Have you ever wished that you could capture memories in a tangible form and take them out now and again to relive good times? Wouldn’t it be great to project those snapshots of the mind so that others could share the reality you lived? Sounds like something from a sci-fi movie.

Yet we all have boxes and albums full of memories in the form of fading photographs whose edges are worn and tattered from years of handling. The colors have faded on the photos but not in your memory and each still brings a story to mind that you want to share.

Why not digitize them now? Scanning photos is easy and the price of a decent scanner is very affordable these days. Programs like Photoshop by Adobe or Paint Shop Pro make it easy to restore the photos to the brilliant images your mind remembers. The photos can then be stored on CDs or emailed to friends and family.

There are services which can restore photos for you or you can learn to do it yourself. I found several tutorials on the net, aimed at different levels of experience. The photo imaging software you choose will also come with complete instructions on how to fully utilize the tools of the program to successfully restore those photo memories.

Preserving photographs is a way of preserving the past for future generations. It is a way to share a visual that comes alive with restoration. Those stories you tell your grandkids would be much more immediate and the sly delight of the children much increased with colorful and true-to-life pictures of Mom or Dad when they were mischievous children.