How To Scan Old Photos For The Best Resolution

Understanding Pixels

All digital objects are composed of pixels, while printed images consist of dots. Simply put, a pixel (also called picture element) is the smallest unit of any digital image or graphic. Together, they form any visible format on an electronic display. The greater the number of pixels per inch, the better the image quality.

If you zoom in on an image, you’ll start to see the pixels. These colored squares may remind you of that Lite-Brite game from your childhood. When you can see the pixels in an image, this is referred to as pixelated. And this isn’t considered a desirable element in digital or printed photos, unless you’re an artist creating this effect on purpose.

Enhancing Image Quality

Using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop will enhance your digital photos by offering advanced editing options such as colorizing black-and-white photos, restoring images, and correcting color, crease lines, and red-eye.

DPI: Dots Per Inch

Short for dots per inch, this term applies to printed images, however, most people also use it for digital images. DPI uses the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and key/black) color model to determine the amount of red, green, and blue light reflected from white. If you intend to print your digital images, you need to pay close attention to the DPI.

The best DPI for scanning photos depends on your intentions. If the image will be displayed on a website only, 72 to 96 DPI should suffice. But if you wish to create new prints, you need to save the image with a minimum DPI of 300 and boost this to at least 600 to make enlargements.

PPI: Pixels Per Inch

Short for pixels per inch, you may not have heard of this term because it’s used primarily by design and printing professionals. Just like DPI, the number of pixels per inch determines image resolution. PPI utilizes the RGB (red, green, and blue) color model reserved for electronic display of images. This additive color process blends these colors into a single hue at the pixel level.

Tip for Improving Scan Quality

To improve the quality of your photo scans, ensure that the scanner glass and photos are clean and free of dust.

The Scanning Process

To digitize old photos, remember that each image made of dots is converted into pixels (squares). If you looked at a vintage comic book from your childhood, you could easily see the dots and these would get picked up if you scanned one of the pages. That’s because old comic books were generally printed inexpensively with low resolution. Pixels and DPI are the two elements that comprise photo scan resolution. If you wish to increase picture resolution, you need to increase the number of pixels and the DPI to get the best resolution. Here’s an example to better illustrate this principle:

• A 4×6 inch image scanned at 72 DPI has a lower resolution than the same size image scanned at 300 DPI, and therefore, is also smaller in kilobyte size. Scanned at 300 DPI, your digital image will be the exact same size in inches as the print and larger in kilobyte size.

Using a Photo Scanning App

Photomyne

Photomyne is a powerful photo scanning app designed to digitize old photos quickly and easily. Here are some features and tips for using Photomyne:

• Batch Scanning: Photomyne allows you to scan multiple photos in a single shot. This can save a lot of time compared to traditional scanning methods where you have to scan each photo individually.
• Auto-Cropping and Enhancement: The app automatically detects the edges of your photos, crops them, and enhances them. This includes adjusting colors, removing glare, and improving clarity.
• Sharing and Storage: Once scanned, you can easily share your photos via email, social media, or store them in cloud services like Google Drive and Dropbox.
• Photo Albums and Stories: Photomyne also lets you create digital photo albums and add stories or descriptions to your photos, making it a great tool for preserving memories.

Google Photo Scan

Google Photo Scan is another excellent app for photo scanning using your smartphone. Here’s how it stands out:

• Glare-Free Scans: The app uses a unique multi-scan feature to capture multiple images of a photo and combine them to remove glare and enhance image quality.
• Auto-Detection and Cropping: Google Photo Scan automatically detects photo edges, crops them, and adjusts the orientation, ensuring your scans are perfect.
• Integration with Google Photos: Scanned images can be directly saved to your Google Photos library, where you can organize, share, and edit them further.
• High-Quality Scans: The app ensures high-resolution scans, making it ideal for preserving detailed images and creating digital backups of your precious memories.

Other Recommended Photo Scanning Apps

Microsoft Lens

Microsoft Lens is a versatile app that is great for scanning photos, documents, and whiteboards. Here are some key features:

• Multiple Modes: It offers different modes for scanning photos, documents, business cards, and whiteboards.
• Auto-Cropping and Enhancement: The app automatically crops and enhances your photos for the best quality.
• Integration: You can save your scans to OneDrive, OneNote, or directly to your device.
• Easy Sharing: Scanned images can be easily shared via email or saved as PDFs.

CamScanner

CamScanner is a popular app for scanning documents and photos. It offers:

• High-Quality Scans: Ensures clear and sharp scans with its advanced image processing technology.
• Editing Tools: Provides tools for cropping, enhancing, and adding annotations to your scanned images.
• Cloud Storage: Allows you to save your scans to cloud services like Google Drive, Dropbox, and Box.
• Collaboration: You can easily share and collaborate on scanned documents with others.

TurboScan

TurboScan is another reliable app for scanning photos and documents. Its features include:

• Fast Scanning: Offers quick and accurate scans with its SureScan mode.
• Multi-Page Scans: Allows you to scan multiple pages and combine them into a single PDF.
• Editing Options: Provides tools for adjusting brightness, contrast, and colors of your scans.
• Easy Sharing: Scanned images can be emailed, saved to your device, or uploaded to cloud services.

Choosing the Right Format

JPG and TIFF Formats

JPG is the standard image format on most cameras and smartphones. The best format for scanning photos is typically a JPG or JPEG, as long as you keep compression to a minimum. A TIFF, which is an uncompressed image format is huge in comparison and cannot be displayed online. Professional photographers will often save their best images in both formats.

Selecting a Scanner

When choosing a scanner, it’s important to select one that includes the option of scanning at a high DPI. This is typically not an issue with flatbed scanners but can be with dedicated film scanners. An average-size scanner can scan multiple photos at once, saving you time by allowing you to digitally separate and crop them later. Of course, one way to avoid this somewhat confusing issue is to send your precious photos to a professional photo scanning service. At ScanCafe, we scan every photo sent to us meticulously, treating each one like it’s one of our own precious memories!

Professional Photo Scanning Services

Of course, one way to avoid this somewhat confusing issue is to send your precious photos to a professional photo scanning service. At ScanCafe, we scan every printed photo sent to us meticulously, treating each one like it’s one of our own precious memories! Scanning printed photos helps preserve them in a digital format, ensuring that your physical, tangible photographs are safeguarded in an age dominated by digital imagery.