Turning a Negative into a Positive

I found a negative in the papers of my grandmother. The image appears to be my grandmother's parents, George W. Lancaster and Lela Ann Loveless, likely on their wedding day. I scanned the image, as you can see here.


I wondered if there was a way to convert it into a positive photo using software. That way, I wouldn't have to search for a specialized photo shop, since it was a larger format than 35mm.

I found IMGonline.com.ua. I uploaded the negative scan and they converted the image to this.


I am glad that it has converted, but it’s not quite what I would like. Next, I adjusted the image in Photoshop Elements to get it to look better, using the Enhance > Adjust Lighting > Levels. I moved the sliders until I got the image looking more like a true black and white photo. 


I don't understand many of the tools in Photoshop Elements. It would be nice to crop the background out and to remove the spots on their faces. I also find it odd that the color of the two don't match very well. 

Here is a scan of the same image printed. It appears that perhaps after the image was printed there was touch up done on the photo.


My playing with the tools certainly couldn't bring the photo to this condition, but it is worthwhile knowing there are tools out there to help convert a negative into a positive. Perhaps even your scanning software can do this, too.

#52Ancestors-Week 16: Negatives

This is my fifth year working on this year-long prompt, hosted by Amy Johnson Crow (https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/) at Generations Cafe. I write each week in one of my two blogs, either Mam-ma’s Southern Family or at My Trails into the Past. I have enjoyed writing about my children’s ancestors in new and exciting ways.


Copyright © 2022 by Lisa S. Gorrell, Mam-ma's Southern Family, All rights reserved.

Comments

  1. Miss MerryApril 20, 2022 at 11:39 AM

    Lovely photo! I am glad you could get it printed correctly.

    ReplyDelete
  2. jacqueline's jauntsApril 22, 2022 at 10:38 AM

    What a great photo and a great looking couple.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Alex DawApril 24, 2022 at 10:09 PM

    I'm not very proficient with image editing programs either. I wish I was better and I wish I was faster at digitising all my photos. Great post for this meme.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Ann SApril 25, 2022 at 8:45 AM

    That is a great result!

    ReplyDelete
  5. BernieHApril 25, 2022 at 3:10 PM

    You did a wonderful job converting the negative and producing a lovely photo.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Marian B. WoodApril 26, 2022 at 5:35 AM

    The printed image looks great!

    ReplyDelete

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