Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

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BobH
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Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by BobH »

I am looking for a good article or YouTube video that instructs how to use simple DIY tools or setups for copying old photos and other images so that they can be shared online.

I have a simple setup that allows me to put the old 3x5 or similar photos on a tabletop under a rack that my iPhone rests in. I can usually get the image centered in the iPhone viewfinder and snap a pic which I then can crop and enhance on my computer. While this isn't perfect, it works for formats up to about 8x10. I have trouble trying to capture framed images due to light reflecting on glass in the frames; so that's another issue in search of a solution.

I have a large extended family. I'm one of 3 left in my generation, the oldest. I want to get nieces and nephews to use their smartphones to make digital photos of old photos they have. The ultimate goal is to create a private family repository of these images and whatever commentary on them. I'm creating a website toward that end. Yes, we could use one of the social media sites, but I want to include photos that we might not want to be so public as they would be on fb, ig, x, etc.

If I can find (or create) instructions for simple DIY setups that my siblings kids can follow, it will greatly facilitate the process. So far I've been unable to find the right search terms to turn up sources on the 'Net for such instructions. Knowing that we have some photography mavens here, I thought I'd pick your brains. :hairout:

:cheers: :chocciebar: :thankyou:
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stuck
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by stuck »

If you only want 'basic' copies of old photos then snapping them with a smart phone will do the job. I've never done that but a quick search finds an app by Google that might help you:
    https://www.google.com/photos/scan/

It claims to deal with glare/reflections from glass and the output ends up in Google Photos. Again, I've never used Google Photos but I know you can use it to organise pictures into Albums and you can control who has access to them, i.e. although the photos are stored in the cloud, they are not public and you can control who can access them if you do decide to share them. I don't know what commenting features there are on Google Photos.

Once you have scanned your photos then an alternative photo sharing option might be to use Flickr. You can store up to 1000 images for free. If you want to upload more than 1000 you need to take out a subscription. I do have a Flickr account but I've never explored it's sharing / commenting options.

If you want the best quality copies of your old photos though then you need to either use a decent flatbed scanner or take photos of the photos with a 'real' camera. Both of these options are slow and the output will need a fair bit of post-processing to clean them up.

Ken
Last edited by stuck on 17 Jan 2025, 13:50, edited 1 time in total.

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by ChrisGreaves »

BobH wrote:
16 Jan 2025, 22:35
If I can find (or create) instructions for simple DIY setups that my siblings kids can follow, it will greatly facilitate the process.
Hi Bob. I embarked on a similar scheme back around 2010.
I had scanned about 10% of my stock of hard-copy prints using a Canon scanner when Win7 (I think) decided that the drivers were no good.
Limbo.
In my move to the apartment in downtown Toronto, a well-meaning person slung the black plastic bag which contained albums and slabs of hard-copy photos into the dumpster. The immediate impact on me was that It took a load of scanning off my shoulders.

Since that time I have held my smartphone as steadily as I can and taken hand-held images of photos lying stable on a table.
The results are most rewarding.

(1) My high-school sweetheart is ecstatic at seeing part of my life since last we were together in 1964. She was at the time the prettiest young lady in the top high school in the State of Western Australia, and recent photos of her show that she still is.

(2) My older son, confound him, expressed surprise at "How lovely Mum looked when she was younger". I would thrash him to within an inch of his life were he not three inches taller, fitter, and about twenty-five years younger than I, and 18,000 Km away across the North Pole.

(3) My first wife (in communication after 47 years) said she wanted a better photo, one without my spectacles and my hat. :sad:

And so it goes. I am glad that I am not a professional photographer. Hand-held snapshots of hand held snapshots are best when viewed. You must agree with that. And they can't be viewed when they are buried in a landfill 4,000 Km to the west of you.

On top of that, whatever gizmo you think of building you'll have to build one for each child and grandchild, son- and daughter-in-law, and if I have understood your initial post you must have hundreds (grin) of relations, you sly fox you!

Here's what you can do TODAY: Take six images, best you can, and float them by a family member. Ask which they would prefer, (a) the floated image as-is or (b) no image at all. Be guided by their response, not by your own High Standards, which I know that you have.

Hope this helps(1)
(1) That is, that something good develops.
Your loving nephew Chris
Fill your face with laughter, then there will be no room for tears.

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Leif
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by Leif »

BobH wrote:
16 Jan 2025, 22:35
The ultimate goal is to create a private family repository of these images and whatever commentary on them. I'm creating a website toward that end.
Have you considered using Blogger (service) - Wikipedia?

As far as I am aware, you can restrict who has access to it and have multiple 'authors/administrators', which should future-proof it. You can add whatever descriptive text you want, optionally allow 'comments', and it's fully searchable.

I think all you need is a Google/Gmail account, and it's free.
Leif

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stuck
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by stuck »

BobH wrote:
16 Jan 2025, 22:35
I am looking for a good article...
This article is on a website called PetaPixel, which is well known name in the world of digital photography:
    https://petapixel.com/how-to-scan-photos-on-iphone/
Whether it will help you or not, only you can find out.

Ken

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ChrisGreaves
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by ChrisGreaves »

ChrisGreaves wrote:
17 Jan 2025, 13:08
Here's what you can do TODAY:
In retrospect I wish that I had added AT LEAST three keyword tags to each image; I think three would give me a fighting chance of locating scanned photos - perhaps for augmented tagging.

If I were starting today I would select twenty hard-copy images at random and dream up three tags for each image, to give myself some idea of what tags might be generally useful. That is, do Trial Run on a sample without spending time taking and filing the photos.
Cheers, Chris
Fill your face with laughter, then there will be no room for tears.

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stuck
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Re: Question about Digitally Archiving Old Images

Post by stuck »

Leif wrote:
17 Jan 2025, 13:54
Have you considered using Blogger?..
That's a very good idea!

Yes, it's free, all you need is a Google Account
Yes, you can restrict it's visibility
Yes, you can have multiple authors and admins
Yes, you can enable commenting so that others can interact with posts made by admins and authors
Yes, you can tag your blog posts
Yes, you can create multiple blogs, which might be useful if you want to separate stuff into categories
Yes, it's simple

Ken