How do I keep photos from fading?

Question

I have some vacation photos from the 90's that I keep in albums that came from the old fashioned cameras with film, lol!
But some are starting to fade. What is the best way to prevent this?
Thanks :)

Answer 1

Scan them and archive the digital copies so when the originals fade you can reprint them.

Answer 2

Fact is this, color photos fade over time, even if they are stored properly and kept in proper environmental conditions. The reason for this is because the dyes which are used in color photos are not fade resistant. This holds true for digital inkjet prints as well.
There are ways of slowing down the fading, for one you need to keep the images out of the light. Sunlight or UV light will cause your photos to shift in color faster. Also temperature can be a factor. However, one of the biggest factors is how you are displaying the images. It is important that if your images are in a photo album that the paper has a neutral Ph level, acid in papers and most plastic will destroy the images. This includes saran wrap which does not have a neutral ph and has acids which will speed up the fading of your images. If you want to get an archival photo album go here. http://genealogy.about.com/library/authors/ucmishkin5a.htm?terms=develop+photos

Answer 3

If you still have the negatives stored properly, they should be fine. I would have the special ones reprinted at a decent lab. Pictures, even color c-41 process, should not be fading this quick if they have been stored in an archival album. My guess is the paper wasn't properly stabilized at time of printing. And some papers are more prone to fade than others, but I have color prints from the 80's that still are fine. Color prints do fade much more rapidly than B&W, though, so you may have to have some re-printed.

Answer 4

Put your photos in a photo album, if you have tried this try saran wrap, it's sounds corney but true this really helps from fading or turning yellow.

Answer 5

Dip them in Vineger for 5 min.