You can digitize memories today. Since the advent of photography, gazillions of photos have been created. When you look at your own envelopes, photo albums, shoe boxes, etc., it may feel like you have a gazillion photos … and far too daunting a task to undertake! The biggest problem other than sheer numbers is that many old photos, slides, and negatives are types of analog media that have suffered the consequences of time.
Analog media types such as VHS tapes, Super8 film, and audio recordings also face similar degradation over time. The ability to mix and match analog media types during the digitization process ensures that all your memories, regardless of format, can be preserved effectively. Moreover, do you think your children are going to sift through thousands of photos to find the few hundred worth keeping?
Especially in this day and age when anyone with a decent smartphone is a photographer and taking photos is nearly as ubiquitous as waking up in the morning and going to sleep at night. There are many good reasons why you should digitize old photos that are worth keeping, but this begs the question of whether to tackle the project yourself or have it done professionally.
Reasons Why You Should Digitize Precious Memories
The number one reason to digitize is preservation. Digitizing home movies and photos helps in preserving them. Additionally, having digital copies of your memories offers convenience and security. Prints, slides, and negatives are subject to never-ending color shifting, fading, scratches, and other environmental damage. When you digitize them, you can correct many flaws with software. Digitizing photos allows you to:
- Share digital images with family and friends with a click of a button
- Eliminate all those photos cluttering your living space
- Organize images in ways that aren’t possible with traditional photos
- View images without digging through boxes in the attic, basement, or at the back of a closet on a top shelf
- Take a nostalgic trip down memory lane anytime you wish
Additionally, ScanCafe offers exclusive deals to make the digitization process even more affordable and attractive.
DIY Digital Photo Scanning for Analog Media
If you have plenty of time and a desire to do this, it’s possible to digitize photos, slides, negatives, and audio recordings yourself. If you choose to send your media for professional digitization, ScanCafe provides a pre-paid shipping label to ensure safe and easy shipping of your items. Digitizing film reels requires specific equipment and careful handling. You’ll need a flatbed scanner, film scanner (for negatives and slides), and image correction software. Here are the six basic steps involved in DIY scanning:
- Organize your prints, slides, and negatives by time period, people, etc. and decide which are worthy of scanning.
- Do some research on different models before you buy a flatbed scanner and/or film scanner. Both of these come in a wide range of price points and some produce better results than others.
- Decide how you want to store the photos (e.g. on your computer, USB drives, DVDs, in the cloud).
- Adjust the settings—scanning photos and saving them as JPEGs in RGB at 300dpi or 600dpi will give you better results than 96dpi (standard resolution for online images you never want to print)
- If you don’t know how to color correct or use retouching features in imaging correction software, watch online tutorials. Adobe Photoshop has a steep learning curve for novices, but more basic software may be sufficient for your needs.
- Create separate folders on your chosen digital storage and label them clearly to avoid trying to find them when you want to print or share them.
The Perks of Professional Home Movies and Photos Digitization Services
While we’re betting you don’t have a gazillion old photos, research indicates the typical American adult has 3,000 such images! At an average of 7.5 minutes per photo to scan including repair, this equates to 22,500 minutes, or about 375 hours. If you don’t have the time, equipment, or desire to scan hundreds or thousands of photos, a professional and highly efficient scan photo service is your best option.
ScanCafe includes a shipping label in their kits, making it easy to send your media for digitization and track its progress. At ScanCafe, an assigned technician will review and correct your images, one at a time. When scanned and repaired, you can review them and delete up to 20% of your order without being charged.
You can even reorganize images to some extent before selecting them for download. Or, if you prefer, we’ll send them to you on a USB drive or DVD. After the digitization process, you will receive all your original media back. We emphasize safely handling and returning your original media and digitized copies. It’s an easy and affordable way to preserve special memories!
Viewing and Sharing Your Digitized Memories
Once you’ve digitized your precious memories with ScanCafe, you’ll want to share them with family and friends. Our comprehensive digitization service allows you to enjoy your digitized memories in various digital formats, including digital downloads, USB thumb drives, and DVDs. This flexibility means you can easily share your cherished moments with loved ones, whether they are near or far.
Imagine the joy of sending a digital download link to a relative across the country or gifting a beautifully organized USB drive filled with family history to a loved one. With your memories preserved in a digital format, you can ensure they are easily accessible and shareable, bringing joy to future generations. By signing up for our newsletter, you can receive recurring automated promotional messages with special offers and updates on our services.
Formats and Media Supported
At ScanCafe, we understand that your precious memories come in various formats and media types. That’s why we offer comprehensive digitization services to preserve all your memories for future generations. Our services cover a wide range of analog media, including:
- Videotapes: We can digitize all your VHS, VHS-C, Hi8, Digital8, MiniDV, Betamax, or other formats.
- Film Reels: We handle 8mm, Super 8, 16mm, and more, ensuring the high quality preservation of your old home movies.
- Photos: We can digitize all your photographic memories from prints to negatives and slides.
- Audio Recordings: Reel-to-reel, audio cassettes, micro-cassettes, and other audio formats are carefully digitized to preserve your recordings.
Our team of experts uses state-of-the-art equipment to digitize your analog media meticulously. We ensure that all your original media and digitized copies are preserved and returned to you. This way, you can rest assured that your precious memories are safe.
Output Options and Sharing
Once your memories are digitized, we offer various output options to make sharing and enjoying them as easy as possible. Our flexible output options include:
- Digital Download: Receive your digitized memories as digital files, which can be easily shared with family and friends or stored on your computer or cloud storage service.
- USB Thumb Drive: Get all your digitized memories on a convenient USB thumb drive, which can be plugged into any computer or device for easy access.
- DVD or Blu-ray: Receive your digitized memories on a DVD or Blu-ray disc, perfect for playing on any DVD or Blu-ray player.
- Cloud Storage: Store your digitized memories in our secure cloud storage service, allowing you to access and share them from anywhere.
Additionally, we offer personalized marketing text messages to help you share your digitized memories with family and friends. This unique feature ensures that your cherished moments can be easily shared, bringing joy to those you love.
Common Questions and Concerns
We understand that you may have questions and concerns about our digitization services. Here are some common questions and answers to help you feel more confident about the process:
What happens to my original media?
We carefully digitize your original media and return it to you and your digitized memories. Your original media is handled with the utmost care throughout the process.
How long does the digitization process take?
Our typical turnaround time is 2-4 weeks, depending on the size of your project. We strive to complete your order as quickly as possible without compromising quality.
Can I track the progress of my project?
Yes, we provide real-time updates on the status of your project, so you can track its progress and know exactly when to expect your digitized memories.
How do I receive my digitized memories?
We offer a range of output options, including digital download, USB thumb drive, DVD or Blu-ray, and cloud storage. You can choose the option that best suits your needs.
Can I share my digitized memories with family and friends?
Absolutely! We offer personalized marketing text messages to help you share your digitized memories with family and friends, making spreading the joy of your preserved moments easy.
We hope this information helps to answer your questions and concerns. If you have any further questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. Your satisfaction and the preservation of your precious memories are our top priorities.