The standard tools of today's genealogists include scanners. In fact, scanning old family photographs to create digital images is an excellent method of preserving the old photos as well as sharing them with others. Simply scanning a photograph can be useful, but the capability to repair and enhance photographs opens up new possibilities never before available to private individuals.
Older photos may suffer from any number of ills, including natural color fading or physical damage or just plain dirt, induced by improper storage. Luckily, a few simple tools are available that will simplify the process of image repair. Some will be tedious to use while others offer a one-click option that can make major repairs in a second or two. Some follow-on touch-up may still be required, of course.
Restoring Color
Color photography became common in the late 1940s through the 1950s. Unfortunately, the state-of-the-art of color photography was in its infancy at the time, and the various dyes used were not as good as those available today. The colors often faded, even when stored in ideal conditions. Those photos stored in less-than-ideal conditions simply faded faster.
Some scanning and image editing software includes a one-click tool for restoring faded colors. If your favorite scanning software does not include such a tool, or if you are not happy with the results obtained so far, you might check these:
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