Tips on how to preserve your family photos for future generations

It's never been easier to take photos and save or share them with family and friends, but many of us have pictures we never actually get around to printing.

Many of us have older photos stuck in drawers or boxes that we're not really sure what to do with, and if you don't care for them, they won't last forever.

David Morgan started organizing his family photos a few years ago.

“It really kind of started when my dad passed just because we were trying to get his obituary together. Now, I’m trying to really organize things by year and by name,” said Morgan.

It may feel overwhelming at first, but Consumer Reports’ Jerry Beilinson said you may just want to dive in and get to work.

“Start with what you think is most important. Find the photos and the documents that are really going to mean something to you and to other people years from now,” said Beilinson.

It’s important to label everything, but do it lightly with a soft pencil. Add every detail you know to the back edges of photos including names, dates and locations.

You may also want to interview the oldest person in your family to help you fill in any blanks and get the stories behind the photos.

Restore whatever pictures you can with photo software. Morgan used Photoshop on his parents’ 1969 prom photo to improve it’s appearance and to remove lines and damage.

“I just really like that photo because my mom was really proud of that dress,” said Morgan.

There are some other ways to protect your photos to make them last longer. Beilinson said “use acid-free materials when you're storing your photos and documents. This will really help them from degrading over time.”

You should also protect your items from bright or direct light and keep them at a comfortable and consistent temperature and avoid humidity.

Don’t store photos in your attic or basement and keep them clean using a soft brush or lint-free cloth.

You can also make digital copies from the originals using a scanner or even your smartphone and then store those files in a few safe places like your computer, an external hard drive or the cloud.

Morgan plans to keep at it to preserve his family memories.

“I plan to correct more photos, print out more photos along with written recipes, stories and anecdotes,” said Morgan.

Many of us save pictures on our phone or computer, but it's good idea to print some off once in a while. You'll be glad to have hard copies of your favourites just in case something happens to your digital copies.