Capture guide 01
Choose a capture method that suits the print
A printed portrait can be a useful starting point when the digital original is missing. Use a flatbed scanner if the print is loose, flat, and fits fully on the glass. Use your phone if you have no scanner or the photograph is mounted in an album that cannot comfortably lie flat. You only need to follow one of the two capture methods below.
Handle the photograph by its edges. Remove a loose sleeve or frame only if the print comes away easily. Leave stuck photographs in place, and do not force a curled print flat with the scanner lid. The National Archives recommends a camera setup for bound material and cautions against feeding fragile or valuable originals through automatic scanners.
Capture guide 02
With a scanner: capture the whole photograph
Check that the scanner glass is clean and dry, then place the photograph face down according to the scanner's placement guide. Open the scanning software and choose a photo setting. Use color for a color print, or grayscale for a neutral black-and-white print. Avoid a text or black-and-white document mode that reduces the image to solid black and white.
For this workflow, start at 600 dpi at the print's original size if your scanner supports that optical resolution. A 4 by 6 inch print then produces about 2400 by 3600 pixels before cropping. This is a practical starting point for retaining room around a portrait, not a guarantee of facial detail. A small face in the print may still be too soft to use.
Preview the scan and include every edge of the photograph. Turn off optional restoration and heavy sharpening for the first capture so you have a baseline. Run the full scan, save it as an image file, and open that file to check it. The low-resolution preview is not the finished scan.
Capture guide 03
With a phone: keep the camera parallel to the print
Set the print on a flat surface near soft, indirect light. Use a plain surface that contrasts with the print's border so its edges are easy to see. Start in the ordinary camera's Photo mode with flash off. Clean the camera lens, then hold it directly above the center of the photograph with all four corners visible.
Keep the phone parallel to the paper. A rectangular print should look rectangular on screen, with opposite edges parallel. If one end looks wider, adjust the phone before taking the shot. Move close enough to fill most of the frame while keeping the entire print visible and in focus. Tap the printed face to focus, steady your hands, and take two or three captures.
Inspect for a bright reflection or the shadow of your phone. Move the light or shift the whole setup to a different spot, keeping the camera parallel. Tilting the phone to dodge glare can stretch the portrait. For a print in an album, support the open page comfortably and align the phone with that page without forcing the binding.
Capture guide 04
Try a dedicated scan if reflections persist
Google PhotoScan offers another phone method for reflective prints. With glare removal enabled, begin a scan above the photograph, then move the phone so the on-screen circle meets each of the four dots. Review the processed image and adjust the detected corners if needed. Google recommends keeping the phone untilted throughout the scan.
The flash advice differs from an ordinary camera capture: Google's instructions recommend flash for PhotoScan's glare-removal workflow. Follow the app's guidance for that method. Check the finished face for remaining reflections, doubled edges, or an incorrectly detected border. Repeat the scan if it introduces a defect, and compare it with your ordinary camera capture before choosing one.
Capture guide 05
Separate capture problems from detail in the paper
Compare the saved image with the physical print. If an eye is clear on paper but smeared in the file, repeat the capture with steadier support and better focus. If part of the face disappears beneath a bright patch, change the light position or try the other capture method. A reflection recorded as a featureless white area needs a better capture.
An embossed or textured print can leave a visible surface pattern. With a phone, try more even, diffuse light and compare the result before deciding it is usable. If a repeating pattern appears in a scan of a magazine or other screened reproduction, try the scanner's descreening setting and compare the saved result. Descreening is not a general repair for embossed paper.
Look at the face closely and then at a small profile-picture size. The eyes and expression should remain readable. A higher resolution can sample the print more closely, but it cannot recover facial detail that is absent from the print itself. Keep a capture that represents the available detail clearly.
Capture guide 06
Save the clean capture before preparing your profile copy
Keep the full capture in a clearly named file, such as portrait-print-scan-original, and make a separate copy for later edits. Back up the digital file and retain the physical photograph. If you tried several methods, keep the clearest result and note whether it came from the scanner, the phone camera, or PhotoScan.
The capture is ready when the face has no distracting reflections, the proportions match the print, and the useful detail has survived. For a current professional or dating profile, also check that the portrait still represents how you look today. Continue with the linked editing guide for adjustments and the size guide for the final upload copy.
