Looking for suggestion for photo enhancement for old photos

[David]

Hi,
I'm writing a book on my family's history, not for publication but for family members. Looking at both a physical book and an on-line version. Have old photos that need to be scanned and manipulated to improve them. Also have photos downloaded from the internet. Wondering of anyone has a suggestion for a good quality product. They all promise great things but it would be nice to hear from someone who actually had a positive experience.

Cheers, David

 

[chas_m]

The key here is to start off with great scans at high resolution. Because you're doing a physical book, I'd strongly recommend 300-400dpi as a minimum, and higher for pictures that need to take up the whole page or cover. You can get them scanned on professional scanners from photo labs like Black's and London Drugs, but if you do them yourself then get Silverfast and learn how to use it.

For other photos or general photo manipulation, take a look at Photomator if you're comfortable using (or want to learn to use) a real photo editor. If you just want something reasonably simple, take a look at PhotoLemur and Luminar. The former does a nice job of overall improvement you can adjust with a simple slider, whereas Luminar is better and really analyzing the photo and making deft enhancements. Both can work as standalone apps or as plug-ins that work within the Photos app.

 

[David]

Thanks Chas, These are great suggestions. I will also be visiting London Drugs because of the volume of photos I have to scan. I'm off to Nova Scotia in May to visit relatives and see what photos they have tucked away! Cheers, David

 

[dfaulks]

Hi,
I'm writing a book on my family's history, not for publication but for family members. Looking at both a physical book and an on-line version. Have old photos that need to be scanned and manipulated to improve them. Also have photos downloaded from the internet. Wondering of anyone has a suggestion for a good quality product. They all promise great things but it would be nice to hear from someone who actually had a positive experience.

Cheers, David

David:
Pixelmator Pro was recommended to me and I have enjoyed using it for several years.
A 7-day free trial is offered at https://www.pixelmator.com/pro/free-trial/
If you go for it, call me anytime if you need hints, help, etc.
Dick