(ABC 6 News) – Do you have boxes of old photos tucked away, gathering dust in a closet or attic? These photos hold precious memories but are also susceptible to damage over time. Digitizing your old photos
not only preserves them but also makes them easily accessible and shareable.

Why Digitize Your Photos?

• Preservation: Physical photos can deteriorate due to age, exposure to light, humidity, and other environmental factors. Digitizing them creates a lasting digital copy that won’t fade or degrade.
• Space-saving: Boxes and albums of photos take up valuable space. Digital copies can be stored compactly on hard drives or in the cloud.
• Accessibility: Finding a specific photo in a physical collection can be time-consuming. Digital photos can be easily organized, searched, and viewed on various devices.
• Shareability: Sharing physical photos is often limited. Digital copies can be easily shared with family and friends online or through email.

Methods for Digitizing Photos

1. Smartphone Camera: The simplest method is using your smartphone camera. While convenient, this method may result in blurry images or glare. For better results, use a scanning app and ensure proper lighting.
2. Scanner App: Several apps, like Google’s PhotoScan, are designed for digitizing photos using your smartphone. These apps often include features to improve image quality and reduce glare. I personally like PhotoScan but it is time-consuming as you need to take multiple photos of the same picture. Google combines the photos to remove glare and improve quality.
3. Flatbed Scanner: For higher quality scans, use a flatbed scanner. This method is more time-consuming but produces superior results, especially for larger photos or those with delicate details. Flatbed scanners are generally available starting at $70.
4. Professional Scanning Service: If you have a large collection or want the best possible quality, consider using a professional scanning service. These services can handle various photo formats and offer additional services like photo restoration. They’re not cheap though.

What has worked for me, is using a smartphone camera, app, and an assembly line of sorts.

• The iPhone app Pro Camera offers the ability to take multiple photos on a timer. The app is $18 in the App Store.
• I sort through a box of photos and put them into one of three piles. A pile of photos I want to keep as paper photos, a stack that I’d like to digitize and discard, and a stack of photos that don’t mean anything to me.
• I stack a few books that I can use to lean the photos against. This prevents capturing a glare from an overhead light.
• I use another book to prop up the phone and aim the camera at a photo leaning against the books.
• Tap the screen to lock the exposure and focus.
• In the Pro Camera app I choose the option to take one photo every seven seconds and tap the shutter.
• Once a photo is taken, I exchange it for a new photo and repeat until I’ve captured all of the photos I want to digitize and save to my phone’s library.

Organizing and Storing Your Digital Photos

Once your photos are digitized, it’s essential to organize and store them properly. Use a
consistent naming convention and create folders based on dates, events, or people. Consider
using cloud storage services like Google Photos or iCloud to back up your digital collection and
access it from anywhere.

Sharing and Enjoying Your Memories

With your photos digitized and organized, you can now easily share them with loved ones.
Create online albums, slideshows, or even printed photo books. Digital photo frames offer a
great way to display and enjoy your cherished memories.

Tips for Digitizing Your Photos

• Clean your photos gently before scanning to remove dust or debris.
• Use a high-resolution setting when scanning or taking photos.
• Edit your digital images to improve color, contrast, and sharpness.
• Back up your digital collection regularly to prevent data loss.
• Consider adding metadata to your photos, such as dates, locations, and names of people.

Digitizing your old photos is a worthwhile investment that preserves your precious memories for
future generations. So, dust off those old photo albums and start digitizing your cherished
memories. Your family will thank you for it.