Scanning Old Photos

My Photo and film scanner
By Anna
@LadyDuck (457314)
Switzerland
March 29, 2016 10:05am CST
I have many photos that are not digital, many are printed, some are slides. I have noticed that, when they get old, they tend to fade. Last winter, I have bought the little scanner that you can see in my photo. The scan is fast, the result is satisfactory. Now, all I have to do is to scan at least some photos every day, so I can have all my photos saved to my computer. Do you have photo albums that you would like to make digital?
57 people like this
65 responses
@DianneN (246334)
• United States
29 Mar 16
That is something I will definitely look into! Thanks for sharing.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
I have too many old photos that I would be very upset to lose.
1 person likes this
@amadeo (111948)
• United States
29 Mar 16
I do,I do,Anna I do not think that have to energy doing this.So many photos. But you seems to be okay with this.
5 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
It takes so long to do everything, but I would love to be able to have all my photos ready to use in the computer.
1 person likes this
@youless (112100)
• Guangzhou, China
30 Mar 16
I can understand it is hard work. In fact I also bought such kind of scanner. Besides scanning the photos, it can also scan the negatives. However, actually I just scanned some and then I didn't keep on it. Of course I want to make my old photos into the digital format, but the time is a problem. Besides, taking out photos for the heavy albums is also a tiring work.
2 people like this
@annierose (18926)
• Philippines
30 Mar 16
I have observed that many people just use their phones or tablets to capture photos and then automatically upload them in facebook or instagram. Many also can upload photos right away from their digital cameras. Technology makes our life easier and helps us keep good memories that won't fade.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
I am also scanning films, it is true that it takes a lot of time, but I am so happy when I can see the photo retouched with Paintshop in my screen, they look so much better.
1 person likes this
@youless (112100)
• Guangzhou, China
30 Mar 16
@annierose You are right. But in the past there is no digital camera and smartphones. We could only use the normal camera to take photos.
1 person likes this
@PainsOnSlate (21854)
• Canada
30 Mar 16
I do it as I need it. I have thousand of photos in books and when i need a photo I go get it and scan it. I wish there was a faster way. But after reading this I think I will do a couple of dozen a day and get it done! So Thanks!
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
I also would like a faster way, but taking a digital photo of a photo does not produce a great result.
1 person likes this
• Canada
30 Mar 16
@LadyDuck I've noticed that, even today with the photos that were my mothers - the Wallace Nutting corlored photos. I will scan them and see what happens...
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23228)
• Bangalore, India
29 Mar 16
Yes I would like to digitize mine and my brothers childhood album. The Mom and Dad's wedding album which is a feat of its own.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I have digitalized my wedding album, now I have to continue, there are hundreds of photos in the albums.
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
@Daljinder They are many more than 100, we took so many during our travels.
1 person likes this
@Daljinder (23228)
• Bangalore, India
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck OMG 100?? They would take ages. And we had that many too. *sigh*
2 people like this
@rina110383 (24495)
29 Mar 16
Yes, I would love to scan photos at my parents' place, even those in frames. I love your cute scanner. Haven't seen such size here in my country. Those that are sold here are as big as a printer of a computer or a photocopier.
3 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I have one of those flat scanners, but I use it to scan documents. This is just the size of a normal photo.
1 person likes this
@cacay1 (83223)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
29 Mar 16
@rina1231001383, Also at home others framed.
2 people like this
• Calgary, Alberta
29 Mar 16
I had done that before to make sure the pictures will be immortalized. I also used photoshop to repair the damages.
1 person likes this
• Calgary, Alberta
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck The folds annoys me the most. I really dont know why some of my pictures got ruined by them. I am happy non of my old pictures got wet.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
@CaptAlbertWhisker My pictures are pretty in good shape, they are not ruined, only some scratches.
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I do the same, once they are digitalized, I use Photoshop to remove the scratches, enhance the colors and so on.
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
29 Mar 16
I would like to scan our wedding photos and save them to a DVD.
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck I would really like that and I think my wife would, too.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
@DWDavis It is a very small and easy scanner to use and it does a good job.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
Once they are scanned you can burn a DVD so you can see the photos on your TV.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Mar 16
Wow, that's what I need. I have a huge box of photos in the basement. I think I'll get one of those...do you recommend the one you got if so what is the brand?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I think that the same scanner is sold in the United States under the brand ION. I remember I compared my Tevion with the ION and they are identical, sane resolution and same characteristics.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck I'll check it out, thanks.
2 people like this
• United States
29 Mar 16
@AbbyGreenhill If I am reading it correctly, it scans to a SC card. Is that how yours works? I didn't think they would cost over $100...some are a lot more than that.
