Faded photos and so-so snapshots… we all have our share, don’t we? Maybe you have old family photos stuffed into shoe boxes or sitting around in albums. And as the years go by, they quietly fade into oblivion. But you don’t have to lose those memorable moments someone captured long ago. With a few simple steps, you can preserve those precious family photos so future generations can enjoy them too.
Or maybe you have some images that look, well… okay… but there’s just something about them that you feel is lacking. They might look a little dull or uninteresting. They could use a little zest and vibrance.
Here’s a super simple technique you can use in both cases to enhance your images before using them on your scrapbook layouts.
Step 1: Turn back the clock
- Open your faded photo in Photoshop. Press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) to duplicate the layer. Name it Enhanced.
- Go to the Menu Bar and choose Image > Auto Tone (or Auto Levels if you’re not using CS5). Already you may see some improvement in your image.
- With the Enhanced layer still selected, press Press Ctrl J (Mac: Cmd J) to duplicate that layer.
- With the top layer selected, go to the Blend Modes menu and click on Multiply. You may find that this significantly darkens your image, or it may only darken it a little bit.
- Lower the opacity on this layer until the image looks good to you. I set mine at 60%. Yours may differ.
- Finally, with the top layer selected, press Ctrl E (Mac: Cmd E) to merge the two Enhanced layers.
- Click on the eye icon next to the restored layer to hide it, and then compare it with your original image. Big difference, eh?
Now save your enhanced image as a JPG and rename it, leaving your original image intact.
Step 2: Turn up the volume!
You can also use this same technique to punch up any image that you feel could use a little extra boost of contrast or color. Take a look at these water lilies…the original image looks pretty nice. But, wow… what a difference in the enhanced version! Just follow the same simple steps outlined above.
And that’s how you can turn back the clock and turn up the volume on faded photos and so-so snapshots!
Image credits: Morguefile.com
Download a PDF version of this “A Quick Fix for Faded Photos” tutorial.
Windows: Right click on the link and choose “Save Target As” or a similar command.
Mac: Click on the link to download the file.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you for explaining this so well. It actually makes sense!
I have a quick question for you…I have had to reconfigure my computer three (yes 3) times in the last 6 months or so and though I try to keep everything backed up, one thing I have found that I keep losing is these wonderful weekly mini lessons. Is there a way to go find these on the site for members? or something?
Hi Patricia, on the Scrapper’s Guide home page, you’ll find a link that reads: Recent Tips. You can click there and then scroll through some past tips to catch up on the ones you’re missing!