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Community Newsletter: Q&A: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer?
- 9/29/08 10:23 AM
Hammacher Schlemmer Photograph to Digital Picture Converter
by lindamcva - 9/23/08 1:11 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I haven't tried this personally yet, but I have been researching methods recently, and this seems to be the best option. I plan on ordering the Photograph to Digital Picture Converter. They also have a converter for slides and negatives. I have posted a link to the site below. Good luck. 
Linda
http://www.hammacher.com/publish/74597.asp?OVRAW=photo%20scanner%20reviews&OVKEY=photo%20scanner%20review&OVMTC=standard&OVADID=32231749511&OVKWID=237332384511
This will only copy small photos
by middlebass - 9/23/08 3:09 PM In reply to: Hammacher Schlemmer Photograph to Digital Picture Converter by lindamcvaThis device may do a decent job of copying small photos, but unlike all tjhe other scanners mentioned here, it won't copy an 8x10 photo or an 8.5x11 sheet of images.
Hammacher Schlemmer Photograph to Digital Picture Converter
by llbh - 9/29/08 9:32 AM In reply to: This will only copy small photos by middlebassI bought it and used it, it is NOT as great as one may think. You can see the boarders and the picture HAS to fit in the holder perfectly to scan it, otherwise it records all the imperfections of the paper: wrinkles, stains, dust and gray holder boarders.
I would definitely recommend looking for something that has at least white blended boarders/holder.
I use MS Vista/Windows 2007 and it takes a while to load each picture individually and set-up for scanning.
If you have Photoshop...
by peptoBISMOL - 9/24/08 7:05 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
... PS has a cool thing where you can scan multiple pics and it will estimate the borders between them and save them to seperate files for you. It works very well and is best used with photos of a similar size and shape. Scan the polaroids together, then the 4x6's, etc.
I'm not sure if the GIMP does this. I haven't seen it if it does. Also, I use an epson scanner and my scanner software does it too.
Regards
scanning photos
by ukulele bob - 9/24/08 7:53 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I just bought a Canon Canoscan LiDE 600F. One of it's cool features is that you can place multiple pictures to scan on the scanner and it will not only scan them, but separate them into individual picture files. That saved alot of time from scanning them one by one.
Scan with PaperPort
by Fire1946 - 9/26/08 7:07 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I am using a flatbed scanner and the software Paperport to scan all my photos and documents. Just works great and it is very fast. In order to get better results I scan the photos with a higher resolution. I do not trust any commercial services doing the scanning.
Kodak s1220
by mynond - 9/26/08 7:15 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I own a small photo scanning business. I go to client's homes and scan their pictures to an archival quality gold DVD. I use a Kodak s1220 which scans 30 photos (both sides) per minute at 300 dpi. I do have the option of scanning at higher dpi if needed. Since these photos are being scanned for archival purposes, I don't do any color correction or cropping as this is an objective opinion. The customers can use their own photo editing software to make any changes, but still preserve the original. By scanning in their homes, the photos never leave their possession which is of great peace of mind. I charge $.21 per photo. I have a flatbed attachment for those items that are fragile or too stiff to run through the s1220. The s1220 automatically straightens each photo.
Whatever method you use to scan - BE SURE AND BACK-UP either to an external hard drive or an online back-up service - preferably both. You do not want to go to the expense and time of scanning to lose all of your work.
High quality is always better than speed
by albumdesign - 9/26/08 9:45 PM In reply to: Kodak s1220 by mynondI too have a photo scanning (and organizing) business. For almost five years I have scanned thousands of photos, 35mm slides, and used partners to digitized video and film. Over time I learned that anyone engaging in this type of project does not intend on doing it twice. Quality should be the most important factor.
Digitizing is a very laborious and expensive task to do yourself or hire out. The big guys or scanners that do 6-12 at a time are not taking advantage of the scanners capabilities. Dust, scratches, grainy texture, all these things can be minimized in the initial scan. I scan at 300-400dpi and use all the features available on the scanner. I follow with a quick review in Photoshop to crop, check for dust and often print the photos to check my work. I am proud to deliver the best quality possible.
