[thevillager1988]

Hello most treasured brain-trust. I am doing some research in preparation for having our photos digitized. Have you done such a project? If so, please share your experience.

For example:
. Did you DIY? If so, what hardware do you recommend? Apps for labeling, organizing and filing? Important consideration? Lessons learned?
. Did you use a service? If so, any service you recommend? Important consideration? Lessons learned?

Thanks for your help!

[JD Tremor]

Originally Posted by thevillager1988

Hello most treasured brain-trust. I am doing some research in preparation for having our photos digitized. Have you done such a project? If so, please share your experience.

For example:
. Did you DIY? If so, what hardware do you recommend? Apps for labeling, organizing and filing? Important consideration? Lessons learned?
. Did you use a service? If so, any service you recommend? Important consideration? Lessons learned?

Thanks for your help!

Just beginning this project. FIRST, organize your photos into lots that relate to each other, the software will name them and put them in like folders.

Second, I did a bunch of research and opted for an Epson FF-680W, it does a really nice job and the FastPhoto software you use with it seems to work well too.

I did some preliminary testing, then found.... yes, organizing them first is likely the key to making it go well, otherwise you will have photos all over the place. The software will also allow you to scan then save an original and a corrected/optimized photo with a similar name. Then you can choose which to keep (or keep both).

The scanner works quickly, although the more you bump up the resolution, it naturally slows down a bit. But it has a hopper that I think holds about 30 pics and makes quick work of them.

That's all I know so far.

Good luck - again, organize/sort your photos first.

[CarlR33]

We did our parents 35mm slides (no photos) DIY but then no one seemed interested in them after looking at them the first time. The parents took photos of about everything and some we had no idea what or where they were taken. I guess you need to ask yourself who will use the digitized version once you convert them? You maybe surprised to find out that no one in the family really is interested. At least that was our experience.

[Sparky99]

Digitizing old photos yourself (DIY) involves two main steps: capturing a physical print into a digital file, and then using AI tools to repair, colorize, and enhance the image.

Step 1: Capture the Physical Photo (Digitization)

• Flatbed Scanner: Best for the highest quality and detail. Set your scanner resolution to at least 300 DPI (dots per inch) for standard viewing and printing, or 600+ DPI if you want to make large enlargements.
• Smartphone Scanning Apps: Best for speed and convenience if you have a massive stack. Use apps like Google PhotoScan or dedicated scanner apps that reduce glare and automatically crop the edges using your phone's camera. Place photos on a flat, well-lit surface away from direct flash reflections.

Step 2: Enhance and Restore with AI

Once your photos are saved as JPG, PNG, or WEBP files, use AI-powered software to fix fading, tears, and blurriness:
• Colorization & Repair:
• Canva Photo Restoration can remove creases, fix discoloration, and colorize black-and-white photos.
• Adobe Firefly offers free AI photo restoration tools to fix damaged or old snapshots.
• Nero Lens lets you colorize, de-noise, and upscale low-resolution scans directly on your mobile device.
• Resolution & Clarity Up-scaling:
• Topaz Labs Gigapixel AI or VanceAI can sharpen blurry faces and upscale low-resolution images without losing pixel quality.
• Adobe Photoshop Neural Filters can automatically smooth imperfections and recover faded tones.

Step 3: Back Up and Store

• Save your finished digital files in at least two places (such as an external hard drive and a cloud service like Google Photos, iCloud, or Dropbox) so your family memories are safely preserved.
If you'd like, let me know:
• How many photos you are planning to digitize
• Whether you prefer phone apps or a desktop scanner
I can recommend the best workflow for your project.
•
Young House Love
The Best Way To Digitize Old Photos | Young House Love
So, despite its pros (zero dollars! zero special equipment!), this method was way too inefficient. * VERDICT: Best method for digi...
•
ScanMyPhotos.com
Transform Your Photos with AI and Photo Digitization | The Photo Answer Center
Digitization Service: ScanMyPhotos.com (scans physical prints, slides, and negatives into high-resolution digital files to protect...

[thevillager1988]

Originally Posted by CarlR33

We did our parents 35mm slides (no photos) DIY but then no one seemed interested in them after looking at them the first time. The parents took photos of about everything and some we had no idea what or where they were taken. I guess you need to ask yourself who will use the digitized version once you convert them? You maybe surprised to find out that no one in the family really is interested. At least that was our experience.

Your point is well made! We had the same experience with our parent's wedding film which we digitized many years ago.

Recently we set up a digital frames for each family member as a way to keep up with one another. Then one niece (who has all the old pix) started sending old photos across and we are really enjoying them. We recently lost them, so it brings us joy to see them in their prime, enjoying life and raising their family.

[CrosbyStills]

I used Capture (dot com) via the Costco Next service. Costco has since discontinued Next, but you can still deal with Capture directly. I went through my father's 5 binders of 35mm slides (stretching back to the late 1960's!). The tedious work for me was labeling the slides with a sharpie. If I took a slide out of Binder #3, and it was page 21, I labeled the slide C21. Then all the slides from page 21 were numbered C-22, C-23, C-24, etc. and then I left a piece of tape on that binder page stating C-21 - C34. That told me to put the slides back into that page sleeve when they returned. If you're not that particular, you don't have to number or label them.

I sent them off, and Capture did some quality-enhancing on some of them as needed, and returned them all to me. They also (optional) provided me with the slides digitized to a CD and a few USB drives. They also will put them on their cloud which you can access via Google Drive or iCloud. I downloaded them that way to my laptop via the cloud, but provided the USB drives to my siblings for their use.

So far I am experiencing what CarlR33 (insulation rating?) did. We enjoyed them once and then haven't looked since. But having them for the future instead of lost forever seemed the better option. We can still go back and look at them if we wish. Can't do that if I never had them digitized.

For what it is worth, Capture charged me somewhere around $350 for the CDs and USBs and the entire process including shipping for 752 slides. Plus was you can do as little of the labor as you wish.

[Rainger99]

Are you talking photos or slides?

[kansasr]

Another option is Kodak's digitizing box service....you send them almost anything and they digitize it and return it. If you're not into feeding photos/slides into a scanner, this is a good option.

Be sure to check for discounts...usually you can find at least a 50% discount. Their "list" prices are pricey!

KODAK Digitizing Box | Kodak

[thevillager1988]

Originally Posted by Rainger99

Are you talking photos or slides?

Photos