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How to Scan Old Family Photos Properly
Getting one good scan is worth more than twenty rushed ones. Here is how to do it once, correctly, so the files are still useful in twenty years.
Scan at a higher resolution than you think you need
The single most common regret is scanning too low. Storage is cheap; going back through a shoebox of prints a second time is not.
| What you are scanning | Scan at | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Standard prints (4x6, 5x7) | 600 DPI | Allows cropping and reprinting larger |
| Small prints or heavily detailed ones | 1200 DPI | Recovers detail invisible to the eye |
| 35mm negatives or slides | 2400 DPI or more | The original is tiny; every pixel counts |
| Documents and letters | 300 to 400 DPI | Text needs less than photographs |
A 4 x 6 print scanned at 600 DPI produces roughly 2400 x 3600 pixels, which is enough to reprint at A4 without any enlargement at all.
Save the master as PNG or TIFF
Scan to a lossless format first. That file is your archive copy and should never be edited in place. Make JPG copies from it for sharing, and keep the master untouched.
If you scan straight to JPG at a low quality setting, you have permanently baked compression damage into the only copy you will ever have of that photograph.
Physical preparation
- Clean the glass with a soft dry cloth. Every speck becomes a permanent mark in the scan.
- Dust the print gently with a blower or soft brush. Do not rub old prints; the emulsion can lift.
- Handle by the edges. Fingerprints on old prints are difficult to remove and often permanent.
- Close the lid fully so the print lies flat. A curled print scans soft in the middle.
- Turn off automatic corrections in the scanner software. Auto-colour and auto-sharpen make decisions you cannot undo later. Correct afterwards, on a copy.
Scanning several prints at once
Most flatbeds let you lay four or six prints on the glass together. Leave a clear gap between them so the software can separate them, and keep them square to the edges. Many scanner drivers can then output each one as its own file automatically, which saves an enormous amount of time on a large collection.
When the scan is still too small
Sometimes you inherit digital files rather than prints: scans someone made years ago at 150 DPI, or photographs pulled off an old CD. You cannot rescan what you do not have.
This is a good use for AI upscaling. A 1000 x 700 scan of a family photograph can be taken to 4000 x 2800, which is enough for a decent print. The model reconstructs edges and texture rather than simply stretching, so faces and clothing hold together far better than they would if the printer did the enlarging.
Two cautions. First, it will not fix a photograph that was out of focus when it was taken. Second, treat reconstructed facial detail as an approximation; it is plausible rather than exact.
Storing the results
- Name files so they sort sensibly: year first, then a short description.
- Keep at least two copies in different places. One drive failing should not end the collection.
- Note down who is in each photograph while someone still remembers. The metadata is often more valuable than the pixels.
If you have old digital scans that are simply too small, enlarge them here before printing.