New guy here with a question

avidhunter · Feb 21, 2011

Hello everyone, my name is Lance. I have a original 3.5x5 picture of my grandfather in front of a beautiful mountain. It is the only picture i have of him and he is now passed on. I would like to have it blown into a 8x10 and would like it to be as clear and original as possible on good paper. I photo copied this picture at wal mart and tried doing an 8x10 and it turned out just OK. The paper showed some ink spotting and his face wasn't as clear as I would like it to be. I will be having this picture professionally framed. I have a photographer close to me that is supposed to do good work that said he would make it look nice for $8. I am just a little skeptical. What should I do?

Canon AE-1 · Feb 21, 2011

Well, for 8.00, thats not bad. check his work before you pay. Have you thought of scanning the photo at a high DPI? and then take the file to be printed?
Just a thought.

avidhunter · Feb 21, 2011

Hello Canon AI-1,

I am new to photography and do not know what a high DPI is. Sounds like something that would work good. Where can I find a high DPI?

avidhunter · Feb 21, 2011

Anybody have any advise on what to do?

CCericola · Feb 21, 2011

I suggest you tale the original to a professional photo lab. They will know what to do and have the equipment to do it.

avidhunter · Feb 21, 2011

alright. any advise on how to find a professional photo lab in my area?

CCericola · Feb 22, 2011

Google or the phone book?

avidhunter · Feb 22, 2011

Ok. Thank you for the information.

mwesley · Mar 10, 2011

I'm not sure if you've solved this problem yet, but a great solution is to actually photograph the image. Prior to scanners and digital photography, re-photographing a print (done properly) that no longer had a negative was a viable way to enable reproduction of the image. Done well, you'll come out with quite decent results.

Kirep · Mar 11, 2011

I have several hundred photos like that, inherited fropm my family. This year I set out on a mission, scan each and every one of them, and distribute all the pictures to all of the family, spread across the country.
I have scanned pictures like that, I have scanned contact copied pictures from simple german folders, in 6x9cm, much smaller than your picture.
They come out as 30 Mb to 75Mb pictures out of the scanner and in detail never before seen, it is amazing what a good scanner can bring out of an old photograph!

I have an old pro photographer friend that had a full setup, repro cameras to do copying like that. When he was past his 70's he thaught himself how to use a PC, a scanner and all the relevant software, and closed down photo-repros for good, he claimed on average he was able to hold a higher standard of quality by scanning than repro....... No small glitches like a little out of focus....

If I had your addy, and was sure you can receive really bif files I could send you an example of what is possible.

I have SIMPLE, FLAT-BED SCANNER, a Canon CanoScan 8800F, tha allows me to scan A4 pictures, 35mm film and 120 film strips, the last means I can scan large pictures on 70mm film....

Anyone can do this. The only trouble is fighting dust!!

jon_fredric · Jun 8, 2011

Just scan the photo in at a very hi dpi (1200 to start off, will be a large file but you can always reduce it). Then find someone with Photoshop skills (like myself) and they can clean it up and make it the size you need. If someone said they can do it for $8 I'm not sure why you're even questioning it though (or did you mean $80 because that sounds more realistic).

micheal · Jul 24, 2011

Get a loupe and look the the details of the photo closely. It is more than likely a hand held pop shot. In which case, even with a good camera, the details are going to get more fuzzy with enlargement. Put the 8X10 on the wall, stand back a few feet, and look at the person. If you see your grandfather the way you'd like to remember it's a job well done. If you want something more make sure there's more there to work with.