We have demonstrated that optical images can be stored in transparent lead-lanthanum-zirconate-titanate (PLZT) ceramics by exposure to near-UV light with photon energies greater than the band gap energy of ∼3.35 eV. The image storage process relies on optically induced changes in the switching properties of ferroelectric domains (photoferroelectric effect). Stored images are nonvolatile but can be erased by uniform UV illumination and simultaneous application of an electric field. Although high quality images, with contrast variation of ⩾100 : 1 and spatial resolution of ∼10 μm, can be stored using the photoferroelectric effect, relatively high exposure energies (∼100 mJ/cm 2) are required to storethese images. This large exposure energy severely limits the range of possible applications of nonvoltile image storage in PLZT ceramics. We have recently found from studies of H, He and Ar implanted PLZT that thephotosensitivity can be significantly increased by ion implantation into the surface to be exposed. For example, the photosensitivity after implantation with 5 × 10 14 500 KeV Ar/cm 2 is increased by about three orders of magnitude over that of unimplanted PLZT. The image storage process and the effect of ion implantation is presented along with a phenomenological model which describes the enhancement in photosensitivity obtained by ion implantation. This model takes into account both light- and ion implantation-induced changes in conductivity and gives quantitative agreement with the measured changes in the coercive voltage with light intensity for ion implanted PLZT.