CreaseFix

How to scan old photos with your phone

Updated · 5 min read

You don't need a scanner. Lay the print flat near a window in soft daylight, hold the phone directly above it so the edges stay parallel, fill the frame and tap to focus. For glossy prints, an app that combines several shots — such as Google PhotoScan — takes out the glare.

Prepare the photo

  • Take the print out of the album sleeve or frame if it comes out easily. If it is stuck, photograph it where it is — a slightly worse copy is better than a torn original.
  • Remove loose dust with a rubber air blower. Don't wipe the surface, and don't use canned air: even soft brushes and cloths can scratch it.
  • Put it on a plain, dark, matte surface — a sheet of black card works well.

Get the light right

Light is the biggest difference between a usable copy and a frustrating one.

  • Use daylight from a window, without direct sun on the print.
  • Turn off ceiling lamps. They make bright reflections on glossy prints and tint the picture yellow.
  • Don't use the flash.
  • Avoid light from one side on creased or textured prints: it throws shadows into every fold.

Angle and framing

  1. Stand over the table and hold the phone flat, parallel to the print. Turning on the camera grid helps keep the edges straight.
  2. If your phone has a 2× lens, step back and use it — straight edges stay straighter than with the wide lens up close.
  3. Fill most of the frame with the photo, leaving a small margin. You can crop later.
  4. Tap on a face to focus, then hold still (or press a volume button to take the picture without shaking).

Tip: Glossy print with a glare spot you can't get rid of? Tilt the print slightly, or use an app that merges several shots.

Apps and settings

  • Google PhotoScan (free, iPhone and Android) asks you to move the phone over four dots and merges the shots, which removes glare, then crops and straightens the photo automatically.
  • The built-in camera is fine for matte prints. Use full resolution and no filters or beauty modes.
  • Document scanners in Notes or Files are made for text — they boost contrast and sharpen, which can harden faces. Use them only if nothing else is at hand.

Keep the untouched original file. Restoration, cropping and color work should happen on a copy, so you can always go back.

Phone or scanner?

A flatbed scanner still wins for tiny prints and for copies you plan to enlarge a lot. For restoring, sharing and printing at the original size or a bit larger, a careful phone photo is enough — and you can do a whole box in an evening.

Once you have the copy, CreaseFix can repair scratches, creases and fading and optionally add color — straight from that phone photo.

Questions

Yes, if the light is soft and even and the photo is in focus. Restoration works on what the copy shows, so a sharp, glare-free phone photo gives a better result than a blurry scan.

Only if they come out easily. Photos stuck to album pages can be photographed in place; pulling them out often tears them.

Use window light without direct sun, turn off ceiling lamps, tilt the print slightly, or use an app such as Google PhotoScan that merges several shots.

The full resolution of a modern phone camera is plenty for prints up to the original size and a bit larger. Fill the frame with the photo instead of shooting it small in the middle.

Sources

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