Pick the job in front of you
You do not need to read everything. Choose the question that is blocking the photograph. Keep the Source visible, write down what you know, and leave an honest unknown when the evidence runs out.
Practise on a public photograph in Photo Detective →Source, sequence, limits
- Method 01
How do I make a trustworthy digital source?
Choose phone, flatbed, or specialist capture without erasing the back, borders, handwriting, or fragile original that makes the image evidence.
Open capture the source → - Method 02
What should I change—and in what order?
Start with the source, make non-generative corrections first, repair only what is needed, and stop before a plausible result replaces the record.
Open choose the sequence → - Method 03
What can AI know, and where can it invent?
Separate recovered appearance from inferred detail, plausible colour, and generated repairs so a compelling image is never mistaken for a recovered fact.
Open read the limits →
Material, memory, collection
- Method 04
What kind of damage is this, and when should I stop?
Distinguish ordinary surface damage from wet, moldy, stuck, cased, film, glass, or structurally fragile material before handling or digitizing it.
Open recognize damage → - Method 05
How do I preserve the original and its provenance?
Keep physical originals stable, retain uncropped source files, separate masters from working copies, and carry names, backs, dates, and source notes forward.
Open preserve the record → - Method 06
How do I ask family one answerable question?
Share one photograph with its known context and ask a bounded question about a person, place, date, relationship, or story—not an open-ended request to organize everything.
Open ask for one memory → - Method 07
How do I rescue an inherited archive without losing context?
Make a finishable first pass: name the afternoon's album, capture fronts and backs, restore the worthy set, write down who you know, then choose one next share. A tree you already keep is optional ranking fuel, never a gate.
Open triage the collection →
Setup and platform notes
Use these when you already know the job and need a Nostalgia-specific answer.
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