Digitize Photos, Scan Photos, From Turn Of The Century!

Scanning photos is one of those things that we always mean to get to – the intro I hear most often. Capturing those old photos to see them online, uploading them to the cloud, preventing further deterioration, and sharing them with friends can become a reality.

Scanning Options

There are several options when I digitize photos that affect quality, size, and more. First, choose a resolution to determine the dots per inch (DPI) setting for the scanner. This determines the quality of the photo, but increasing the DPI indefinitely doesn’t improve the quality proportinally.

Printed photos often have an average photo resolution of approximately 300 DPI. Scanning photos at 600 DPI is a good option, which allows for moderate enlargement. 900 DPI allows for more enlargement, but more than that tends to capture every single detail about the picture and the paper. For very high resolutions, the paper grain will actually become visible in the digital image.

Color correction is another option. Scanners today have the technology that restores the original color, even after years of fading. Many photos have amazing color restoration.

Dust and scratch removal is required on virtually every picture, but even photos stored perfectly can attract dust simply by being taken out of the album. Scanners can effectively remove small specks of dust and thin scratches.

Post Photo Scan Processing

After scanning, a standard option is to take a quick look at each photo. An additional software color correction is also available, combined with larger dust and scratch correction to improve pictures. Even fold marks and tears magically disappear. In severe cases, I can do photo restoration as well.

Today, I am scanning about 800 photos to DVD– some of which are 100 years old! Of course, USB and cloud delivery options are also available.