Lastly, I completely agree with mynond - please backup your files! Take the time to name your files, YYYYMMDD_category_description, and back them up on an external hard drive. Computers, DVDs and drives are amazing but not failsafe. Take care of your precious memories and copy to an external hard drive to keep offsite.
www.creativephotoimaging.com
Scanner
by GFW - 9/26/08 10:43 PM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
When I wanted to start a business and incidentally also scan my collection of about 2000 slides I investigated the same thing. I believe there was a commercial rapid film scanner (price about $50,000). Needless to say, I settled for a Canon film scanner (now surplus to my needs, incidentally). It scans in great detail and the scan time is dependent on resolution - 10 seconds for a rough scan, and up to two minutes for full detail (resulting in a 50 Meg file!).
The Canon was a SCSI device so now can't be used without adding a SCSI card.
scanning photos
by elizabethmariewilliams - 9/27/08 7:32 AM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
how do i know which way to put photos when scanning because they always turn out the wrong way, also whats fastest way
scan photos to computer
by keyrashk - 9/27/08 8:05 AM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
Have you considered a roller or feed type of scanner. I believe they can handle multiple "masters". Once you set up your requirements, I.e. resolution, brightness, contrast...and specify where you want to send the photos, it should go automatically after that. Check the web for scanners of this type and their capabilities I believe there are some out there that are not expensive. Good luck. Dwight
Scanning pictures
by Mary Baird - 9/27/08 8:07 AM In reply to: What is the fastest and best method to scan photos into a computer? by Lee Koo (ADMIN)
I use Adobe photoshop elements 6. You will need to set your scanner to automatic.
Open Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.
Click on File.
Then click on "get Photos and Videos"
The next box comes us with "scanner name" (it should show your scanner name)
Save as: it gives you a choice. I leave mine on C:\Documents and settings.scanned photos)
I use the JPEG setting.(you have a choice)
Click OK.
It will then scan your photo right into Adobe. You can then edit if needed and/or put in a folder of your choice. I keep a folder of all my grandchildren, children, other family member, trips, friend, flowers, etc. From that point you can just leave them there or put the pictures on a cd for saving if you should want to delete off the computer. With this program, you can email, make slideshows, movies, etc. It is a great program for preserving your pictures.
Mary
David Pogue's experiences with commercial scanning services
by jazzi - 9/27/08 8:38 AM In reply to: Scanning pictures by Mary BairdI haven't read all the replies, but in case it wasn't mentioned, David Pogue of the New York Times reviewed a commercial scanning service in this article entitled "Your Photos, Off the Shelf at Last" on August 13, 2008:
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/14/technology/personaltech/14pogue.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=scanmyphotos.com&st=cse&oref=slogin
PS about Pogue's article on ScanMyPhotos.com
by jazzi - 9/27/08 8:41 AM In reply to: David Pogue's experiences with commercial scanning services by jazziI forgot to mention: the best part was that they scanned everything and you only paid for what you wanted to keep. In case you can't access the article the website is:
ScanMyPhotos.com
Take the fine print seriously.
by Ronsumer - 5/13/09 8:32 AM In reply to: David Pogue's experiences with commercial scanning services by jazziI just had nearly 5000 photos scanned by scanmyphotos.com. The quality is pretty good (although a couple of them came out a weird shape). Only problem is that my originals came back hopelessly scrambled. The cost was $250 to have them done, so I didn't want to pay the extra $115.50 to have them scanned in order. I assumed (wrongly) that they would at least keep the photos in the same stacks I had rubber-banded together. Not so! Because my photos were not individually identified or dated, I'll probably never figure out how to sort them out. To be fair, the company does address this in its FAQs. They say, "While we try to keep your bundles of photos together, there are times when this is not feasible. We need to fit the photos back in the box for return shipping along with the DVD and any other additional options you may order. This means we may need to break apart bundles. We will not shuffle your photos like a deck of cards but your photos may not be in the same order you sent them to us in." In my case, there was nothing else to add to the box except the dvd, so this reasoning seems specious. Therefore, if you care at all about organization, pay the extra fee for scanning in order, label all your pictures and sort them yourself when they come back, or use another service. Also, you should know that the company won't scan any "professional" photos -- not even school pictures!
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