Recently, I have been lamenting the fact that my son is older and the way we celebrate holidays has changed quite a bit. There are times when I miss those early years and this Easter was no different for me. I could choose to dwell on the changes and be a bit sad. Instead, I chose to go back through my photos of those early years.

Please understand that I love my son at the age he is now. I just also love the way he was back then. Of course, back then, I was a far busier mother than I am today. A teenage boy is much more independent than a toddler. Back then, I scrapbooked but I had far less time for memory keeping then I do now. I remember constantly feeling behind. Now I feel lucky to have this treasure trove of photos to play with.

Some of those photos aren’t always the best quality due to my poor photography skills. The photos I chose to work with for the latest Scrapbook Challenges sketch are some of the worst. They are extremely blurry. The thing is, they are also the only photos I have that document this particular moment. I must have taken the photo and then moved on without snapping a few extras.  In all other ways, the photo was perfect. I love seeing  our living room and the mess from the Easter basket in the background. I adore the way my husband and son are smiling and posed together wearing bunny ears.I needed to find a way to make them usable.

 

Edit  Blurry Photos so That They Resemble Vintage Pictures

 

Often, the first trick of a poorly lit or blurry photo is to attempt to convert it to black and white. I tried many filters to no avail. Portions of my husband’s and son’s faces became black and grey blobs. It was clear I needed another solution. I chose to sharpen the blurry images as best I could. The photos were still a bit too blurry. This is where a vintage style filter can be of assistance.

Older photos may have a slight blur to them, depending upon the type of camera and film that was used to take the photo. This can be replicated using a vintage filter. You want to choose a filter that slightly changes the color cast of the photo for a vintage feel but which doesn’t add more blur. I used Totally Rad Labs Vanilla Kiss filter to warm the photo slightly and give it a subtle aged appearance. Now the blurry feel of the photos was less out of place and I liked the images I had to work with.

Those Ears by Christy Strickler |Supplies Patterned Paper:Basic Grey, Cocoa Daisy; Letters: Freckled Fawn; Stamps: Kelly Purkey, Elle’s Studio; Ink: Staz-On, Versa Color;Punch: American Crafts; Die Cut: Elle’s Studio;Enamel Dots: My Mind’s Eye; Other: Ribbon, Glass Beads, Confetti, Tag; Based on Scrapbook Challenges Sketch # 434

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the end, it’s not always about a perfect image but rather,a wonderful story.

The images still aren’t perfect but this layout makes me so very happy. As of yet, no one who has seen it has remarked on the photo quality. They simply smile when they see my family and note how funny it was that my husband put his ears on the dog.

Whether your photos are perfect or just a bit blurry, we’d love for you to join in with this month’s sketches at Scrapbook Challenges. Head on over to check out sketch # 434 and the inspiration from the SBC Sketch Crew.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

High Pass Filter RX for Blurry Photos:  This article from the Digital Scrapper Blog has video tutorials for both Photoshop and Photoshop Elements. It demonstrates an easy way to use the high pass filter to sharpen a blurry image.

an article from the Get It Scrapped Blog