✦ Usage Guide

How to Resurrect
an Archived Photo

From upload to downloadable share card in under a minute. Here's everything you need to know to get the most out of The Archive Algorithm.

Step by Step

1

Upload Your Photo

Drop an image onto the upload zone or click to browse your files. See the Supported Formats section below for what file types work.

2

Add Context (Optional but Powerful)

Use the "Tell us about the shoot" field to give Claude extra detail — the year it was taken, who's in it, the mood, the story behind it. The more context you provide, the sharper and more specific the analysis will be.

Example: "This was taken in 1987 at my grandmother's house in rural Louisiana. She was wearing her church clothes. It was a Sunday."
3

Hit Analyze

Claude runs two parallel analyses simultaneously. Results typically arrive in 20–40 seconds. You'll see a live progress indicator while it works.

4

Pick Your Theme — Section 01

Browse the 10 Concept Posting Plans. Each card has an emotional angle, target audience, visual direction, edit style, caption concept, hook line, and 5 SEO hashtags. Find the concept direction that fits the image and the platform you're posting to.

5

Choose Your Hook + Caption — Section 02

Hit the ★ Card button next to any hook or caption to instantly update the Share Card preview. Mix and match — pick a hook from concept 3 and a caption from concept 7 if that's what works.

Format picker: Switch between Square (1080×1080) and Portrait/Stories (1080×1920).
Zoom slider: Adjust how the photo crops on the card.
6

Download Your Share Card

Hit ⬇ Download Share Card to save a full-resolution PNG. Ready to post directly to Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, or anywhere else.

7

Copy Captions, Hooks & Quote Overlays

Every quote overlay has a ⧉ copy button — one tap copies it to your clipboard. Use these as text overlays in Reels, Canva, or CapCut.

8

Revisit Past Sessions — Your Archive

Up to 12 sessions are saved locally in your browser. Click ◈ My Archive in the nav bar, or use the jump link in the hero to go straight there. Note: archive is stored in this browser only — it won't sync across devices.

Supported Formats

Format Support Notes
JPEG / JPG ✓ Works Standard photo format — always works
PNG ✓ Works Standard — always works
WebP ✓ Works Modern web format — always works
GIF ✓ Works Static only — animation is not analyzed
HEIC / HEIF ✓ Works iPhone photos — converted to JPEG automatically in your browser
DNG ✓ Works Adobe digital negative — decoded in-browser. May fail with proprietary compression; export as JPEG from Lightroom if it doesn't load
PSD ✓ Works Photoshop files — must be saved with Maximize Compatibility enabled (File → Save As → check the box)
RAW (CR2, NEF, ARW…) ✗ Not supported Camera RAW formats cannot be decoded in a browser. Export a JPEG from Lightroom or Camera Raw first

All images are compressed before analysis. Files are resized to a maximum of 1568px on the longest side and compressed to under 4.5MB — this happens automatically in your browser before anything is sent. Your original file is never modified.

What You Get

✦ SHARE CARD
Downloadable Share Card
A branded 1080×1080 or 1080×1920 image with your chosen hook, caption, and branding. Download as PNG, ready to post.
01
10 Concept Posting Plans
Themed directions for the image — each with emotional angle, target audience, visual direction, edit style, caption concept, hook line, and 5 SEO hashtags.
02
Ready-to-Post Social Assets
20 hook lines · 20 captions · 20 quote overlays · 11 carousel & infomercial ideas. All selectable for the share card.
03
Visual & Psychological Analysis
Emotional tone, fashion era, cinematic quality, nostalgia triggers, cultural references, and why this image is relevant right now.
04
Trend Intelligence
Platform-bucketed trend data — TikTok/Viral aesthetics, Instagram/Fashion parallels, Pinterest/Cinema references, and the nostalgia layer.
05
Search Intelligence
10 search terms each for Google Images, Pinterest, TikTok, and Instagram — the exact language people use to find images like this. Hit Search Here → on any platform card to launch a floating search window without leaving the app.

⚠ Popups blocked? Your browser may block the search window the first time. Look for a popup blocked icon in your address bar and click Allow — then try again. On mobile, searches open in a new tab and you can swipe straight back.
06
Platform Optimization
Best platform, target audience, posting style, crop framing, music direction, emotional tone, optimal posting time, and why this beats newer content.

Getting the Best Results

Use Faces and People

Photos with people — especially emotional or candid moments — generate the most specific and resonant concepts. Blank landscapes work, but faces unlock deeper psychological analysis.

Tell It the Year

Even just "this was taken in the late 70s" in the context field sharpens the era-specific trend connections and nostalgia triggers dramatically.

Mix Concepts and Assets

The hooks and captions in Section 02 don't have to match the concept you chose. A hook from concept 2 might pair perfectly with a caption from concept 8. Treat them as separate ingredient lists.

Run It Again

Each analysis is unique. If the first run doesn't hit exactly right, run the same photo again — Claude will generate different concepts, angles, and copy every time.