Memorial Portraits: A Dignified Keepsake From a Treasured Photo

A memorial portrait from PhotoForPass is a cleaned, gently restored version of a photo you already treasure, presented in a calm, dignified setting. It honors how your loved one looked in that photo.

We keep what makes the photo theirs. Their face, age, expression, hair and skin tone stay as they are in your picture. We do not make anyone look younger or older, add a smile that was not there, or change how they looked.

A portrait cannot bring anyone back, and we will never suggest it can. It is a keepsake: a clear, frame-worthy image for a service, for the home and for the years of remembering that follow. All four styles are non-religious by default, so they suit any faith, tradition or celebration of life.

Each order includes all four styles, one portrait in each. Two keep the focus on the person with a simple backdrop, and two add a soft, peaceful setting.

One way to use the set: frame the Classic portrait for the service and share the others with relatives. If the original photo is very faded or color-shifted, Timeless monochrome often looks the most natural.

The best memorial photo is one where your loved one looks like themselves. Expression matters more than perfection, so start with photos the family already loves, then check them for clarity.

What to look for

• A clear, focused face. Sharp eyes matter more than a perfect background.
• Facing the camera. A slight angle is fine; profiles are harder to restore faithfully.
• Soft, even light. No deep shadows across the face and no squinting into the sun.
• The age you want to remember. We keep the age shown in the photo, so choose the stage of life the family wants to honor.
• Nothing covering the face. Sunglasses and hats that hide the eyes make likeness harder.

Using a group photo

Portraits keep the same people as your photo. For a portrait of one person, crop the photo on your phone so only your loved one remains, with their head, shoulders and a little space around them. If the face becomes small or blurry after cropping, try another photo. A photo of a couple, such as grandparents together, can stay as it is.

Old prints often hold the most meaningful photos. A careful copy of the print gives the restoration the most to work with.

Scanning a print

The Library of Congress suggests scanning normal prints at 300 dpi, and at 400 to 600 dpi for small prints you want to enlarge to 8x10 or more. Clean the scanner glass and take the photo out of its frame first.

No scanner? Use your phone

Lay the print flat near a window in daylight, out of direct sun. Hold the phone directly above it, parallel to the photo, and turn off the flash to avoid glare. Fill the frame with the print, then crop away the edges.

Faded and color-shifted photos

Restoration removes fading and noise. Colors on very faded prints come back looking natural, but they may not match the original exactly. Timeless monochrome is a good choice when most of the color is gone.

Scratches, creases and tears

Light scratches and creases are cleaned up. If a tear or stain crosses the face, the missing detail has to be rebuilt, and it may not look exactly like your loved one. Check each portrait closely before printing, and ask for a redo if something is not right.

Keep the original print safe after scanning: hold it by the edges, store it in a photo-safe sleeve in a cool, dry place, and never put tape on it.

Memorial portraits come as print-ready, high-resolution files in a 4:5 shape. That shape prints at 8x10 and 16x20 with no cropping; other sizes trim a little from the sides.

Ask the funeral home or venue what size its easels and frames take before you print. For a large print such as 16x20, check the pixel size on your download page and confirm with the print shop that it suits that size. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart photo counters often offer same-day pickup for standard sizes like 8x10; larger sizes can take longer.

A memorial portrait often appears in several places in the days around a service. One set of files covers them all.

• Funeral or memorial program: place the Classic portrait or Timeless monochrome on the cover of the program or order of service. Program templates and funeral homes accept standard image files.
• Easel and memorial table: a framed 16x20 or 8x10 print near the guest book helps guests feel welcome.
• Online obituary and social posts: the Classic portrait works well wherever a clean, simple image is needed.
• Slideshow or video tribute: use one portrait as the opening or closing image.
• Keepsakes for family: send the files to relatives far away so each household can print its own copy.

If the funeral home is designing the program, download the files and send them the one you choose.

We know these orders often come at a hard time, so every step is kept simple and gentle.

Every portrait is checked automatically before delivery: the same person as your photo, a natural face and clean details. If something looks off, it is redone automatically. You knew your loved one best, so if a portrait does not feel right, ask for a redo (3 free redos per order), or use our 14-day money-back guarantee.

Your photo stays in your browser until you order. After that, it is encrypted, used only to create your portraits, never sold or shared, and deleted automatically after 90 days, or sooner from My photos. Download and keep your own copies of the files. For other keepsake collections, visit the photo studio.