Old Pictures

[ThirdOfFive]

Maybe some other TV’ers have been faced with this…

The death of a relative has resulted in coming onto our possession of a whole lot of pictures, some near 100 years old. The problem is that they are “thumbnails’: black-and-white prints apparently made directly from negatives onto glossy 8 X 10 thin cardboard sheets, 35 pictures to a sheet. The pictures are viewable with a magnifying glass and are of pretty good quality for the most part, but of course far too small to reveal any detail at all except with the magnifying glass.

Does anyone know of a process whereby these tiny prints could be enlarged and printed on (say) 4 X 6 photo stock? Software? Places where this could be done? Cost? Etc.?

All input appreciated!

[villagetinker]

You might try a high resolution scanner, I think I have seen 9600 DPI (dot per inch), then use photo editing software to cut and paste in a more suitable size. I have a electronic microscope that has (I think) a 200 times magnification, but resolution is only 200 DPI. I would try a search of photo scanning devices and electronic microscopes to see if there is anything that would work for you. Be prepared to spend some serious quality time doing this.

[ThirdOfFive]

You might try a high resolution scanner, I think I have seen 9600 DPI (dot per inch), then use photo editing software to cut and paste in a more suitable size. I have a electronic microscope that has (I think) a 200 times magnification, but resolution is only 200 DPI. I would try a search of photo scanning devices and electronic microscopes to see if there is anything that would work for you. Be prepared to spend some serious quality time doing this.
Many thanks!

[xkeowner]

You might try a high resolution scanner, I think I have seen 9600 DPI (dot per inch), then use photo editing software to cut and paste in a more suitable size. I have a electronic microscope that has (I think) a 200 times magnification, but resolution is only 200 DPI. I would try a search of photo scanning devices and electronic microscopes to see if there is anything that would work for you. Be prepared to spend some serious quality time doing this.

Good information as usual.

Our Brother MFC-5890CN Multi-function Printer/Scanner has a highest resolution of 19,200 X 19,200. The problem with resolutions that sharp is the resulting scans are HUGE files and because of that more difficult to work with. I would suggest using a lower resolution scan for initial screening then using higher resolution scans for only those pictures you need that level of detail to meet your needs. Good scanning software will let you scan (crop) the individual frames one at a time potentially saving time in editing.

[badkarma318]

Maybe some other TV’ers have been faced with this…

The death of a relative has resulted in coming onto our possession of a whole lot of pictures, some near 100 years old. The problem is that they are “thumbnails’: black-and-white prints apparently made directly from negatives onto glossy 8 X 10 thin cardboard sheets, 35 pictures to a sheet. The pictures are viewable with a magnifying glass and are of pretty good quality for the most part, but of course far too small to reveal any detail at all except with the magnifying glass.

Does anyone know of a process whereby these tiny prints could be enlarged and printed on (say) 4 X 6 photo stock? Software? Places where this could be done? Cost? Etc.?

All input appreciated!

The main problem is that even though they may seem to be of pretty good quality at that tiny size, as soon as you begin to enlarge them, that will no longer be the case (unless they can be scanned at an insanely high resolution, which will create a huge file). I have worked with various companies that had ridiculously large/expensive scanners that could produce incredible images, sometimes from very small originals. Check with high-end photography studios, design firms, architectural firms, interior design firms, and sign companies (especially digital printing-focused ones). Sorry I can't narrow it down further, but most likely one of those listed will know of a source (if they can't do it themselves). Unfortunately, even if you do find someone who can do it, it will most likely be expensive.

[Keefelane66]

Walgreens does photo enlargements check with them for estimate.

[ThirdOfFive]

Thanks to all for their suggestions.

[jebartle]

Many thanks!

Village tinker is a cornucopia of knowledge and TOTV is very thankful for his volunteering to help us all.

[Rainger99]

Maybe some other TV’ers have been faced with this…

The death of a relative has resulted in coming onto our possession of a whole lot of pictures, some near 100 years old. The problem is that they are “thumbnails’: black-and-white prints apparently made directly from negatives onto glossy 8 X 10 thin cardboard sheets, 35 pictures to a sheet. The pictures are viewable with a magnifying glass and are of pretty good quality for the most part, but of course far too small to reveal any detail at all except with the magnifying glass.

Does anyone know of a process whereby these tiny prints could be enlarged and printed on (say) 4 X 6 photo stock? Software? Places where this could be done? Cost? Etc.?

All input appreciated!

Have you contact the Villages Photography Club? I am not a member but I am sure someone there can help you.

