Old family photographs carry history in every crease and faded colour. They remind us of weddings, birthdays, and everyday smiles long gone. Yet they rarely capture everyone together in one frame. With a photo merge portrait, you can reunite relatives across decades and create the picture that was never taken. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to prepare your photos so the end result looks natural, authentic, and timeless.
Start by Choosing the Right Photos
The foundation of a successful merge is strong source material. Look for images that best represent your family member’s personality and presence. Here are some practical tips:
- Pick photos with clear faces. Good quality images give the best results. If your photo is slightly blurry or low resolution, we will enhance it free of charge. If there are any issues, we will contact you right away before continuing.
- Choose natural expressions. Smiles or relaxed poses make the final portrait feel alive.
- Scan old prints. If your photos are only in albums, scan them at a high resolution (300 dpi or higher).
Think About Angles and Perspective
When merging, images taken at similar angles blend more smoothly. For example, if one person is photographed head-on and another in profile, the contrast can look unnatural. If you have options, choose photos where subjects are facing roughly the same direction.
Lighting Makes a Difference
Lighting affects skin tone, shadows, and mood. A portrait with balanced daylight will merge better than one with harsh flash. If your old photos vary a lot, don’t worry—our retouching process can harmonise them. Still, providing images with similar light sources helps create a more seamless finish.
How We Create Your Portrait
After you upload your selection, our artists begin carefully aligning the images into one design. This involves scaling, adjusting, and balancing until the group feels like it was taken together. Then comes the detailed work:
- Colour correction to bring faded photos back to life.
- Hand-drawn shading and ultra-fine detail to unify skin, fabric, and hair strands.
- Texture blending so each person belongs in the same scene.
Examples of Family Photo Merges
To give you inspiration, here are a few ways families have used this service:
- A grandmother added into her granddaughter’s wedding photo, creating a memory that felt real.
- Siblings photographed decades apart combined into one portrait for a milestone birthday.
- Parents reunited with a child who had only baby pictures, blended into a modern family scene.
Final Touches Before Printing
You’ll always receive a preview to approve before we print. With unlimited edits, you can request changes until the portrait feels right. Only when you are completely happy do we create your A4 print, package it securely, and send it with free next-day delivery.
Bringing scattered moments together in one portrait is easier than you think. Start with the photos you already have, and let us do the rest. Begin your family photo merge today. Want more inspiration? Read our Three Generations Customer Story.