Removing old photos: Is there a way to remove photos from photo albums. The pages have sticky stuff that hold the pictures to the page. Want to scan them & then laminate them so the...

Michael Sabetsky Loc: Rockledge, Florida

Is there a way to remove photos from photo albums. The pages have sticky stuff that hold the pictures to the page. Want to scan them & then laminate them so the colors won't deteriate any more. Might have to use Elements to bring the colors back to life after I've scanned them. Tried to pull them off but stopped after a few seconds cause it looked like the picture was going to rip apart. Thanks in advance.

Quixdraw Loc: x

I don't think laminating is a good idea - google it. You could try a hair dryer (gently) and see if it will let you peel them loose, or simply carefully cut them free and scan them, then go to post.

robertjerl Loc: Corona, California

If the sticky stuff is heat sensitive then the idea of a hair dryer may work.
If not then the cutting them out is what is left- you may have to split the thick cardboard pages into layers if you have pictures on both sides.
Or using one of those holders for a single edged razor blade you may be able to carefully lift and separate them like lifting stuck cookies off a baking sheet. Could be a lot of work. Then instead of lamination go to a photo supply place on line and get protective sleeves and then store those in light proof boxes and store in a cool dry place.

Danielmb

Robert...Great suggestions. I was about to add my thoughts but you really covered all the bases.

buckbrush Loc: Texas then Southwest Oregon

I had a similar problem so tried using my microwave oven to heat the sheet and remove prints from a 50s photo album.
I started at 2-3 seconds then kept boosting the time in similar increments and kept testing each print to see if it started to peel off. This allowed me to peel many old B&W photos off the album pages without any print damage.
I found some photos never came loose, while others located right next to the firmly attached prints would easily unstick. Never could understand why the difference on the same album page.
This technique seemed to work primarily on the page adhesive and did not damage the prints but I never used more than 2-3 seconds at a time. I also had a small spatula used to spread adhesive on aircraft parts that was very thin to pry under the print edges so I could then peel the print from the page adhesive.
Just a thought.
Good luck!

abc1234 Loc: Elk Grove Village, Illinois

Contact E.L.. Shapiro who had a very interesting post about a related subject today. Laminating will not protect the pictures from fading. The adhesives in hot and cold laminates may continue to interact with the dyes. Fading is as much a chemical process as it is a photochemical one. Since these pictures have already been stored in the dark and still have faded, then you know the fading is chemical. Better off storing them in some kind of archival envelope. Color prints fade because the dyes used then were unstable over time. Silver-based prints stain because of improper fixing or washing.

Why remove the pictures for scanning? They are already flat. Cut the page out and scan the pictures on the page.

Brenda D Loc: Alberta

Scrapbookers have been removing pictures from old albums to preserve them. The hair dryer suggestion is great. Another idea is to use dental floss and slide a piece under the picture to get it off.

CPR Loc: Nature Coast of Florida

Had the same problem for a client a few years back. Some photos were removable while others were stuck on permanently. Only viable option was to remove pages from the book carefully and scan each page on the scanner. Then used Photoshop to separate them and repair damage.

GrandmaG Loc: Flat Rock, MI

Michael Sabetsky wrote:

Is there a way to remove photos from photo albums. The pages have sticky stuff that hold the pictures to the page. Want to scan them & then laminate them so the colors won't deteriate any more. Might have to use Elements to bring the colors back to life after I've scanned them. Tried to pull them off but stopped after a few seconds cause it looked like the picture was going to rip apart. Thanks in advance.

You have received very good suggestions. I’ve used a very thin and small spatula tool (Cricut brand, the older version) which worked for some of the pictures I wanted to remove. Otherwise, I used dental floss to slide between the picture and the sticky album. For some, I had to just cut the picture out!!

Use this spatula slowly and carefully:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Provo-Craft-Cricut-Tool-Spatula-29-009/114116758697?epid=1001513863&_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item1a91e38ca9:g:~qYAAOSwLfxeSIhS

gvarner Loc: Central Oregon Coast

Some scanners or other software let you scan a page like that and then identifies each photo as a separate file. My current setup doesn’t so I have to crop each photo to an original JPEG file. A pain but it works.

sbschippers Loc: Baltimore MD

If you do not want to cut out the photos separately you could remove the page - slice along the spine if necessary - and scan the page as one image or in sections. My Epson 700 scanner with Silverfast software can divide a large scan into individual images with different settings on one pass. If your software cannot do this you may need to scan the page more than once if scanner setting need to change. You can then easily convert into individual images in photoshop or another program.

Cotondog Loc: Saskatchewan, Canada

Michael Sabetsky wrote:

Is there a way to remove photos from photo albums. The pages have sticky stuff that hold the pictures to the page. Want to scan them & then laminate them so the colors won't deteriate any more. Might have to use Elements to bring the colors back to life after I've scanned them. Tried to pull them off but stopped after a few seconds cause it looked like the picture was going to rip apart. Thanks in advance.

I had the same problem a few years ago when attempting to remove old photos from some photo books. I used a 4-inch putty knife, slid it under the photo and gently moved the putty knife under the entire photo. It was very successful, and not one damaged photo in 3 full books.

coolhanduke Loc: Redondo Beach, CA

Buy a bottle of Un-do and try that. Works great for removing stamps and sticky goo from things. You may need to apply some to a corner and then work it in. Does not damage the print.

I would not laminate the photos. They could bubble and you could ruin them. Try using “clear bags”. Google them, they have all kinds of sizes and are not that expensive.

dave.speeking Loc: Brooklyn OH

My hand me down Epson v330 did a good job on a September 1986 model airplane
contest near the Cleveland Tank Plant. The album plastic was stuck down on all of
the pictures. In 2012 I just scanned whole page and cropped out and saved each
picture.

(Download)

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

Michael Sabetsky wrote:

Is there a way to remove photos from photo albums. The pages have sticky stuff that hold the pictures to the page. Want to scan them & then laminate them so the colors won't deteriate any more. Might have to use Elements to bring the colors back to life after I've scanned them. Tried to pull them off but stopped after a few seconds cause it looked like the picture was going to rip apart. Thanks in advance.

If scanning, as you say, just scan them stuck to the page good scanners let you mark each photo and the scanner will scan each one on the page separately.
Then keep the album as is.