Photo album problems

[Elizabeth Herts]

It's my sister's 60th birthday in April and we are buying her a digital photo frame.

I am in the process of scanning lots of family photos, some really old and some much more recent.

I have the photo album in which my Mum stuck lots of wedding photos - firstly my sister and her husband, secondly my brother and his wife, and lastly my OH and me.

It is the type of album with a clear film and the photos sticking to the slightly sticky background. I don't know where my mum stored it, but its got stained/wet around the edges at some stage. I'm trying to lift off individual photos for scanning with no success. They seem to be stuck fast and I can't even lift the corner of some of them. The ones with two to a page overlap slightly.

Does anyone have any hints, please?

[Chrissie Smiff]

Could you cut round them Elizabeth and leave the backing on while you scan them? If you try to part them there is a good chance you will rip the photos.

[Elizabeth Herts]

As a last resort I could cut around them, Chrissie, but I couldn't do that with the overlapping ones.

I've very slowly started to peel a couple. I'll just do it over several days. I'm not going to force any of them as I don't want to spoil them. However, I need to scan them before they deteriorate.

[Britec]

Hi Elizabeth,

To see a photo would be a start but I think I know what you mean.
sometimes scanning old photos can result in silvering or mirroring, if this is the case then its best to take a photo with a digital camera at 45 degree angle, But if you do scan photo's even if there black and white scan them at 600 resolution and scan them in colour mode NOT greyscale or black and white.

as for the clear film you cant scan with that on the photo or your get again what we call silvering or mirroring it reflects of the old photos, what you can try to do is remove the clear film and scan the photos while there in the book then crop them with editing software such as photoshop if you do not have photoshop you can use paint which is part of you operating system.

Hope this helps you out

[Anne in Carlisle]

Is your scanner not able to have the whole book laid onto it? I have quite often done that - although you do need to make sure its completely flat.

Anne

[Elizabeth Herts]

Brian and Anne,

Many thanks for your suggestions.

I have abandoned the idea of peeling off the photos. I have removed the hinges of the photo album and I am now scanning each page. I am using the "Crop" facility to blank out the part of the page and of the other photo on the same page and it's working well.

I've just downloaded a photo of us three siblings in 1971 at my sister's wedding - Oh, how young we look!!

[Nelde]

My scrapbooking instructor would say - get those photos out of the sticky books asap.
After 12 years I am now working on the last album. To get the photos unstuck from the sticky stuff - peel back the plastic, then very gently on the low setting take your hair blowdryer and warm up the sticky. Try to not aim directly at the photo, be patient (i'm rarely patient) then gradually lift off the photo. The instructor also recommended dental floss to get under the photo but I found heating with the hair dryer and patience worked 99% of the time. The photos on the back side of the page will not require as much patience as the page has already been warmed. Note that the hairdryer will probably ruin the plastic and this is only recommended if you are taking everthing out and redoing the photo album. Genealogy got me into scrapbooking to save the old photos in the most archival way. I'm down to 1977 - 1980 to do and really look forward to the end. Now if those children would just get married and produce grandchildren to look at these books it will all be time well spent. Otherwise ??#$%^&*

[Elizabeth Herts]

Oh, Donelda, I've just seen your post. I will try that later - I'm just off to my Pilates class!

It sounds like a really useful hint!

[Elizabeth Herts]

Now if those children would just get married and produce grandchildren to look at these books it will all be time well spent. Otherwise ??#$%^&*

LOL!

My elder daughter is married but no children as yet. But at least she is absolutely hooked on family history!

[Jennie H]

Probably too late now but I have been having a similar problem and have now worked out how to scan the entire album page-minus the shiny paper-and then copy each photo onto the computer. The only problem is that I cannot see what is written on the back

[Jennie H]

Ooops just seen that has been suggested in much better detail already. Another senior moment.