Before the era of digital media, we used analog cameras and video. That sounds old-fashioned now, but many of us still have precious memories in traditional form. For example, childhood photos are definitely moments that you'll never live again so you should rescue them in order to be able to remember those moments forever. Kept on a shelf they'll only fade away. Scanning can revive them but it's a complicated task if you're not an expert and you'll need specialized equipment. There are scanning services that can handle everything for you.
There are a few things you should consider when you hire a team of photo scanning professionals:
They have to provide:
Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a good company. If not, look for a local one or browse for a good website. Go for the highest resolution to get the best of this process. You can get a scanning quote here
First of all, you should gather all the images that you want to preserve for the years to come. They might be lost in various storage spaces or areas of the house. Get them all otherwise they might get lost forever. Check which formats are accepted by the company you chose. Organize them nicely and label them to speed up the process of outsourcing your photo scanning project. Divide and label each group and you'll receive them accordingly.
If you want to place an order online, you'll have to create an account and give some details about the type of photos that you need, the number of items, the resolution and the type of digital format you want to receive. You can get DVD, online storage or you can save them on an external hard drive.
Online services have slightly different approaches. Some ask you simple questions concerning pricing plans, shipping and format for the scans. These are usually meant for people who don't have that much knowledge in the field and just want to preserve their old photos. Other services might seem to be a bit more complicated and geared towards photographers as they ask specific questions regarding the scanning process. You might want to go for a straightforward service if you don't have very specific preferences and for a more specialized one if you're pickier and have solid skills in photography. However, all good sites have FAQs and useful information about the whole process.
After you send your photos to an online photo scanning service, they'll send you e-mail notifications after each step: registration, receiving of the package, scanning and shipping. Some even allow you to see the exact stage of the scanning process. You might see how many images are ready and if the specialist made any comments about them.
An order will usually take about two weeks. They usually get things done in about a week and then you'll have to wait a few days more for your photos to arrive. There are services that ask for your approval of the images before sending them to you. This matter is usually mentioned in the "How it Works", FAQ section or a similar one.
There are companies that have a very solid web support. They provide the information for all of your photos and orders and create a gallery that gathers all of your images for no additional fee. You can even download them at once. Others just keep low-resolution versions, details about the past orders and don't offer you the opportunity to download the high-resolution ones. If you're particularly interested in online photo storage, you might want to check this feature before you ship off the photos.
The costs are based on a per-image price. This varies according to the service, the package, any possible discounts for bulk orders, extras such as advanced correction or scrapbook scanning. You either pay everything up front or pay for half of the scans. Some sites offer you the opportunity to pay just for the scans you like and want to keep. This works only for the ones who allow you to approve the photos before the finish the job.
Outsourcing your photos to an online service is the fastest way that works mainly for people who are always in a hurry. Just make sure that you pick a reputable company with a proven record of satisfied customers. Look for online reviews before you hire them. If you have a bit of time off and you really treasure your old photos, you should go to a local scanning service. They'll save you from the anxiety of shipping off your dear photos, feeling that might make you quite uneasy especially if you don't have any duplicates. Though it's quite unlikely for your photos to get lost along the way, you might feel uncomfortable to send them off if you treasure them and they mean very much for you and your family.
There are a few things you should consider when you hire a team of photo scanning professionals:
- Retouching quality
- Pricing
- Turnaround time
- Ongoing communication
- After-order support
They have to provide:
- Great colors
- No blurry parts or blemishes
- The proper type of sharpening
- The right correction
- Scrapbook Scanning
Ask your friends and family if they can recommend a good company. If not, look for a local one or browse for a good website. Go for the highest resolution to get the best of this process. You can get a scanning quote here
First of all, you should gather all the images that you want to preserve for the years to come. They might be lost in various storage spaces or areas of the house. Get them all otherwise they might get lost forever. Check which formats are accepted by the company you chose. Organize them nicely and label them to speed up the process of outsourcing your photo scanning project. Divide and label each group and you'll receive them accordingly.
If you want to place an order online, you'll have to create an account and give some details about the type of photos that you need, the number of items, the resolution and the type of digital format you want to receive. You can get DVD, online storage or you can save them on an external hard drive.
Online services have slightly different approaches. Some ask you simple questions concerning pricing plans, shipping and format for the scans. These are usually meant for people who don't have that much knowledge in the field and just want to preserve their old photos. Other services might seem to be a bit more complicated and geared towards photographers as they ask specific questions regarding the scanning process. You might want to go for a straightforward service if you don't have very specific preferences and for a more specialized one if you're pickier and have solid skills in photography. However, all good sites have FAQs and useful information about the whole process.
After you send your photos to an online photo scanning service, they'll send you e-mail notifications after each step: registration, receiving of the package, scanning and shipping. Some even allow you to see the exact stage of the scanning process. You might see how many images are ready and if the specialist made any comments about them.
An order will usually take about two weeks. They usually get things done in about a week and then you'll have to wait a few days more for your photos to arrive. There are services that ask for your approval of the images before sending them to you. This matter is usually mentioned in the "How it Works", FAQ section or a similar one.
There are companies that have a very solid web support. They provide the information for all of your photos and orders and create a gallery that gathers all of your images for no additional fee. You can even download them at once. Others just keep low-resolution versions, details about the past orders and don't offer you the opportunity to download the high-resolution ones. If you're particularly interested in online photo storage, you might want to check this feature before you ship off the photos.
The costs are based on a per-image price. This varies according to the service, the package, any possible discounts for bulk orders, extras such as advanced correction or scrapbook scanning. You either pay everything up front or pay for half of the scans. Some sites offer you the opportunity to pay just for the scans you like and want to keep. This works only for the ones who allow you to approve the photos before the finish the job.
Outsourcing your photos to an online service is the fastest way that works mainly for people who are always in a hurry. Just make sure that you pick a reputable company with a proven record of satisfied customers. Look for online reviews before you hire them. If you have a bit of time off and you really treasure your old photos, you should go to a local scanning service. They'll save you from the anxiety of shipping off your dear photos, feeling that might make you quite uneasy especially if you don't have any duplicates. Though it's quite unlikely for your photos to get lost along the way, you might feel uncomfortable to send them off if you treasure them and they mean very much for you and your family.
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