How to Photograph an Old Photo Print (So It Restores Well)
Restoration can only work with what the picture gives it. A crisp, evenly lit capture of a faded print will come back looking remarkable; a dim, angled snapshot with a bright hotspot across the middle will not. These four habits take about a minute and make the difference.
A flatbed scan beats everything
If you have access to a scanner, scan at 600 dpi and save as JPEG or PNG. It removes glare and distortion entirely and gives our tools the most detail to work with.
Use soft, indirect daylight
Lay the print flat near a window, out of direct sun. Avoid overhead bulbs and never use flash — both bounce straight off the print's surface and burn out the faces.
Shoot straight down, and steady
Hold your phone parallel to the print, not at an angle, so the edges stay square. Tap the screen on a face to lock focus and exposure, then hold still for the shot.
Fill the frame, keep the border
Get close enough that the print fills most of the frame, but keep all four corners visible. Take a glossy print out of its frame or sleeve first — glass doubles the glare.
Quick checklist
- No flash, no direct sun, no overhead bulb reflecting off the surface.
- Phone flat and parallel to the print, all four corners in frame.
- Tap to focus on a face; wipe dust off the print first.
- Remove the print from glass or plastic sleeves.
- Send the largest file your phone saved — do not crop it down or screenshot it.
Got your capture? Restore it in about thirty seconds.
Restore your old photo