The Old Ways Are Best
Posted: Mon Feb 04, 2002 12:37 am
Okay, so now we have PCs and Digital refinement lets crack out the old photos and clean them up!
WAIT RIGHT THERE!!!
Digital restoration I hear you say, stop and think again.
When one copies a picture of any sort for whatever reason isn't it the case that the copy inherits everything from the original- including the dirt? Yes, but thats the advantage of digital cleaning- or is it?
The digital process uses a system of averages by taking what surrounds the spot of dirt and guessing on what lies below. In that it works very well, but what about simply removing the dirt physically. It's not so
hard- or expensive.
Here's the technique used by our film group, Picture House Films. This manual process takes about 2 minutes per print and can be applied to Gloss prints. (Satin finish can also be cleaned but with care- don't touch matt prints with this though) All you need is some Silvo or Brasso wadding, simply rub the photo firmly but carefully with extra care not to further damage any cracked areas, also don't go over the cracks as this causes a stain. Let to sit for a few seconds to dry then wipe off, the results are excellent. However don't stop here, you now need to apply some Pledge to soften the emulsion and give it a wax protection from acid/ alkali or damp. The metal polish alone will dry out your precious image so a wax layer is essential.
Now what about the cracks- easy, enlarge the print on a commercial color copier to A4 or A3. Using a range of lead pencils and artistic guesswork of your own you can draw in the missing elements far more exactly than the PC. Finally using the A4/A3 image as a master rephotograph to 35mm. The final result is as good and sometimes better than the original.
Last tip- always keep the original, you never know when it might be needed again. So there you are, whatever reason you're restoring old photos this one can give an expert touch to an amateur work and no-one will know. Give it a go!
WAIT RIGHT THERE!!!
Digital restoration I hear you say, stop and think again.
When one copies a picture of any sort for whatever reason isn't it the case that the copy inherits everything from the original- including the dirt? Yes, but thats the advantage of digital cleaning- or is it?
The digital process uses a system of averages by taking what surrounds the spot of dirt and guessing on what lies below. In that it works very well, but what about simply removing the dirt physically. It's not so
hard- or expensive.
Here's the technique used by our film group, Picture House Films. This manual process takes about 2 minutes per print and can be applied to Gloss prints. (Satin finish can also be cleaned but with care- don't touch matt prints with this though) All you need is some Silvo or Brasso wadding, simply rub the photo firmly but carefully with extra care not to further damage any cracked areas, also don't go over the cracks as this causes a stain. Let to sit for a few seconds to dry then wipe off, the results are excellent. However don't stop here, you now need to apply some Pledge to soften the emulsion and give it a wax protection from acid/ alkali or damp. The metal polish alone will dry out your precious image so a wax layer is essential.
Now what about the cracks- easy, enlarge the print on a commercial color copier to A4 or A3. Using a range of lead pencils and artistic guesswork of your own you can draw in the missing elements far more exactly than the PC. Finally using the A4/A3 image as a master rephotograph to 35mm. The final result is as good and sometimes better than the original.
Last tip- always keep the original, you never know when it might be needed again. So there you are, whatever reason you're restoring old photos this one can give an expert touch to an amateur work and no-one will know. Give it a go!