Photo Stuck to the Glass? Here’s What to Do.

I recently ran into this problem after my family had some new portraits taken. My wife thought it was the perfect time to freshen up a few of the picture frames around the house, and we were surprised to find that one photo had stuck to the glass—even though it had only been framed for a year. While searching for a solution, I came across three of the most common DIY tips online and have gathered them here. As with many things, what works for one person may not work for another. When it comes to your photos, go with what feels right for you. These tips may or may not help, so use your best judgment and proceed with care.

You’ll find plenty of other helpful photography tips here, too.

BEFORE YOU START, MAKE A COPY

First and foremost, before doing anything, make a digital backup of the image. If something goes wrong while you are trying to peel the photo off, the picture could be ruined. You will either need to locate the negative to make a new one or, even worse, if there is no negative, the picture will be lost forever.

There are two ways to create a digital backup. The first is to use a flatbed scanner to scan the image at a high resolution (at least 600 dpi). This is generally the easier option, though the results may not be as sharp, depending on the scanner. Because the photo sits behind a second piece of glass instead of directly on the scanner glass, it may not line up with the scanner’s focal point. This can make the image look softer rather than crisp.

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• Scan the photo
• Hire a photographic conservator
• Follow best archival practices with the newly restored photo

There are two ways to create a digital backup. The first method uses a flatbed scanner to capture the image at a high resolution (at least 600 dpi). While this option is generally easier, it may not produce the sharpest results, depending on the scanner. This is because the photo sits behind a second piece of glass rather than directly on the scanner glass. As a result, the image may not be centered on the scanner’s focal point, resulting in a softer image rather than a crisp one.

Here’s something I’ve learned after decades in the photo industry. A slightly blurry photo isn’t always a lost cause. Sometimes a little sharpening can bring out details you barely noticed before, especially around faces, eyes, or object edges. FixThePhoto explains how to do this online, including a useful tip: zoom in to 100% before making adjustments. My advice? Go easy. Too much sharpening can make people look like cardboard cutouts! And remember, sharpening improves the appearance of detail. It can’t recreate information the camera never captured. Worth knowing before giving up on a favorite family photo.

Ten ways to clean 35mm slides

Additionally, you can take the photo to a local scanning company and have them digitize it for you. We’ve helped customers create a suitable digital backup of their photos before they attempt to remove them. While you may not be near ScanMyPhotos, we offer our services internationally and digitize up to 300,000 photos each day.

Lastly, before removing the photo from the glass, review the digital file to ensure it meets your approval. Please don’t assume it came out or rely on the thumbnail image. Zoom in to 100% and review the entire image to look for flaws or issues, such as reflections and image clarity.

wikiHow to Remove Glue from Photos

REMOVING THE PRINT FROM THE GLASS

There are a number of suggestions out there, but I’ll start with what worked for us.
HEAT – Using the low heat setting, hold a hairdryer 4-5 inches away from the back of the print and blow warm air. This heats the area between the photo and the glass and loosens the photo’s hold. We were able to pull back a small corner and then slowly continue the process until the whole picture came off unharmed, but a little curled (nothing putting it under a heavy book for a while won’t cure it).

These methods are unconfirmed, but they are the two other main methods I found online for removing a photo stuck to glass.

WATER – Soak the photo and glass in water, preferably warm water for a color photo. Mike, a Senior Member of the RetouchPro forum, writes,

“Done a bunch of this! I have found that plain water is a good starting point for any photograph dated 1930 or later. Depending on what the customer says and what I see, we usually make a copy of the photo before we start the process, just in case we run into something bad. Soaking in plain water works well if the print has not been on the glass for a long time. Sometimes we get photos in where they have been on the glass for what appears to be decades, and those can be a real problem. For those, I add PhotoFlo to the water. PhotoFlo is a thick liquid you add to the final rinse when developing film. It breaks the water’s surface tension on the film and seems to help water penetrate the paper emulsion adhering to the glass. You wouldn’t want to use a hairdryer on one of these. It seems that getting a print wet, then having it stick to the glass, and then drying it is about the worst thing that can happen. These are much easier to do if the prints are still damp when you get them. Often, I let the print soak for hours, and sometimes days. However, you really have to watch them so they don’t dissolve on you (remember the copy made before you started?).”

COLD – Freeze the photo and glass. Carefully remove them from the frame, then wrap them in newspaper to help protect them from damage. Wearing rubber gloves to protect your hands in case the glass breaks, place the wrapped photo and glass in the freezer for an hour. Take them out and unwrap them. Gently lift a corner of the photo; it should come away from the glass. If it doesn’t, slide a credit card between the glass and the photo and gently ease them apart. Moisture between the glass and photo is likely what caused them to stick together; freezing helps make them less sticky.

Keep in mind that every situation is different: what works for one person’s photo may not work for another’s. Personally, I’d feel comfortable recommending the hairdryer or freezer method to amateurs, while leaving the wet process to professionals experienced in working in a darkroom.

PREVENT FUTURE OCCURRENCES

One final tip to help prevent this from happening again: place treasured photographs in frames with archival-quality, photo-safe mats. The mats create space between the glass and the photograph and help buffer against humidity, which can cause the image to stick to the glass. This article from the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works is a helpful guide to framing documents and other works of art.

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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes