JPL
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
JPL Logo
JPL Logo
JPL Life .

Preserving the Past: Restoring Damaged Photo Negatives

Sept. 13, 2023

Your browser cannot play the provided video file(s).

This video shows how the JPL Archives performs conservation efforts to preserve the content of the photos in our Still Negatives Collection. Digital Archivist, Victoria Castaneda, walks us through the detailed steps on how to capture the content of a damaged photo negative and repair the image to create a restored digital access copy.


Transcript

Madison Teodo:

This photo negative which shows employees playing volleyball at a picnic has been housed in our collection since 1952.

The negative is suffering from channeling caused by Vinegar Syndrome. Vinegar Syndrome, or a pungent vinegar smell, is apparent when film with an acetate support begins to deteriorate, which causes buckling, channeling, and an embrittlement of the negative.

In order to save a digital record of this photo, Victoria, our Digital Archivist, will take a photo of this negative and import it into Photoshop. To create the fixed access copy, Victoria uses various editing capabilities to digitally enhance the photo and bring it back to life.

Though the physical negatives will remain in temperature-controlled storage, we would like to preserve the image for both archival and access purposes. It can be a time-consuming process, but the outcome can be worth it.

Here is the damaged negative and here’s a digitally enhanced copy which can be preserved and enjoyed for years to come.

On-screen text: Created by the JPL Archives Department, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.

The research was carried out at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (80NM0018D0004).

© 2021 California Institute of Technology. Government sponsorship acknowledged.

Download m4v

Related Pages

Rebecca (Becky) Macko, Director for the Human Resources Directorate

Roger Gibbs, Director for Engineering and Science

Accommodations for Individuals with Disabilities

Universe Newsletter

Von Kármán Lecture .

The von Kármán Lecture Series: 2023

Lecture Series .

September 2023 - Solar Eclipses: Your Guide to the 2023/2024 Celestial Events

Slice of History

Image .

Slice of History - International Day of Charity

Lecture Series .

August 2023 - SunRISE: Studying Space Weather with SmallSats

Lecture Series .

July 2023 - More than Rocket Science: JPL’s COVID-19 Ventilator, VITAL

About JPL
Who We Are
Executive Council
Directors
Careers
Internships
The JPL Story
JPL Achievements
Documentary Series
Annual Reports
JPL Plan: 2023-2026
Missions
Current
Past
Future
All
News
All
Earth
Solar System
Stars and Galaxies
Subscribe to JPL News
Galleries
Images
Videos
Audio
Podcasts
Apps
Visions of the Future
Slice of History
Robotics at JPL
Events
Lecture Series
Team Competitions
Speakers Bureau
Calendar
Visit
Public Tours
Virtual Tour
Directions and Maps
Topics
JPL Life
Solar System
Mars
Earth
Climate Change
Exoplanets
Stars and Galaxies
Robotics
More
Asteroid Watch
NASA's Eyes Visualizations
Universe - Internal Newsletter
Social Media
Get the Latest from JPL
Follow Us

JPL is a federally funded research and development center managed for NASA by Caltech.

More from JPL
Careers Education Science & Technology Acquisitions JPL Store
Careers
Education
Science & Technology
Acquisitions
JPL Store
Related NASA Sites
Basics of Spaceflight
Climate Kids
Earth / Global Climate Change
Exoplanet Exploration
Mars Exploration
Solar System Exploration
Space Place
NASA's Eyes Visualization Project
Voyager Interstellar Mission
NASA
Caltech
Privacy
Image Policy
FAQ
Feedback
Site Managers: Veronica McGregor, Randal Jackson
Site Editors: Tony Greicius, Naomi Hartono
CL#: 21-0018