Save the Right IIIF Reference for an Archive Photograph
By ImgHeal · Updated
A IIIF viewer, manifest, and image-service URL are different resources. Save the reference that matches your task and retain the repository item page as context. A working image address alone may omit the caption, rights statement, page sequence, or institutional identifier you need later.
Explore this topic: Find original photo files
Identify what each address supplies
Start from the institution's ordinary item page and note its title and catalogue reference. Find the IIIF link the institution provides rather than trying random address patterns. Open or inspect its stated resource type through the institution's supported tools. A viewer is an interface, a manifest organizes presentation information, and an image service provides requested image derivatives. Record these roles in a private source note. Do not replace the catalogue citation with a temporary zoomed-view address whose meaning only you understand.
Match the reference to the research task
Use the IIIF Presentation and Image API documentation to interpret the resource you actually received. For a multi-view print, the manifest may preserve front-and-back organization that an isolated JPEG loses. For a permitted image download, the institution's download route or documented service may be appropriate. Keep a record of any transformation requested and the downloaded filename. Respect access and reuse conditions; visibility in a web viewer does not establish permission for every later upload, restoration, or public republication.
| Reference | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Repository item page | Human-readable source context and institutional identity |
| Manifest | Presentation structure and related resources |
| Image service | Requested image representations |
| Viewer | An interface for exploring the supplied material |
Test a future-reader handoff
Ask another researcher to open the saved catalogue reference, identify the intended photograph, and locate the same view. Check the references without relying on your current browser session. If an image download is supplied, label its source and role alongside the file. Keep the metadata and rights context with any restored viewing derivative rather than allowing an attractive output to replace the original source record. An ImgHeal result can be a separate family-viewing interpretation when processing is permitted, but neither the IIIF address nor the generated output authenticates a disputed historical identity.
Check this workflow
- Record the role of each saved URL.
- Keep the repository item citation.
- Test retrieval without the original browser session.
Sources and further reading
- IIIF: Image API 3Defines image-service requests, information responses, supported transformations, and limits.
- IIIF: Presentation API 3Defines manifests, canvases, labels, rights properties, and links to related representations.
Questions about this restoration task
Is a IIIF manifest itself the photograph?
It describes a presentation and related resources. Image files or services provide the pixels; keep the distinction when downloading or archiving material.
Continue with a related guide
Try a restoration on a copy of your photo
Keep the original scan. Upload a separate digital copy, review ImgHeal’s generated result, and decide whether it suits your needs.
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