accept the preview and save it to my computer? Or should I just take a chance a post it?
Please help! Thank you Stella
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Make sure you are saving the file in Jpeg not bitmap, which I think is where you are going wrong. After it has scanned the photo it gives you the option to save. That is where I think you are going wrong the default setting I think is set at Bitmap which if saved is very large compared to jpeg.
If you move your mouse pointer over one you have scanned it should tell you what format the file is, if that doesn’t work, right click the file go down to properties and a window will open giving you all the info on the file.
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Here are the scanning instructions - they are very clear
http://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php/topic,372537.0.html
Good luck
Steven
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You will also need to reduce the physical size.732 x 1232 looks a bit big.
When you have done as Steven says and save as a jpeg look at the image size again,you need to get this under 500kb. as this is the largest filesize allowed on here.Just keep reducing the overall size,at 300dpi you should get away with H = 900.You probably can't do this with your scanner,you will need to use your photo editing software.
jim
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Hi :)
Thank you all so much for your help with my problems.
It is a work in progress at the moment, I don't think I'm relating what I'm doing with what I'm reading in the instructions ??? but I will have to wait till either later in the week or next weekend, when I can get back to use the scanner, to try again to get it posted.
Hopefully I will get this done this 'century' :) or at least before the photo fades away.........
In the meantime, I will keep practicing with a picture I have on my computer, as the scanner is with another computer...
It's like reseaching family history, I will never giveup even if I hit a brickwall... and I have found a few of them.
Catch up soon, hopefully with a picture :)
Stella
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Ok can I just add please scan at a high resolution, resize not compress and always, always scan in color
Irene
If you scan at a high resolution and then resize you will reduce the resolution - so why scan at a high resolution in the first place?
Now my question is, do you intend printing the results? and will you print at the original size?
If so, then scan at 300 dpi (adequate for printing) and compress using jpg compression - you may be surprised how much you can reduce a file size before the photo' shows signs of degradation.
I once did a test to prove the fact. Using the a pic' 444pixels by 650pixels I first saved it as a jpg at a compression of 7 resulting in a file just over 100kb, I then saved it at a compression of 2 and it is still acceptable at 57kb therefore only saving a few more kb. Finally I tried by resizing - reducing the pixel size to 326 x 222 (quarter of the original size) but didn't use any jpeg compression, this time I ended up with a size of 121 kb - the biggest file size yet the smallest picture. Also consider that the reduced pixel size made the picture unacceptable.
Denn