Reasons Why Your Old Photos Fade
Printed photographs are home to some of the most precious and priceless family memories. Pictures help you remember and share the smallest details of your life that you might otherwise forget. However, even in the comfort of your home, physical photos are vulnerable to many harmful environmental factors.
The fading and damage of priceless mementoes can lead to their disappearance. Photographs that aren’t properly cared for will degrade over time and eventually become nothing more than soiled scraps of paper in your trash. Photo restoration in Houston can help you. To preserve your memories for future generations, you need to know exactly what causes photos to fade.
Top Reasons Why Photos Fade Wide Time
Many factors contribute to the deterioration of photos, but there are ways to mitigate the effects of time on your memories.
Direct Light
Photos fade over time, and you may have noticed this yourself. This is because UV light alters the picture’s chemical composition. Chromophores are the light-absorbing bodies in ink used to print these images. When these compounds are exposed to any amount of light, the UV rays in that light break down the chemical bond of the picture dye, causing the colors to fade.
Pollutants
Several factors contribute to photo deterioration, including sunlight and the air’s mix of chemicals. Photos can fade, stain, and even be abrasive if exposed to household chemicals, second-hand smoke, and dust. As a result, you must keep your artwork away from open windows and fireplaces.
Molecular Changes
Molecules that make up a photograph’s layers are susceptible to change. There are four main causes of fading that affect these layers differently. UV rays penetrate the top layer of a print when exposed to the sun’s rays. In the photosensitive layer, where your photograph is formed, molecules begin to break down due to UV rays. This reason most frequently causes discoloration or fading.
Acid Damage
The most common cause of acid burns is storing photographs in acidic media. It’s possible to get a strong stain on the print if you use masking or adhesive tape to fasten the picture to an album or another surface because of the chemical composition of the adhesive. You may have an acid burn stain if you print your photos on acidic paper. These prints stand out due to their prominent yellowish hue.
How to Fix This?
You can save faded photographs. If you have the original negative or slide, you can make a new print by scanning services in Houston. This is the easiest but least-used solution. A professional will use a darkroom and the latest technologies to restore your faded photo. Bring any other images from the session or period to our studio to help with the restoration. If the photo is severely faded, we may need to exercise artistic license to restore it.
Don’t be discouraged if you uncover a faded picture. Contact We scan files to help you restore your photos and your memories! Call us at (214) 519-9637 or drop an email at lnfo@wescanfiles.com for the best document storage in Houston, TX.
