Why do color photos fade?

All color photos fade, and their average lifespan is only about 200 years. Now the Cesar Foundation in Basel, Switzerland, founded by American photography collector Claudio Caesar, aims to reverse that process. The foundation's advisors include the artist Toni Orsler and a number of researchers from the University of Basel, all experts in image technology.

The reason why color photos fade is that the components that make up color images are complex organic compounds. These compounds are extremely unstable and will decompose over time. Unlike black and white photos or paint, the raw materials of color photos do not stabilize, but continue to undergo chemical reactions, and contact with light, heat, and water will catalyze the reaction process. Colors in digital photos fade faster because they are often printed on regular paper, which is less conducive to preservation than photo paper. In addition, the stability of the inks used in inkjet printers is surprisingly poor.

The same problem exists in visual art. First, the composition of videotape is unstable and can wear out with repeated playback. Second, the machines that play videos are becoming obsolete. They will soon be replaced by DVDs, which themselves may be replaced by other newer machines.

Some of the methods currently used by people do not touch the essence of the problem. For example, some museums purchase two frames at the same time, one for display and the other for collection. However, photos in a collection can also fade. When an archived photo is eventually put on display, it will age just as quickly as the previous one.

The solution provided by the Caesar Foundation is divided into two parts. The first part is very mundane and involves storing the material in a digital format so that new, colorful copies are always available. The second part is less unusual. Researchers at the Caesar Foundation have created a device and accompanying software that can scan faded, non-digital "regular" color photos and print copies that are as vivid as the original. The device works by analyzing the chemical composition of a photo point by point to restore color.

However, the key issue is copyright. For example, someone who owns the copyright to a photograph may not have the right to a "fresh" copy 20 years later. Likewise, the person who owns the copyright to a videotape does not necessarily have the right to convert it to DVD format. Under the 1976 U.S. Copyright Act, copying in "any tangible medium now or hereafter invented" is illegal. However, Mr Caesar said he planned to challenge the rule: "In fact, buying a photo should mean buying the right to own a high-quality photo.

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