Tutorial: How to Touch-Up Your Baby's Footprints

This tutorial will explain how to touch-up and save a digital copy of your baby's footprints. 

There are many ways to touch up photos, but this is the easiest way I could think of without using expensive software.

REASONS WHY you may want to touch-up your baby's prints:
1. You want to design a memorial tattoo or work on a project with your baby's footprints.
2. You're not happy with how the originals came out.

REASONS WHY you should save your baby's prints:
1. They will fade over time, just like all ink does.
2. They could get damaged with handling -- oils from your fingers will cause noticeable damage over time.
3. They could accidentally be lost.

WHAT YOU'LL NEED:
1. A camera or iPhone -- for best results use a camera with a minimum of 8 Megapixels, 10 or 12 would be better. You could also use a scanner if you have a good one.
2. The clearest/darkest copy of your baby's prints.
3. A computer with photo editing software such as Photoshop or GIMP as well as IrfanView or a similar program. (Both GIMP and IrfanView are free to download).

ESTIMATED TIME:
From start to finish this took me about 20 minutes. If you're not as familiar with GIMP, it may take a little longer.

STEPS:
1. Place your baby's footprints on a clean, dry, flat surface.

2. Take a picture in a bright (preferably sunlit) place. You don't want any glares, sun flares or highs/lows, so it's best to take the picture indoors in a well-lit room. I like taking pictures next to the window when it's sunny. Take the picture holding the camera directly over the prints, and as close as possible. Make sure the lens is focused on the footprints. Do NOT use the zoom and do NOT use the flash.

3. Upload the picture to your computer and double check that it is not blurry and the edges aren't cut off.

This is how your picture should look:

4. Open your photo in GIMP or Photoshop or a similar program. 

5. Select the Eraser tool and delete anything you want to remove, such as wording and smudges. Make sure your eraser color is white. If you're more advanced at editing, this would be the time to do any other touch-ups as well. 

6. When you're done, you'll need to adjust the color curves. In GIMP, this feature is located under the "COLORS" tab.

7. Adjust the color curves by pulling the center point towards the upper left quadrant until the background fades to white and you can no longer see your eraser marks. It's okay if the footprints fade, but they should not disappear completely. When you're done, make sure you click OK.

8. Now you're ready to save (FILE: SAVE) your photo. Make sure you FLATTEN IMAGE and save at the 100% quality level. 

9.  Next, open your new saved photo in IrfanView. Open the Color Corrections window (located under the IMAGE tab).

10. Reduce the Gamma Correction, darkening the footprints until they return to their original color. 

11. Make sure you save the new photo. They should look something like this! 

12. In IrfanView, you can also make basic color changes. For example if you want them to be blue, just increase the level of blue. Make sure you SAVE AS a new file name so that you don't overwrite your original file. (If you're interested in making more precise color changes, you can do so in GIMP.)

13. If you want, you can add wording. I used Adobe Illustrator because it's the easiest way for me, but you can certainly use any photo-editing program that allows you to add text (such as GIMP or Photoshop Elements). You may need to open a blank canvas, and place your footprint photo in the center to allow additional room to add the text.

Here's an example:

14. You also may want to measure the original foot prints and keep a record of the length and width so that you know their exact size. (Just in case something happens to the originals)

15. The last step is to save the footprints. Save the original, as well as any edits. I highly recommend saving them somewhere online. The easiest option is to email them to yourself and save them in an email folder. That way if anything happens to your computer, you'll be able to access them from another one. 

NOTE: Obviously, these aren't a replacement for the originals, but at least this way you know you have a copy that is safe in case anything were to happen to the originals. Also, they are now ready to use for any projects you may have in mind. 

To best preserve the originals, store them in a cool, DRY place in an envelope. Try not to expose them to light or air too often as that will cause them to fade faster. Also never touch the ink, as the oils from your fingers will cause smudging and discoloration. 

If you have any questions or need help, just leave a comment below!