Will scanning damage/hurt my old photos?

Question

I have in my home some very old photos of ancestors, some going back 120 years or so. I don't know much about film, but they are mainly from the 1890's to right before British involvement in World War 1. Some of the photos were taken in Britain, some in the united States, and others in Africa by British equipment (I don't know if that means they are on different types of film). They are mostly backed on hard cardboard or postcards, although one isnt a print so much as an image stained on a piece of metal. There is also a collection of photos taken by my American great-grandfather during World War 1 at the front, these are on a much thinner type of print and tend to be more faded.

I would like to scan them to find out more about my family, like what the insiginia they wore meant etc., but not at the price of losing them completely. I also thought this might be a good way to preserve them

Answer 1

Lights come in all kinds ie: fluorescent, tungsten, etc...

Scanner lights, although bright are daylight balanced and the pass made over the photos is a mere stitch in time compared to a lifetime.

Scan them and they will be fine.

At an art supply store you can buy a spray (non-aerosol) that you mist on things that you want to ph balance. After you scan them, mist them lightly, let them dry and then store them in acid free envelopes and acid free boxes that you store in a cool, dark space.

:)

Answer 2

I have a flat bed scanner and have used it to scan family pictures over 100 years old. The only danger would be pressing a curved picture flat and having it crack. So far so good. It doesn't make any difference what the original source was. A tintype will scan the same as any other picture.

Answer 3

The most important thing is to preserve the IMAGE. Of course, I know there's value in the original prints but if they're somehow destroyed... you have nothing left to see.



Unless they're kept in a safe cool area, free of humidity and heat, or temperature controlled... well, I think you get the point.



But, even taking them out once every few years, you have no control over the type of paper they were printed on... acidic based, not the modern acid-free archival paper we have today (also used in good usually expensive). Besides, if someone used aerosol sprays or spray cleaners... that would linger in the air and potentially affect, however minimal, the mages and promote fading, however minimal.



Your only potential problem in scanning those vintage imagines is in the handling. But, surely you'd want to preserve the IMAGES to share with family, relatives and friends.



IF you have a substantial number of those images, I'd urge you to invest in a good flatbed scanner and digitize the images and later have an experienced person do restoring work to bring out the faded portions, fill in or repair scratches and enhance details. You have some images that are of historical value; care for them and save/secure the images for the next generations.

Answer 4

No , I just scanned a few old family photos myself . One was 62 years old .

The only danger is how you handle them . It would be a good idea to buy a photo quality album to put them in . Then store them in a dry / dark / cool area .

It's great you still have these photos .

Answer 5

No.



Scanning is safe. It's the handling that kills the films strips. The mere exposure to the air is damaging enough. Use unpowdered rubber gloves if possible and work in a clean room with no sunlight entering.

Answer 6

Advice so far is good. The one on "metal" might need photographing with a good digital camera to bring out all the details with good lighting (experiment with lighting angle) - a scanner might not pick up the image well.



Indeed if any are badly curled you might like to photograph them first before scanning, in case they crack when pushed flat in the scanner. Do not use a "multi-feed" scanner for any of them for risk of cracking - lay them carefully individually on the glass of the scanner.



Slight cracks which show up can be "repaired" on the digital image by Photoshop or similar software.

Answer 7

No, if you lay the photos on the scanner.Don't plan on feeding them in a slot that bends them around to to scan You might have to do a lot of post processing to get rid of scratches.

One risk is that if the paper is very brittle you might break/tear it trying to flatten it in the sacnnrr

Answer 8

It won't hurt them but the quality may not be good