How to Digitize a Small Photo Inside a Locket
By ImgHeal · Updated
Photograph a tiny mounted portrait without removing it from jewelry or mistaking enlargement for recovered detail.
Plan the capture
Do not pry a photograph out of a locket for a scan. Stabilize the open locket on a soft support and examine reflections from the cover, bezel, and curved surface.
Make a complete digital master
Use a camera with close-focus capability, a support, and soft side lighting. Keep the sensor parallel to the portrait and make a full-object view before a close image. Include the locket in the archive record even if you later crop it away.
Prepare the working copy
Enlargement can make pixels easier to see but cannot recreate authentic eyelashes, jewelry, or clothing hidden in the tiny source. Compare the restored face with the close capture and keep expectations modest.
Check before you finish
- Leave the portrait mounted.
- Capture the complete locket.
- Do not confuse enlargement with source detail.
Further reading
- Library of Congress: Care, Handling, and Storage of PhotographsSafe handling guidance for photographic originals; a digital edit does not conserve the physical object.
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