Turning Old Photos Into Vintage Wall Art

Don’t let your old photographs sit in boxes or drawers in your home.  You can turn them into unique pieces of vintage wall art and add character and charm to your home decor.  You can take a few of your favorite vintage photographs and display them individually in photo frames or go for a more creative approach using some simple and inexpensive techniques.   However you choose to show off your precious memories you will have a great photo display to share with family and friends.  And won’t it be great to have those vintage photos as part of your decor where you can enjoy them every day.  Here are just a few ways to decorate using vintage photos that may inspire you to dust off your photo boxes and create your own unique vintage wall art.

Enlarge Vintage Posters and Prints

Old photographs are usually small, but there are ways to enlarge them to any size you need for your vintage wall art.  It would be easiest if you still had the photo negatives so you could just have enlargements printed, but if your photos are very old and you don’t, you can use a scanner to get a quality larger piece of art.  Once you scan your photo and create a large digital file, you can have the file printed on a poster printer or a large photo printer. If you don’t have a printer capable of printing large pieces, many stores have the ability to do so, or you can upload them to a website that will print your poster or large print and mail it to you.  You have just created a great vintage poster or print for a unique piece of wall art.

Create a Vintage Photo Collage

If your collection of old photographs is extensive and you have many favorites, consider creating a photo collage to display them all together.  By using collage picture frames that hold multiple photos, this gives you a chance to be creative and use your artistic talents.  By using a scanner, computer graphics software and a printer you can customize a photo collage to display in a single picture frame.  All you need do is collect the old photos you want to include and arrange them in a layout that is pleasing to you.  Snap a photo of this layout for future reference.  Now scan the photos and make them whatever size you want.  You can either print them individually and arrange and affix them to backing board or you can use computer graphics software to arrange them and then just print one page with your photo collage.

Enhance Your Vintage Photos

If your photos are very old, you may find that they have become worn or torn over the years.  But, not to worry, you can use computer graphics software to try to repair them.  Scan your photo and then use the software tools to recreate the areas that are worn or torn.  You can also remove creases and bends.  Your photographs may look better than ever.  The graphics software also lets you adjust the color for different visual effects.  You can turn color photos into black and white photos and you can take a black and white photo and add a beautiful sepia tint that will give it a vintage look.  Scanning your photos allows you to enhance them without altering the original.  You can keep your original vintage photo in a safe place while you also share it with friends and family.