Digital BW, The Print

Hello, Jodie.  I wish you the best with your mother.  She is very fortunate to have that kind of care.  Back to the photos:  You can indeed restore old photos in a darkroom, but it is very difficult and time-consuming.  Kodak has an excellent book on this.  I _think_ I still have it and will mail it to you if you want to give this a try.  As you have gathered, the digital route is far better.  I suggest that the first thing is to be sure the originals are safely stored and future deterioration will be at a minimum.  You can call the people at Light Impressions (www.lightimpressionsonline.com) for advice on albums and boxes that are safe for photo storage.  Regarding software, I have no experience with "light" versions of Photoshop.  Photoshop 6 or 7 is best for restoring.  It has a feature called the "history brush" and a "dust and scratches" filter.  Using the dust and scratches filter alone won't work, because the whole picture is degraded (fuzzy).  But with Photoshop, you can apply that filter, save a "snapshot" of it, and then use the history brush to selectively (and quickly) take out the defects.  Otherwise, you have to use a "rubber stamp" or "clone" tool, which takes forever and doesn't always work that well.  If you happen to have a student I.D., you can get Photoshop 7 at a greatly reduced price.  You are correct about the steep learning curve, no matter which way you go.  You're also correct about the computer stores.  You might as well be asking how to build a time machine.   Just a few thoughts.

  --Ken
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: PickPinkFlowers 
  To: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com 
  Sent: Monday, December 23, 2002 10:50 AM
  Subject: [Digital BW] Stupid Annoying Newbie


  Recently I moved my mother into my home and became her full-time caregiver.  I closed and sold the house she lived in for fifty years.  I found boxes of photos dating back to the late 1800's.  
  There are hundreds of them, and they vary in type and condition, but they are all black and white.  I want to copy/repair/enhance them.  I began by trying to find someone with a darkroom. 

  Now.......In shopping for software and a scanner best suited to my needs, I have found that most stores are totally DIY .  I am not particularly computer literate.  I am sure there will be a steep learning curve. Therefore, I would appreciate advice about scanners and software best suited to my purpose and easiest to learn.  

  Jodie


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