Scanning

magic roundabou

afternoon ... i am looking to get about 2k photos scanned and put on a memory key .. these photos are different sizes / quality

has anyone got this done before and can recommend anywhere in Dublin to get it done

thanks in advance

magicbastarder

when you say photos, do you mean prints or negatives/slides?

if prints, i suspect it may be cheaper to just buy a scanner yourself and buckle down to it.

magic roundabou

they are prints .... many many years of photos

thebiglad

You could take photos of the photos with your phone. Get the lighting and angle right - probably even quicker than scanning, I did this with family albums when my parents passed away a few years ago - took a while but, I now have all the photos archived, I have even had some printed and they came out fine.

Adrian.Sadlier

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117699906#Comment_117699906

Another, similar way of doing it, is to use a DSLR or mirrorless camera, if you have one. Set it up on a tripod, with the photos on a flat, neutral background, and if possible, rig up some way of keeping the photos straight and flat (old photos tend to curl). The easiest way is to put a clear sheet of glass over it, maybe using a polariser on the lens to reduce/eliminate reflections on the glass. I know glass is problematic but it would be the best way if the prints were all different sizes. If they were all of a few standard sizes then you could use a series of heavy mounting card frames.

This would give you high resolution, RAW format, images. Best to do it in good, indirect natural light (if that is possible) as this will reduce reflections on the image (especially if they are gloss prints) and give an accurate white balance. Personally, I would set focus and all the other settings on the camera to manual.

Then I would have the ability to work it like a production line. Far faster (and cheaper) than scanning. I know, as I have burnt out at least 2 scanners over the years archiving old prints that I had lost the negatives for - probably a good deal more than 2K images. If you don't have a good DSLR, you could always borrow or rent one.

With this method, you could get it down to seconds per image - maybe 3 or 4 a minute (that's 180 - 240 per hour). Including transferring the images from camera to computer, you could easily do it in a couple of days. It took me about 2 years using the scanners (lapsed time)

Just a thought!