How To Make A Photo Book With Old Pictures

Written by: Murad Huseynov

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Time to read 10 min

If you have lots of old pictures and nowhere to showcase them, then creating a photo book is a perfect way to preserve these images and enjoy them for years to come. Let’s learn how you can make a stunning photo book using old pictures from days gone by. 

Key Takeaways

  • Old photographs are a glimpse into the past and offer a unique sense of nostalgia.
  • You can immortalize old photos using a well-designed photo book.
  • Software can help you scan old photos to colorize, retouch and make copies of them.
  • The right layout and design goes a long way when making a photo album with old pictures.

Murad Huseynov

Murad is the founder of Mosaic Journal, based in London, United Kingdom. He is an expert on photo gifting, photo printing and photo journaling.

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How To Make A Photo Album With Old Pictures

If you want to breathe new life into old pictures and create a high-quality memento to enjoy for years, then a photo album is the way to go. So, let’s go over how to make a beautiful photo album using old pictures

person holding old photo album

Choosing The Right Platform Or Method (Comparing Online Services, Software, Etc.)

In order to showcase old pictures, and possibly restore them, you can use various software tools to help improve their appearance. From colorizing black and white pictures to restoring them so they look more crisp, technology is a huge help. So let’s go over the best platforms and methods for creating your photo album with old pictures:
 

• Google Photoscan: This application uses artificial intelligence to digitize old pictures by scanning them with your smartphone camera.

• Remini: If you’re dealing with blurry, low resolution or damaged pictures, then this application can restore them using machine learning.

• Colorize: Colorize brings black and white colors to life by colorizing them in a realistic way for you. It can also enhance and retouch pictures to transform them into a high-quality version.

• Photos Revive: If you know roughly what colors your black and white photos are, then Photos Revive gives you the power to realistically adjust the composition. It uses AI and user input to create stunning images from black and white pictures.
 

There are plenty of other applications out there that help with colorizing and image restoration, but they can cost quite a lot and get complicated. The above options are all completely free to use, but might not have the advanced features of costly tools like Adobe Photoshop.


 

Designing The Layout And Theme For The Album With Old Pictures

Once you’ve found your old black and white pictures and prepared them for your album, it’s time to consider how you’ll create it. You’ll want to decide on the layout and theme of the album to help guide the design process. What you choose here is a matter of taste, but there are a few rules and guidelines you might want to follow. These include:
 

• Sort your pictures: Try to create categories for the pictures so that they can be grouped together easily. You might want to use a chronological ordering or specific themes like holidays or family gatherings.

• Think about size and symmetry: There will be some pictures that do well as the focal point of a page, while others are supplementary. Make sure you give the big pictures enough space to shine on their own, while using symmetry to bring smaller, less impactful pictures together neatly.

• Use white space: Use white space around the pictures to help frame them and make them more impactful. You can also use the white space for annotations, dates or quotes.

• Think about fonts: If you do opt to include text beside your pictures, think about font selection. Going for handwritten fonts works well for personal photo books, but if you want it to look professional then a typed font might work better.
 

Ultimately, you can create your photo album with old pictures however you’d like. You can be as creative as you want, so feel free to include things that resonate with you. It could be drawings of old mementos that correspond with the pictures, text that adds more context to pictures or even some colorful sketches. However, try to keep the above guidelines in mind to help give your pictures the best chance to jump off the page. 

Adding Old Photos To The Book Design

Once you’ve decided on the overall design, layout and themes for your photo album, it’s time to place them into the book. If you’re using a physical photo album, you can use photo mounting squares to carefully place the pictures. This won’t damage them as it uses stickers instead of glue. Or, if you want to take the pictures out at any time, consider using photo corners that secure your pictures without any sort of adhesive.


Once you’ve made a decision about the best method of placement, all you have to do is place your pictures in the right place. Stick with your themes and layout before going through the album page by page. Insert the pictures in the right place, and consider which pictures can stand alone without other images beside it. This should help you create a beautiful photo album that immortalizes your old pictures.
 

Tips To Convert Pictures To A Book Seamlessly

Converting your favorite pictures into a photobook is a really fun way to relive past times and immortalize your past. It can be tricky though, especially if you have lots of pictures to sift through. So, to help you create a photo book that will last a lifetime, let’s go over some tips to help you convert your pictures into a book format seamlessly:


• Decide on a theme: Whether you want to stick with a chronological format or go with a specific theme like Christmas, clear themes give you structure. You can use this structure to easily categorize your pictures and place them in your book.

• Sort your pictures by category: Take some time to sort your pictures into the categories you want to use. Make sure to use the best pictures you have and don’t use any duplicates!

• Consider main event images: If there are some pictures that look fantastic on their own, consider using them on their own. This could have a page dedicated to itself if it’s good enough.

