Enlarging photos without negatives...

[Lisa B]

Heya! I'm not sure if this is in the right place, but i've just looked through the various sections and decided to post here (if it should be moved somewhere else, im sorry, but thanks ).

SO. Here is my thing:

I have 3 photographs in black and white of my friends brother eating a shoe. They are approx 4x5 inch pictures and they would look awesome on the wall as art - trouble is, they need to be bigger.

I was wondering if anyone has any tips on how to scan these photos and enlarge them so that they can be printed at about 8x10 inchs? Im not sure of the quality etc possible with a scanner as i rarely use them.

And help, tips or advice i could get before i get to it, i would much appreciate...

Lisa xxx

 

[Early]

A good question and a tough one. I once scanned an 8X10 and cropped it slightly with no ill effect, but it was only a small change. I have also scanned a color 4X5 that wasn't very sharp to begin with. I never printed it, but it looks not too bad on my monitor. The flaws are pronounced, and you can see the grain. Otherwise it held up pretty well.

It sure would be worth a try if you had a decent flatbed, or know someone who did. Just use maximum optical resolution for the scanner.

 

[Helen B]

It depends a lot on the quality of the original prints. Most scanners should be capable of scanning well at 600 ppi, which is all you need for a decent 2x times enlargement (ie printing at 300 ppi). I print my 4x5 Polaroids at 10x8 by scanning, and they are good enough for me. I wouldn't want to enlarge them any more than that, however. A lot depends on what standard is acceptable to you.

Best,
Helen

 

[EOS_JD]

What type of scanner dop you have? What resolution is it? Helen is quite correct.

What normally happens though is that when you scan to upsize, you get every har/dust particly showing in your scan. Scratches too will show up and although there is software that will reduce this, it also softens your image. Better to edit in photoshop with a bit of care.

Scanning resolution is noted in dots per inch but equates to pixels on your image. So scan the image at 600dpi (or even 1200dpi if your printer allows) so that you get a decent quality image.

Use a lint free cloth to give the image a wipe but be careful to to add more dust/hair!

I have printed small 2"x3" images at 10x8 and got reasonable results.

 

[shootLib]

I think the best idea....if you want them blown up pretty big, and on good paper, you can take them to some place like Kinkos or something. its really cheap and they can make it as big as you want. and will give you plently of choices of types of paper.