# Digitising old photos



## Robti (May 19, 2017)

Hi I wondered if anyone could point me in the right direction, I am looking to get digital copies of old photos that I and my mother has.

i originally thought of scanning them but don't know what to look for

so any help please ?

Thanks


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

That is quite a simple - but potentially time consuming - task mate. If you are reasonably technically minded, you just need to buy a flatbed scanner and hook it up via USB to a laptop or PC, then just line the photos up face down on the glass (similar to using a photocopier), and scan them in using the supplied software. A decent entry level scanner can be bought for £40 - £50 these days, so it's not a big investment, and they last for years. I've got a Canon CanoScan Lide 25, which is pretty good, but HP and Epson do them for around that price as well. I've also got a Kodak all-in-one colour printer/scanner/copier which is good, but I only use the Canon for scanning.

If you don't fancy doing it yourself, I'd be happy to help out and scan them for you. I can also repair any damaged photos, you can see some samples of what is possible on my website, here:

http://davepatey-illustration.com/page6.htm

PM me if you're interested :biggrin:


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## Robti (May 19, 2017)

Thanks Davey, I just wanted to find out which scanner to use for 6"x4" prints to keep the quality and upload them onto my server and also the cloud, if I find any that I need to get repaired I will be sure to drop you a line

Thanks

Robert


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## Davey P (Sep 9, 2010)

Robti said:


> Thanks Davey, I just wanted to find out which scanner to use for 6"x4" prints to keep the quality and upload them onto my server and also the cloud, if I find any that I need to get repaired I will be sure to drop you a line


 No problem mate, I think any scanner would be fine for that, and you shouldn't need to spend more than about 50 quid for a decent basic model. If you scan them at 600dpi the quality will be fine for old photos. If you scan them any higher than 600dpi all you will do is massively increase the file sizes.

If you need any more info or help, just let me know :thumbsup:


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## Chromejob (Jul 28, 2006)

I believe there are some dedicated scanners that you can feed photos into. They probably you use their software that works with the scanner.

Depending upon your technical savvy, ability to learn, scanning at the largest resolution, the sizing down in a more featureful app like Photoshop Elements, will yield better quality. Often the free software that comes with hardware is about what you'd expect from "free software." I recall one scanner actually came with a comp copy of PHotoshop Elements.

Also check stores around you. Some may offer scanning to a CD/DVD of your negs or prints. But ask them what SIZE the resulting images are. Paying to scan your prints to 1280x800 150dpi pics when you could make your own much better pics at 1200 dpi doens't make financial sense.


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