kitrn23

I have been taking photos on and off for 50 years. I have 12 albums full. I would like to get them all on SSD. Then I can view them on my dedicated laptop. Should I attempt this or is there a co. that does this. Has anyone on this form done this? I do have 2 different scanners and plenty of time. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Depending on the photo sizes, I scan mine at 2x to 3x enlargement for better detail. Wallets I do at 4x.

Doing it yourself you can adjust them the way you would like them.
The only constraint is the time to do them.
It WILL take time.

BTW - I group all my same size images together so I don't have to "pre-scan" each image.
I pre-scan the first and just scan the rest of the same size, Then I move on to the next size grouping.
I just scan them all to the same temporary directory, then when done, rename, add keywords, and file (move) them to the proper folder.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

With 12 albums it would probably be cheaper to do it yourself. That will require a scanner and some technical knowledge. A scanner will cost a couple hundred dollars (up to a couple thousand) and as with any tool, once you have one you will find all sorts of things to do with it. Get one and do some experiments until you can produce good scans, then go into production.

Once you have digital copies of your family photos, expand your repertoire. Make digital copies of important documents. Wills, insurance policies, deeds, receipts for big ticket items, anything you want a copy of in the future. Digital copies can be copied and stored much more efficiently than having stacks of paper lying around.

As far as scanners are concerned, you will want a flatbed scanner for that sort of thing. It will allow you to copy things that you can lay flat. If it's too large for the scanner you can copy it in sections. If your photos are glued into an album the flatbed is particularly useful because you don't have to extract the photos from the album, a process that can easily damage the photo.

kitrn23

Thanks very much, very helpful. What type of scanner? and where do you scan them to? directly into SSD or should scan into LR on my dedicated laptop.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

I would scan them into my disk (SSD or spinner) so you know where they are, then import them into LR.

Make and model are up to you. I'm using a really old one so I can't advise on current best models but I'm sure there are a few people on UHH willing to express an opinion.

pj81156 Loc: St. Petersburg, FL

Enjoy the albums. Leave them there.

DirtFarmer Loc: Escaped from the NYC area, back to MA

The originals were probably negatives but if they're in an album the negatives are long gone. So the albums are now effectively your originals. Always save the originals.

HOWEVER, preservation (backup, archiving) requires distribution for safety. That means you want copies. Good copies. Copies you can send to other family members (assuming they're family photos). Digital copies you can save in a cloud system (for maximum safety). Copies you can reproduce as needed.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

I'm in the same situation - probably a dozen, full albums. Scanning them yourself is time-consuming, but cost-free. Having a company scan and "clean" them is convenient, but expensive. ScanCafe is excellent. I had them scan several thousand slides. I scanned paper prints myself. I'll scan several at a time, but then I have to crop and process them. Time-consuming!

https://www.scancafe.com/pricing

kitrn23

Thanks. I have a lot of time on my hands, just me and cameras and of course 3 dogs. I will get started next week, a good winter project.

jamesl Loc: Pennsylvania

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If you have a descent quality scanner and since you said you have plenty of time, try scanning some and see what the results are like. If you like the results go ahead and scan them yourself. If you don't like your results, there are place that do offer scanning.

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

I have the Epson V600 photo scanner and am very happy with the results i get. It also scans negative film if you have any as well as documents. See some info below:

https://www.adorama.com/alc/best-photo-scanners/

https://www.amazon.com/Epson-Perfection-Negative-Document-Scanner/dp/B002OEBMRU?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A28E0G53P6VSHN&th=1

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Yes, that a very versatile scanner, being able to scan to PDF files.

Hsch39 Loc: Northbrook, Illinois

I did and still do exactly what you recommend. I bought an Epson 1600 Expression over 20 years ago, and it's still on my desk and connected to my computer. My family and myself always saved all the negatives and slides, so you have a better chance ending up with a good scan. I scan all my photos and documents directly to an external SSD. Periodically I will make copies of that SSD to 2 additional external HD's. One is always stored in my banks Safe Deposit Box. I just don't want to lose 20 years of work.

kitrn23

You guys are all great, have read all the reply's. Am awaiting the Epson V600 and will start working.

DavidM Loc: New Orleans, LA

One thing to note is you can fit multiple photos at the same time if they are small enough.