Scanning your old photos can seem like a huge undertaking if you have never done anything technical before. But have no fear, this simple guide will walk you through the basic steps to get started.

5 Steps to Scanning Old Photos

If you want to scan, digitize, and organize old photos for quick access when you want to relive those special times, follow these steps:

1) Locate the Photos You Want to Scan

If you’re like most people, your photos are stashed away in a bunch of different places. Some are in old albums, the family picture drawer, or totes and boxes in the attic.

Start with the albums first because they are likely to be the most organized of all your prints. You may be able to get all the photos you need for your current project there and then dig into those other piles after you have a system set up.

Don’t be shy – ask for help from family members who would be interested in helping with the process and get them on board.

2) Organize Your Photos

Once you’ve located all the photos you’re going to need, separate them into different categories and themes like life events, vacations, and kids.

You’ll want to scan them in batches so you can break the process into manageable pieces.

Some photos may be beyond repair – weed out unneeded or damaged photos (those with stains, folds, and tears) that you won’t be able to use.

For beginners, doing batches of 10 to 15 photos at a time is a good number – this may increase after you get some experience.

Next, order your prints so they tell a story about the subject(s) in your project.

3) Choose the Appropriate Scanner

You have three main options here:

Stand-alone scanner: These can run from $100 up to $600 or more depending on your needs. Take time to consider how many photos you need to scan and if you are going to be scanning negatives when deciding if this is the right choice for you. If you want to do a lot of photos fast, that will put you in the $400+ range, but models like the Fujitsu ScanSnap iX 1500 or the Epson WorkForce ES-400 will make quick work of stacks of photos.
Home copier/scanner: You can plan on spending $100 to $300 on a home scanner to get started. If you’re looking for a portable scanner that doesn’t take that much space, the Doxie Go SE might be for you.
Phone: Although the traditional scanners are still your best bet, this is certainly a viable option. You’ll need an app like Google PhotoScan for the process. This app and others are free so you could save some money here.

Tip: To get the best scan, make sure that the glass on your scanner is clean and dry.

4) Scan Your Photos by Chosen Categories

Now that you have your scanner set up, take one of your batches and do the first few photos to see if the results are what you want, and then adjust your scanner if needed.

Note: Resolution is key, and chances are that your scanner won’t be preset to the 1200 DPI (dot per inch) so get in there and raise it manually.

If you really want to use a damaged photo for your project, don’t try to restore it if you don’t have prior knowledge – you might do more damage than good. Just go ahead, clean off the dust, lay it flat, and scan it.

Products like inPixio, Adobe, and Corel can work wonders after your photo is carefully scanned. You can use these editing tools to fix tears and creases, clean up blotches and stains, and remove distracting elements.

5) Get Organized with Photo Software

The best cross-platform organizer is Google Photo – and it’s free! There are other options out there, but this one comes highly rated, and you can’t beat the price. This software is also drag-and-drop and is very user-friendly.

You will have to upgrade to premium and pay a little bit if you need extra storage, but all-in-all this is a great option for storing and sharing your photos and albums.

Cyberlink PhotoDirector 10, Adobe Lightroom, and Nikon ViewNX-i are other good options to take a look at.

Should You Hire an Expert to Scan your Old Photos?

You’ve decided you don’t have the time or the disposition to tackle the entire project yourself, and that’s great. You know yourself better than anyone, so it’s the right choice.

And besides, if it’s good enough for Martha Stewart, it should work well for you.

So, where do you begin?

The largest digitizing company in the world is Legacybox, and they have the mail-in model down to a science.

Partner them with Mixbook and you have a real-deal match to take your project from beginning to end. And you still get to have whatever level of creative input your time will allow.

If you are creating a photobook, Mixbook allows you to edit and design your book by moving pages, changing font sizes, and even inviting friends and family to collaborate on the project.

There’s no doubt, that the finished products from a pro are well worth the money spent. So, if time is an issue – and it is for most of us these days – then trusting your cherished memories with an expert is a win-win proposition.

Make It a Process and Don’t Try to Do It All on the First Try

Don’t wait until you have a project knocking on the door. Get started now because it won’t be long until the next birthday, graduation, anniversary, or vacation of a lifetime comes up. If you already have your system in place, you won’t be on a short deadline.

Regardless of which path you take in safeguarding, organizing, and scanning your old photos, it should be an enjoyable process without too much stress. Why not get the best of both worlds? Do a small DIY project and a small job with a pro, then compare the two to see what is the best fit for you.

Once your photos are digitized, you have the world at your fingertips. You can share, store, edit, organize, and get creative making those perfect gifts for every occasion once you take the first step and get those old photos out of the box.