Make & keep
Make a removable acetate overlay for a photo-strip copy
Add labels and drawn details on a separate transparent layer.
A clear overlay lets you annotate a copy without drawing on the photograph itself. Use it to mark eye-lines, compare clothing details or add a short invented dialogue, while labelling interpretation as your own rather than historical evidence.
Fit the window
Place a clear acetate sheet over a duplicate strip and trim it slightly larger than the image. Add a small hinge of removable paper tape along one short edge so the overlay can lift like a page. Keep adhesive away from the photo surface.
Annotate the layer
Use a pen tested on spare acetate, not permanent marker on the strip. Put arrows and short labels in the margins; use a different colour or line style for each speaker or frame. Write “my reading” or “reconstruction” beside invented words so later viewers can distinguish them from recorded captions.
Check and separate
Lift the overlay and confirm that no ink transferred or adhesive touched the print. Store the overlay beside, not pressed against, the copy. If it clouds, curls or leaves a mark, remove it from the display and replace the sheet after a material test.