The Villages Photography Club-%i (https://www.thevillagesphotoclub.org/)

[mikreb]

Try LegacyBox they can enlarge and convert to digital.

[RVgirl]

I agree with trying Legacybox. Just yesterday my husband's order of 14 movie reals arrived. Some of these films were 70 years old and had not been stored in a temperature controlled environment. To watch them was to learn more about his early life!
Good luck to you!

[MandoMan]

Maybe some other TV’ers have been faced with this…

The death of a relative has resulted in coming onto our possession of a whole lot of pictures, some near 100 years old. The problem is that they are “thumbnails’: black-and-white prints apparently made directly from negatives onto glossy 8 X 10 thin cardboard sheets, 35 pictures to a sheet. The pictures are viewable with a magnifying glass and are of pretty good quality for the most part, but of course far too small to reveal any detail at all except with the magnifying glass.

Does anyone know of a process whereby these tiny prints could be enlarged and printed on (say) 4 X 6 photo stock? Software? Places where this could be done? Cost? Etc.?

All input appreciated!

What you are describing is called Proof Sheets. Do you have the negatives, too? If you have the negatives, buy a Kodak Scanza on Amazon. This will let you digitize both color and black and white negatives. From there you can adjust the color balance and exposure on your iPhone or iPad and print out copies, whatever size you like. I’ve restored many old photos that way. If you only proof sheets, there is a free magnifier app for your iPhone that will let you examine each photo carefully. Also, an iPhone will do a surprisingly good job of letting you take a closeup photo of a little photo. Then, again, you can look at this digitized photo on your phone or iPad, crop it as necessary, adjust it, and print it. There isn’t as much digital information to be gathered from a proof sheet as from negatives scanned with the Scanza, but it’s better than nothing. The Scanza also works great with slides, though I have also used a 2” slide viewer and an iPhone to digitize slides with pretty good results.

[Djean1981]

You might try a high resolution scanner, I think I have seen 9600 DPI (dot per inch), then use photo editing software to cut and paste in a more suitable size. I have a electronic microscope that has (I think) a 200 times magnification, but resolution is only 200 DPI. I would try a search of photo scanning devices and electronic microscopes to see if there is anything that would work for you. Be prepared to spend some serious quality time doing this.
This is a great idea. When preparing to move to TV, I spent a couple Saturdays scanning boxes of old photos and backed them up to a Google Drive for safekeeping. I then put our favorites on a 15" digital photo frame so a photo slide show rotates every couple minutes (you just put them on USB key and plug it in to the back of the photo frame). It's better than having many pictures around the house and having to dust them..

[Escape Artist]

On a related topic, is there a camera or photography business in or near TV? My brother-in-law recently passed away and I have a great old photo of him playing cards with his brother, my late husband. I’d like to have it touched up or enhanced so I can buy a nice frame and give it to his family as a gift. I don’t have a scanner and don’t know how to use one. I would prefer if a professional could do this for me. Thanks!

[LaneyBeckler]

On a related topic, is there a camera or photography business in or near TV? My brother-in-law recently passed away and I have a great old photo of him playing cards with his brother, my late husband. I’d like to have it touched up or enhanced so I can buy a nice frame and give it to his family as a gift. I don’t have a scanner and don’t know how to use one. I would prefer if a professional could do this for me. Thanks!

I can get you in touch with a professional for such services, if you're still looking for this.

[DAVES]

Maybe some other TV’ers have been faced with this…

The death of a relative has resulted in coming onto our possession of a whole lot of pictures, some near 100 years old. The problem is that they are “thumbnails’: black-and-white prints apparently made directly from negatives onto glossy 8 X 10 thin cardboard sheets, 35 pictures to a sheet. The pictures are viewable with a magnifying glass and are of pretty good quality for the most part, but of course far too small to reveal any detail at all except with the magnifying glass.

Does anyone know of a process whereby these tiny prints could be enlarged and printed on (say) 4 X 6 photo stock? Software? Places where this could be done? Cost? Etc.?

All input appreciated!

If, I understand what you have 35 pictures on an 8x10, they are contact prints from 35mm film. They maybe copies of 100 year old photos but 100 years ago large sheet film and roll film was used as well as glass plates. I have a glass negative of my grandfather. if? I am right you will be making a copy of a copy.

Cost? It depends on what you want. You can have them sharpened, colorized etc. You can cheaply have each of the 8x10s made into a poster size print and put them on your wall or cut them up into prints. I would ask a store like Michaels or Hobby Lobby they can surely either do it or direct you to someone who can.