Improve your photos
Work on a copy, not the original: setting that habit up before you edit anything
Why you should always duplicate a photo before editing it, and a simple system for keeping the original safe.
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Protect your photos
Set a recovery contact for the account holding your only photo backup
A recovery contact helps you get back into your account if you're ever locked out. How to set one up in a few minutes.
Protect your photos
Recover photos from a phone that won't turn on
If your photos were backing up to the cloud, a phone that won't turn on doesn't mean they're lost. How to access them from another device.
Protect your photos
What to do before selling or handing down an old phone with photos on it
Confirm your backup is complete, then remove your accounts and factory reset the phone, so your photos are safe and the next owner can't see them.
Protect your photos
Check whether a 'backup' app is actually syncing or actually backing up
Syncing and backing up aren't the same thing. How to check which one an app is really doing, and why it matters if you delete something by accident.
Protect your photos
Back up photos to an external drive as well as the cloud
Why cloud backup alone isn't enough, and how to also copy your photos onto an external drive for a genuinely independent second copy.
Protect your photos
What happens to your photo backup if you cancel a cloud subscription?
What typically happens to photos stored over a free storage limit after cancelling a paid cloud plan, and how to check before you cancel.
Protect your photos
Turn on two-factor authentication for the account your photo backup lives in
Two-factor authentication is a five-minute change that stops most account takeovers, protecting the account that holds your photo backup.
Protect your photos
Restore photos from an Android phone's backup and check it worked
How to bring your photos back onto a new or reset Android phone, and confirm the restore actually worked.
Protect your photos
Back up an Android phone's photos automatically
Turn on Google Photos' automatic backup so every new photo is protected without you having to remember.
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
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.
Protect your photos
Check your backup covers videos as well as photos
Videos use far more storage than photos and can have their own limits. How to check your backup actually covers them properly.
Protect your photos
What changes about your photo backup if you switch phone brands
Switching from iPhone to Android or back can mean an extra export step, depending on which backup service you're using. What to check first.
Protect your photos
Keep a second, independent copy of your most irreplaceable photos
Why cloud backup alone isn't enough, and how to keep a genuinely independent second copy of your most important photos.