| If you have been photographing for years, you | | | | Since scanning a picture is the only way to turn it |
| likely have many photos that are not in digital | | | | into a digital file, but scanning it at home is not the |
| format. Whether you have negatives or actual | | | | best option, a better option is to have someone |
| images, these photos have a limited life span. The | | | | else scan your photo collection for you. You can |
| only true way to preserve a photograph is to | | | | hire an outside company that has a high-resolution |
| have it digitized. A CD is going to last much longer | | | | scanner designed for this use and have them |
| than a photo that can fade and lose color | | | | scan the photographs or negatives and convert |
| contrast with time. If you need to turn convert | | | | them into a digital format. There is a cost |
| photos to digital formats, you have two basic | | | | involved in this, but when you consider the |
| options. | | | | amount of time you would invest in scanning |
| Scanning Them at Home | | | | them yourself, having them scanned becomes |
| The most obvious option to get a digital copy of | | | | more cost effective. |
| your image is to scan it at home using convert | | | | Not only that, but the companies that offer |
| photo digital equipment. A flatbed scanner and the | | | | convert photo digital services have high resolution |
| right scanning software can make a digital copy | | | | scanning equipment that produces a clean, sharp |
| of a print fairly easily. This copy can then be | | | | replica of the image you have. Some systems |
| transferred to a CD or memory card. | | | | even allow for color correction if the image has |
| One downside of this option is the fact that you | | | | faded with time. The file you receive when you |
| will lose image quality. The flatbed scanner that | | | | have your images professionally scanned is a high |
| you have at home simply is not capable of | | | | quality image file that you can enlarge, post online, |
| producing high resolution scans. The image will | | | | or otherwise use without any concerns for the |
| likely look great on screen and might even print | | | | quality of the image. Also, by doing this you can |
| well at a 4 by 6 size or smaller, but if you need | | | | scan directly from the negative, if you have it, |
| to enlarge the image at some point, you will | | | | producing an image that is even closer to the |
| notice a loss in quality. Also, unless you have | | | | quality of the original image, since negatives do |
| specialized equipment, you will not be able to use | | | | not fade as quickly as printed pictures. |
| a home scanner to scan negatives. | | | | If you have printed pictures or negatives that you |
| Another downside to scanning your photographs | | | | need converted to a digital format, you have two |
| yourself is that it takes a tremendous amount of | | | | basic options. Because of the limitations of doing it |
| time. If you have hundreds of pictures, you will | | | | yourself, hiring a professional scanning lab to do it |
| spend weeks scanning each one individually. This | | | | for you is the best option. Be sure the lab will give |
| option really only works well if you have just a | | | | you a finished product in the format you need, |
| few pictures. | | | | and get started converting those old pictures to a |
| Having Someone Else Scan Them | | | | modern digital format. |