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Photo digitization software or tools question
Jun 23, 2017 11:31:21 #
New to the site. I am not a professional, but have moved from basement wet darkroom to totally digital for the last 8-10 years. I love postproduction and use older versions of LightRoom and Photoshop. (not CC) I hope I posted this in the correct area. I did a search and did not find a specific category for photo digitizing.
In the past I have digitized thousands of old family photos. It took me several winters to complete the task and it was not an enjoyable experience. I just inherited four very large plastic storage containers full of photos, which my wife told everyone in the family I would be happy to digitize and share the electronic images. I am looking at many thousands of photos in various print sizes. I figure I have a few options:
1. Manually scan, crop, adjust and save each image like I did before. I already know that isn’t going to happen.
2. Send all of the pictures out and have a commercial company scan them for about .10-.25 cents an image. Not cheap but beats option number one. I am not ready to dismiss a commercial solution, but I really don’t expect to get the best available quality in this option.
3. Use my existing flatbed scanner as I did in my last digitization project and hopefully locate an application that is more automated for this specific purpose. Looking for something that has the following ability:
a. Allows multiple pictures to be scanned together
b. Auto locates each image, crops and straightens them with no intervention
c. Allows me to rotate images if required prior to saving.
d. Store images into a folder that I can import into LR later to add key tags as required. I could rotate images there as well. I have been reading about ScanSpeeder, and SilverFAST Windows software.
Has anyone had any experience with these or other photo digitizing applications? Fastest workflow with best quality results is what I am looking for. Any suggestions would be helpful, and no a new wife is not an option. Over forth years of marriage and way to old to start over now. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.
In the past I have digitized thousands of old family photos. It took me several winters to complete the task and it was not an enjoyable experience. I just inherited four very large plastic storage containers full of photos, which my wife told everyone in the family I would be happy to digitize and share the electronic images. I am looking at many thousands of photos in various print sizes. I figure I have a few options:
1. Manually scan, crop, adjust and save each image like I did before. I already know that isn’t going to happen.
2. Send all of the pictures out and have a commercial company scan them for about .10-.25 cents an image. Not cheap but beats option number one. I am not ready to dismiss a commercial solution, but I really don’t expect to get the best available quality in this option.
3. Use my existing flatbed scanner as I did in my last digitization project and hopefully locate an application that is more automated for this specific purpose. Looking for something that has the following ability:
a. Allows multiple pictures to be scanned together
b. Auto locates each image, crops and straightens them with no intervention
c. Allows me to rotate images if required prior to saving.
d. Store images into a folder that I can import into LR later to add key tags as required. I could rotate images there as well. I have been reading about ScanSpeeder, and SilverFAST Windows software.
Has anyone had any experience with these or other photo digitizing applications? Fastest workflow with best quality results is what I am looking for. Any suggestions would be helpful, and no a new wife is not an option. Over forth years of marriage and way to old to start over now. Any other suggestions will be appreciated.
Jun 23, 2017 14:05:02 #
Is it feasible to make a frame to mount a camera just the right distance from a picture and snap a shot?
Jun 24, 2017 08:34:06 #
I'd go commercial, Check top see what what quality they claim and maybe look to see if there are any reviews. You can always send just a dozen or so and see for yourself before you commit the entire batch.
Jun 24, 2017 14:17:06 #
Patrick9
Loc: Muncie, IN
One solution for photos that you don't necessarily require to be scanned at maximum quality is a document scanner. When I want a scan that is the best I can do, I use my Epson flatbed scanner or a dedicated 35mm slide scanner. That takes a lot of time. When I have a bunch of old family photos that are of so-so quality and interest, I use my Fujitsu document scanner. I can feed them thru and get a bunch of very reasonable scans in seconds.
Jun 24, 2017 14:35:44 #
Here's the workflow I used to scan a bunch of old photos recently:
1. Scanned with multiple photos on the glass of my Epson V600 scanner. The Epson Scan software automatically saves the result into a designated directory. You could scan additional photos repeatedly before moving to step 2, if you wish.
2. Opened the resulting scan of multiple photos with MS Photos. Rotated and cropped each photo. MS Photos will save the results to a designated directory, which could be different from where the original scans were stored.
3. Deleted the file(s) with the multiple photos, as they are no longer needed.
4. At some point, import the individual photos into your photo editing program (Lightroom, in my case), for further editing.
That doesn't meet every one of your requirements (it doesn't automatically rotate/straighten/crop), but meets the rest.
By the way, the Epson V600 has been on the market maybe 5 years, but is still considered state of the art. It comes with carriers for scanning slides and negs. I think I paid about $500 for it five years ago; you can now get one for $199.
https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498328394&sr=8-2&keywords=epson+v600
1. Scanned with multiple photos on the glass of my Epson V600 scanner. The Epson Scan software automatically saves the result into a designated directory. You could scan additional photos repeatedly before moving to step 2, if you wish.
2. Opened the resulting scan of multiple photos with MS Photos. Rotated and cropped each photo. MS Photos will save the results to a designated directory, which could be different from where the original scans were stored.
3. Deleted the file(s) with the multiple photos, as they are no longer needed.
4. At some point, import the individual photos into your photo editing program (Lightroom, in my case), for further editing.
That doesn't meet every one of your requirements (it doesn't automatically rotate/straighten/crop), but meets the rest.
By the way, the Epson V600 has been on the market maybe 5 years, but is still considered state of the art. It comes with carriers for scanning slides and negs. I think I paid about $500 for it five years ago; you can now get one for $199.
https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1498328394&sr=8-2&keywords=epson+v600
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