2 people like this
@Butchcass4 (5895)
• United States
29 Jun 16
How much do they cost? I have photos I want to scan too.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Jun 16
They are not expensive, I think to remember that I paid this one about 65 dollars.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Jun 16
@Butchcass4 I save them on my computer and also on an external Hard Drive. I prefer a Hard Drive to a memory stick because the life span of a hard drive is a lot longer.
• United States
30 Jun 16
@LadyDuck Well it could be a lot more for it. It's worth it though to have all your pictures on your computer, do you save them to memory sticks too? Just incase, God forbid something happens to the computer. Which happened to us a few months ago. I had no idea if we would be able to recover our pictures, by the grace of God they were saved but I have them on memory stick too so not only are they protected but I can take the memory stick to Walmart and print out photos of whatever I want.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
31 Mar 16
I have a ton of photos that I really need to scan but just haven't had the time to do them yet.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
31 Mar 16
It is true that everything takes time and this is not something that can be done quickly.
1 person likes this
@simone10 (54189)
• Louisville, Kentucky
1 Apr 16
@LadyDuck No, it can't and you have to set aside a time to do it or at least get some of it done. That is what I need to do.
1 person likes this
@gudheart (12659)
30 Mar 16
Most of mine or on digital and I want them on photos!
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
When I was young the digital photo did not exist, so most of mine are printed on paper or slides. I would prefer to have them also in digital format, you never know.
1 person likes this
@gudheart (12659)
30 Mar 16
@LadyDuck True. I find it annoying having to put them onto photos as they can be quite expensive to do and time consuming.
1 person likes this
@Inlemay (17714)
• South Africa
29 Mar 16
Awesome that you are busy doing that - I have done most of my oldies
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
It's a long work to do, I had forget we had so many slides, they are more annoying to scan.
1 person likes this
• United States
29 Mar 16
I have both...some photos have made it to the computer while others are still in albums
2 people like this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I have so many that it will take month to scan all of them, but it something I want to do.
1 person likes this
@shaggin (71655)
• United States
6 Mar 17
I have done the same thing. I like having an online copy in case something happens like a fire etc. Before I put any photos on my walls where they can face I scan them first so I can have a nice original copy. I have been to old people's homes where the photos on their wall were bleached so much from the sun you could barely make out who was in the photo at all. We got a nice scanner/printer from the cyber school and it has really come in handy as my other scanner I used to years would not work with my new Windows 10 computer.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
6 Mar 17
I also like to scan the photos for the same reason, with the time they can fade and it would be a shame to lose memories.
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
30 Mar 16
That's a very good idea indeed , my friend . You just gave me an idea . I will upload a mini scanner on the phone so i can scan all our pictures from the album . I just hope i have enough space left in my phone .
1 person likes this
@SIMPLYD (90722)
• Philippines
30 Mar 16
@LadyDuck I have a memory card in my phone . Most of my photos are already there because one time when i thought there something wrong with it, the repairman copied all the photos and other things from my phone to the memory card . So, now i can copy them directly to my phone because there are now so few photos there .
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
I think you can add a memory card to your phone, or you move the photos to your computer to free space for more.
1 person likes this
@marlina (154166)
• Canada
29 Mar 16
I tried to scan some photos with my printer/scanner but it shows very small. What can I do to make them bigger?
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
31 Mar 16
You have a "pixel" setting on your scanner, the higher the pixel you set the bigger the photo will show. To have a good quality you should scan at 200 DPI. To resize later with an editing program only results in a very poor quality, because your pixels will be too big.
• United Kingdom
31 Mar 16
@Marlina Try resizing them in a photo editing program. I think Windows picture editor does it. Might he worth playing around.
• Philippines
29 Mar 16
That is nice. I like that. We have family photos (a lot actually) when we were all still young and that would be nice to make digital.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I prefer to look at the photo using my tablet than flipping pages. We can also watch them on a TV with the family if they are scanned.
1 person likes this
• Philippines
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck convenient and the photos are preserved.
1 person likes this
@AkoPinay (11544)
• Philippines
30 Mar 16
I do that also and sometimes I just use my iPhone to take photo of the photo haha
1 person likes this
@annierose (18926)
• Philippines
30 Mar 16
I do that also especially if there is no scanner available. Well, the quality is still good.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
30 Mar 16
@annierose I can do this with photos on paper, not with the slides of course.
@destimona (1910)
• Luxembourg, Luxembourg
29 Mar 16
I have albums. Not having a thought of making it digitize yet.
1 person likes this
@LadyDuck (457314)
• Switzerland
29 Mar 16
I want to have all my photos transferred to the computer, so it's so much easier to look at them with friends.
@destimona (1910)
• Luxembourg, Luxembourg
29 Mar 16
@LadyDuck That sounds great.
1 person likes this