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

1

Answer 3

Get a pair of cotton gloves and gently place the images on the scanner or photography them under even lighting. Toughing the images causes more damage than the simple act of scanning. It is a great way to preserve them. Just take your time.

Answer 4

Scanning on a flatbed scanner would not damage them at all. The exposure to light is temporary and you'll then be able to preserve the images in digital form for as long as you want.



Get scanning then have the originals preserved using specialty albums that protects the images from dirt, oils and UV rays.

Answer 5

Any light is going to fade a photo over time, especially the bright light of a scanner.



I'd scan them anyway, you'd at least have a digital copy from this point forward. That paper copy can't last forever.

Answer 6

we've been scanning photos and old photos for years here and haven't damaged any... bright light over time will damage them, but for the few seconds it takes to capture the image on the scanner no harm will be done

Answer 7

It will have a a small affect on the photo but you should be ok scanning them once, but if you scan them100 times it may afect them drastiley

Answer 8

not unless you handle them roughly

the scanning process is harmless

Answer 9

it could somewhat hurt them, but before you scan tghem i would ask a pro just to be safe.