Tips for Getting the Best Scans of Your Photos

If you are getting ready to scan photos, there are a few things you should know. The process will be much easier if you do a little prep work beforehand. These tips will help you get the desired result from your scanning project.

Choose the Pictures Carefully

Your pictures will scan exactly as they are. If there is a fold on the picture or a scratch on the surface, it will show up in the scan. Sometimes the scanner picks up specifically on these flaws, and they look even worse on the scanned image. For this reason, you need to choose the images carefully.

Find images that are in good condition, and clean any fingerprints with a lint-free cloth before you begin. Also, choose images that have bright colors and sharp contrasts, because sometimes quality is lost when you scan photos on a home flatbed scanner. While you can use enhancing software to brighten up images, you still want to start with the best possible original image.

Choose the Right Resolution

You will need to choose the resolution for your image, whether you are scanning it at home or choosing a scanning service. Remember that scanned images are measured in a unit called "dpi," which stands for dots per inch. The higher the number, the clearer the image is.

A resolution of 300 dpi is a good choice when scanning at home. You will not get large prints from this size, but you will be able to print standard image sizes up to 5 x 7 and display the images online, without taking up too much of your computer's memory. If you need a larger image, you may want to burn it onto a CD or hire a scanning service. If you only intend to display the image online, a smaller resolution will suffice.

Choose the Right Format

If you have the option to choose the file format, consider carefully which one you will use. On most scanners, TIFF and JPEG are both offered. TIFF is a better option for archiving an image. These are larger files, which means they give a good quality for printing. JPEG files are slightly compressed. They do print well, but not as well as TIFF files. These files work well for posting images online. Since TIFF files are larger than JPEG files, TIFF files can be converted to JPEG files, but not the other way around.

Consider Asking for Help

Today's flatbed scanners are quite a bit more effective at scanning photos than their earlier counterparts, but they still have their limits. If you need to scan many pictures, or if you need high resolution images from your print photographs, you will be better off having a scanning company scan them for you. The professional equipment can capture a higher resolution image much more quickly than you can at home. This is a very cost effective option, as most companies charge just a few cents per picture. When you think about the other ways you could spend your time by letting someone else scan photos for you, you will realize that it is money well spent.