Digitise old photos
Digitise photos printed on textured or glossy paper without glare
How to angle your light or camera to avoid glare and reflections when digitising textured or glossy prints.
Digitise old photos
Bring the albums back into everyday life.
Make digital copies of prints without rushing, losing their stories or damaging the originals.
Digitise old photos
Check a scan for quality before you throw away or return the original
How to properly check a digitised scan at full size before letting go of the physical original, so problems get caught while you can still reshoot.
Digitise old photos
Digitise a photo that's stuck to the inside of its frame or album page
Why you shouldn't try to peel a stuck photo free, and how to photograph it safely in place instead.
Digitise old photos
What a professional scanning service does differently from a phone scan
When a professional scanning service is worth the cost over a quick phone scan, and when it isn't.
Digitise old photos
Digitise photos from a disposable or instant camera print
How to digitise Polaroid-style instant prints and disposable-camera photos, which often have no negative backup.
Digitise old photos
Choose a batch size that keeps a digitising session manageable
Why a huge digitising project can stall, and how to pick a batch size you can actually finish in one sitting.
Digitise old photos
Digitise a damaged or curled photo without causing more damage
How to safely photograph a fragile, curled or damaged photo without forcing it flat or risking further harm.
Digitise old photos
What to do with negatives once the prints are already digitised
Why it's worth keeping negatives even after digitising the prints, and how to store them properly if you do.
Digitise old photos
Digitise a slide collection without a dedicated slide scanner
A practical way to digitise slides using backlighting and your phone camera, without buying a dedicated slide scanner.
Digitise old photos
What resolution should you scan a photo at for printing later?
300 dpi is the standard baseline for good print quality; here's when to scan higher, and how to check your settings.
Digitise old photos
Digitise photos from an old photo album without removing them from the pages
How to photograph or scan photos still stuck in an album, page by page, without risking damage by prising them off.
Digitise old photos
Give old prints a safe home after scanning
Put one sound group into suitable housing and keep it connected to its digital copies.
Digitise old photos
What to ask a photo-scanning service before you book
Get a clear written scope covering care, sample files, privacy, price and return of your originals.
Digitise old photos
Choose a copying route for old negatives and slides
Check the film format, condition and equipment before choosing a scanner, camera setup or service.
Digitise old photos
What do photo-scanning settings actually change?
Understand resolution, colour and source-file choices before making a small scanner trial.
Digitise old photos
Try PhotoScan on one old print
Follow the four-dot capture and judge the saved result before scanning a whole group.
Digitise old photos
Photograph one old print with your iPhone
Use the ordinary Camera app and a simple lighting setup to make a checked copy of one stable print.
Digitise old photos
Prepare ten old photos for a copying session
Keep one small group in order and plan how its fronts, backs and notes will stay connected.
Digitise old photos
Should you scan an old print or photograph it?
Choose a copying method that suits the print’s condition and your intended result.
Digitise old photos
Keep the story with a small group of scanned photos
Use a simple companion note to connect family names, uncertain dates and memories to five photographs.