Photo Editing
This
is where my family history project started. I decided to organize my
deteriorating family photos. Some were in albums, but most were just stuffed in
boxes.
I was doing lots of photo editing for other people, but neglecting my
own. Photos are a precious reminder of our past. We need to take care of them
for the future.
First step—Organize your photos
I
sorted mine into family groups. This is also a good time to immediately clean and stabilize your photos. To extend the life of your photos, invest in
some acid-free and lignin-free envelopes, folders and boxes for storage.
Digital Photo Editing
Once
your original photos are in good shape, make digital copies and restore those
digital copies. Photos that you can view on a computer screen are digital. Those
taken with the old Kodak Brownie camera are analog. Label each photo in a recognizable
way—sallyPark2008, not SP145167.
You
can repair smudges and scratches, bring back the color and contrast to digital
copies of fading photos. There’s no limit to the inventive ways you can edit
digital photos, but be sure to save an unedited copy in high resolution.
All you need is a computer, scanner, photo editing program and time.
Storing Digital Photos
There
are all sorts of devices on which to store digital images—CDs, DVD-RAM, flash
drives, portable hard drives, you name it. One place you don’t want to use
as a storage facility though is your computer hard drive. Choose
a storage system that you can easily add to, is technologically updatable, and
has a physical presence. I made a digital photo library out of a 3-ring binder.
Before and after- edit copies in TIFF format of my photos are kept
on DVD-RAM inserted in vinyl binder pages with CD/DVD pockets. Each photo
folder on the DVDs has a correspondingly labeled, printed contact sheet inserted in a vinyl 3-hole page
protector. You can easily add to the collection. Because contact sheets have
thumbnail pictures of each photo within the folders on the DVD, it’s easier to
find digital photos.
Add
new discs as you increase your collection. As new technology comes along, the
discs can (and should) be replaced. Store the disc case as you would a
treasured photo album.
