Fixing a picture question....

Discussion in 'Photography Pad' started by StarryEyedDesigns, Nov 5, 2016.

  1. StarryEyedDesigns

    StarryEyedDesigns My goal, is to make a goal

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    So, 13 years ago when I first started using a digital camera I didn't know any better and I edited pics. I didn't save the originals, and I resized things way too small, did horrible editing, etc. I also didn't organize them very well at first. I have tons of pics that are small, but when I resize them, they look like crap.

    Does anyone know if there is a way to resize them and keep the quality (as bad as it is)? I really wish I knew more back then. Not to mention digital cameras back then sucked, so the pics aren't great quality to begin with :/

    If anyone knows a way that can help me, I would be forever grateful!
     
  2. bellbird

    bellbird Pollywog

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    Not sure if this will help as i dont know of a way to keep them decent looking if you just want to print them and frame them as is - BUT for photos that i love and want to scrap, but are bad quality, blurry, enlarged til pixel-y (whatever), my go-to method is to make them high contrast (black and white basically but with as little grey as possible if they are really bad) and blend them into the background of a page with a mask OR make them look like a drawing or watercolour painting with a filter.
    Like this one - he's blurry in the happy pic
    [​IMG]
    she's blurry but happy (was an MOC challenge to use a bad pic i think)
    [​IMG]
    ...and sometimes i just go with it
    [​IMG]
     
  3. cfile

    cfile My bags are packed for Platform 9 3/4

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    I say scan them at a higher DPI... scan the photo at 600dpi and you can get them larger with less distortion.. the higher the dpi, the better..
     
  4. klee73010

    klee73010 I might have a thing for drummers

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    I have found in PSE12, that I can get small things larger by dragging from the photo bin on to my layout. it will resize the item to be as tall or wide as the layout, and doesn't look distorted or pixelated. I think it is similar to how "smart objects" work in Photoshop...
    It may be a glitch in my program (I've heard something along those lines)... hope that helps....
     
  5. Iowan

    Iowan Is this heaven? No, it's Iowa

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    Sometimes if you stretch them in small increments, say 15% or less, a few times you have less distortion than stretching them all at once. Does that make sense?
     
  6. mollyc

    mollyc PrettyPinkPicturesPlease

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    Rather than scan them, if they are already printed, take a photo of them with a newer digital camera and your resolution will be better.

    This is how I restore historical photos for my mother.
     
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  7. bcgal00

    bcgal00 Say, "birdseed!"

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    All good suggestions. Whichever way you go, whether scanning or taking a new photo, increase the contrast and clarity just a bit. One thing I do with old photos is to put them into a mask, duplicate the layer and change the blend mode.
     
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  8. StarryEyedDesigns

    StarryEyedDesigns My goal, is to make a goal

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    Thanks everyone. I think I understand most of what was said. The pics aren't printed. They are digital pics that are on my EHD or discs. The quality is so bad due to crappy cameras and my lack of knowledge of editing back then :/ Someone once told me "better to have crappy pics, than no pics" which I totally agree, but some of them were milestones...like my daughter's birth and first year!
     
  9. bestcee

    bestcee In love with places I've never been to

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    Check out some of @LynnG 's pages. She has commented about the low quality camera she had for her daughter's first year or so. She still scraps them.
     
  10. LynnG

    LynnG Designer

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    Courtney has a great memory! I had exactly the same problem! My solution was to scrap the photos small, after going what I could to brighten and sharpen them (try duplicating them on soft light blend mode, using the brightness and contrast sliders and smart sharpen). I agree that blending can be a good way to go too.

    Here's the blog post I did about my dilemma:

    http://www.lynngrieveson.com/single-post/2016/02/26/Tiny-Treasures
     
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  11. keepscrappin

    keepscrappin ScrapWithTheWind

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  12. StarryEyedDesigns

    StarryEyedDesigns My goal, is to make a goal

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