If you’re like most people, you have a few boxes and albums with old photos lying around your home. Maybe in the back of the closet or in that forgotten corner of the attic or basement. When last did you look at these photos? And how long have they been sitting in a dusty box?
Unfortunately, the reality is that photos do eventually deteriorate and fade and naturally, you don’t want to lose those memories forever, so it’s time to get busy.
Setting one day aside to sort, scan, and store your old photos is a day well spent and these tips will help simplify the process. Heck make it a family activity on a weekend and be amazed at the family stories you find being shared as you all work together to preserve your family history!
Step 1: Find Those Photos
The first step involves gathering all the photos you want to sort through. This is also a good time to contact family members who have photos you love and want to scan. Be sure to reassure them that they will get their photos back in the same condition. **Side note here... including family members in this activity is a great way to do one giant family wide organization project that can then be printed, shared, downloaded by all.
Step 2: Let the Sorting Begin
During this stage, you want to select the photos that are most important to you and sort them into themes, years, or life stages – whatever categories work for you. You can also use the themes of these piles for the digital folders you will be creating.
Step 3: Decide on Storage
How do you plan to store your photos once you scan them? Platforms such as Google Drive and Dropbox are ideal for this. However, you may also want to invest in an external hard drive to create an extra copy of your most precious memories. I personally love Smug Mug for this kind of organization. Here is my referral link if you want to check it out: https://secure.smugmug.com/signup?Coupon=T6KZTL
Step 4: Decide How You Want to Scan Your Photos
The good news is that you don’t need a physical scanner to scan your photos. There are a number of great apps available, many of which are free, that will retain the quality of your photos. Photomyne for android and Google Photo Scan are two popular options, as well as adobe scan for ios and microsoft lens. Once you know how you will scan your photos, connect the scanner or app to your digital folders.
Step 5: Scan, Save & Share
You can now start scanning your photos per pile. Sticking to one pile at a time will make it easier to match your photos to the correct digital folder. Once your photos have been uploaded and you’ve made a backup, you can share your favorite memories with the people you love.
If you love having a physical album, you can now print themed albums that follow a specific timeline. You can even combine your latest professional family photos with older family photos to create a beautiful family heirloom. Once you have things a bit organized, you will be amazed at the endless possibilities of the things you can do and make to share those images with loved ones.
If you found these tips helpful please like/comment/share! :)
