How to scan old photos still inside album.
I have a bunch of old photos I'd like to digitize. However, all the digitizing services I know ask that the photos be out of the album. Anyone knows a good way to digitize photos that are still in an album (besides using a cell phone camera to take photos)?
Thanks.
Use a DSLR or mirrorless with a macro lens.
Thanks. I was hoping there is some kind of service I can pay for.
Careful lighting and photograph them with a digital camera.
--Bob
bittermelon wrote:
I have a bunch of old photos I'd like to digitize. However, all the digitizing services I know ask that the photos be out of the album. Anyone knows a good way to digitize photos that are still in an album (besides using a cell phone camera to take photos)?
Thanks.
AndyH
Loc: Massachusetts and New Hampshire
A local pro might do this for you if you don’t want to take the time.
If you’re worried about your skill level, practice on a couple first till you gain confidence.
It may be worth the effort to remove and replace them one at a time, depending on how they’re mounted. Then you could ship the prints in bulk for scanning.
Andy.
Dependent on size of albums, how mounted, and if you have a scanner, I have flopped albums over and scanned pages when pics were glued or taped in album. Many scanners have floating lids or easily removed.
alf85
Loc: Northumberland, UK.
I have a Logitech Pagescan Color Parallel scanner, you can use it as a base scanner, or you can lift it off the base and run it over the page of a book, or photo album, or a letter etc etc, i don't know if you can still buy these or something like it, but it would do what you want to do.
Regards, Alfie.
I had some old photos in an album that my grandmother had. I just scanned them using the scanner on my printer and sent them to my laptop. Then I could arrange them as I wanted and saved them all to a memory stick.
Using the scanner on a printer is practical and if your printer does not have one, you can purchase a stand alone flat bed scanner that works fine. But it requires you do to the work. I don't know any service specific to your needs.
Some photos that were in frames that I was afraid of harming them by removing them. for that I set them on the floor, placed a tripod over them, and photographed them. This worked very well.
I haven't had any experience using them, but portable wand scanners might be worth looking at. You place the wand on the page and move it steadily across the picture or document to scan it. Maybe someone here can offer their experience with one. My thinking is that it would minimize reflection from plastic pages that cover the photos. I watched one demonstrated on the Home Shopping Network once, and the results looked good. Fast too.
CPR
Loc: Nature Coast of Florida
There are a number of us old retired guys on here that do this kind of thing part-time for a reasonable fee.
Don't know your location and wouldn't even suggest mailing irreplaceable photos.
I served in Iceland during the Viet Nan War and took a ton of photos which I printed and put into an album. We travelled back and I didn't want to carry the albums, so I simply scanned each page on my Epson perfection 1260. I decided I preferred the full page look and that is how I left them. On the flight over, on Icelandic Airline, the cabin attendants were enthralled by the photos into almost 50 years ago. They recognized many of the sites. We met with people were had befriended while there and they marvelled at the photos. The technique was inexpensive and effective.
If the pages come out,it's easy. If not, will they press flat? There are several scan program s that will separate photos off a page. Obviously, the plastic photo covers will detract somewhat. But, overall, they do ok. I did 20 albums that way and the pictures were quite good enough. Especially considering how often we look at them.
bittermelon wrote:
I have a bunch of old photos I'd like to digitize. However, all the digitizing services I know ask that the photos be out of the album. Anyone knows a good way to digitize photos that are still in an album (besides using a cell phone camera to take photos)?
Thanks.
A flatbed scanner should work just fine.
If you want to reply, then
register here. Registration is free and your account is created instantly, so you can post right away.