• Use software to retouch images: If you’re dealing with old images that have been damaged, you can use software like the ones discussed above to retouch and enhance them. Or, if you have black and white pictures, you can colorize them to improve how they look in your album.


Converting pictures into a book format is a bit of work, but it really pays off if you do it right. Follow the tips above to make the process as smooth and seamless as possible. That way, you’ll have a high-quality photo book for years to come.


 

Finalizing And Making The Photo Album With Old Pictures

Now that you’ve managed to bring all of your old pictures together in a photo album, don’t forget the finishing touches! Finalizing your photo album with a few last things can really elevate your work and make it something worth holding onto for the rest of your life. So, let’s go over a few things you might want to do when finalizing your photo album:


• Add contents and page numbers: Add page numbers to each page of your book to make it easier to use. If you’ve created your photo album using categories, you can also add a contents page at the start to make it easier to find specific pictures.

• Include decorations: If you want to add some more character to the pages of your photo album, then consider decorating it. You can add dividers, borders or other decorations to accentuate the framing of the pictures. Just don’t overdo it or the pictures can lose their focus.

• Leave space for more: If you ever want to add more pictures or context, then it helps to leave some extra space. Be sure to leave some pages blank at the back of your album for future use. 

The Importance Of An Old Photos Book

An old photo book is more than a trinket - it’s a glimpse into your past. Preserving the moments captured in old photographs is incredibly important for a number of reasons, such as:


 

• Keeping memories alive: The old photos you keep are a part of history and a memory that you’ll be able to keep alive. These snapshots are a unique glimpse into the past and well-worth holding on to.

• Nostalgia: If the photographs are from your own past, then they can often serve as a nostalgic reminder of your life. From trips away with your family to old pictures of a family pet, old photos offer a sense of nostalgia that you can’t get anywhere else.

• Conversation starter: Bringing out an old photo album is a great conversation piece when sitting with friends or family. You get to show them your history in picture form and can spark interesting conversations about times gone by.

old picture of eiffel tower on table

How To Prepare Old Pictures For Photo Album

When dealing with old pictures for your photo album, it’s important to be careful and prepare them for placement correctly. So, let’s look at how to prepare your old pictures for your photo album: 

Sorting And Selecting Old Photos

The first thing you’ll want to do is sort through your old photos to see what ones you want to use. To help with this, try to sort the photos into certain categories or themes. This will align with the pages of your photo book and give you a good idea of how the photos will look together on the page.


Choosing the right photos will ensure that you capture the right memories in the best possible way. Try to avoid using any duplicates and focus on high-quality images whenever you can. 

Scanning Or Digitizing Old Photos

When dealing with old photos, technology can lend a hand. By scanning in or digitizing your old photos, you can create like-for-like copies. Old photos tend to be quite fragile, so opting for a copy keeps the original safe. This approach means you can store the originals while the copies can be displayed in the photo album.

Enhancing And Restoring Images If Needed

The other benefit going digital provides is the ability to edit the old photos. So if they are black and white, you can colorize them. Or, if there is some blurriness or staining then you can use software to touch it up and make it look as good as new. By enhancing and restoring these images, you breathe new life into them in a way that retaining an original simply couldn’t do. 

Tips To Maintain Your Photo Album With Old Pictures For A Long Time

If you want to keep your photo album with old pictures as long as possible, make sure that you maintain it correctly. To help with this, let’s go over a few tips to help keep your old photo album in prime condition:
 

• Store your photo album properly: When dealing with old photo albums, make sure you store it properly. Keep it away from areas of direct sunlight, high humidity or heat to preserve the ink.

• Handle the album carefully: When you do bring your photo album out, handle it with care. Use clean, dry hands to interact with the pages and don’t bend the album.

• Check on it regularly: Bring your photo album out occasionally to check for any new signs of damage. Things like water leaks or pests like silverfish could damage the album in storage, so watch out for this.


 

Frequently Asked Questions About How To Make A Photo Album With Old Pictures

How Do I Get Old Photos Into A Photo Book?

There are a few different ways to get old photos into a photo book. If you want to use the originals, then placing them in a well-constructed photo album using protective sleeves or corner covers works really well. Don’t use any type of adhesive to stick the photos in place as this could damage them. Alternatively, you could scan the original photos using your PC or smartphone then create a copy. This gives you the ability to retouch the old photos and place them in a photo book without worrying about damaging the original.

What Is The Importance Of An Old Photos Book?

An old photos book is an important part of your history. It will hold a series of photographs from your past - or your families past - and provide you with a glimpse of how life was back then. From looking at old pictures of your pets to soaking up what a particular holiday destination looked like back in the day, old photo books are a form of time travel. What’s more, these photo albums serve as reminders of the past and are essentially historical records. They hold value that extends beyond the nostalgic and documents a time that has gone by. An old photo book helps you better understand how things were back in the day and offers you a nostalgic reminder of your past.

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