To save scanning time, select only your best photos.
Scan your photos effectively so you can preserve memories and share them with family and friends. With advances in digital photography equipment, you may not have many new printed photos kicking around but you may have piles of photos from the days of film. Not every photo in your collection needs to be scanned, just the ones you want to preserve for future generations. As you scan, you can crop and adjust photos to make the scanned images much nicer to share and save.
Organize First
Since scanning photos can be time consuming, simplify the process by organizing your photos before you begin scanning. Sort photos into two piles as you sort through them: one pile for photos worth scanning and another for those that aren't that great. From the scan pile, divide photos into groups, categorizing them in a logical way, such as all photos from your son's fifth birthday party or your daughter's dance recital. If a group is large (more than 10 photos), consider dividing it further. Work on scanning one group at a time, which will allow you to save similar or related photos in the same folder, label them properly and share them from one folder on your computer.
Watch for Dust and Dirt
Just like any other surface in your home, scanners collect dust. Spray a glass cleaner on a soft towel to wipe the scanner glass, using back-and-forth strokes to avoid swirl marks. Leave the scanner lid open until the surface has dried; otherwise, photos may stick to the moist glass. Photos can also collect dust and dirt over time, as well as fingerprints. Use a soft, dry tissue that doesn't contain lotion, aloe or other ingredients that will leave a smudge mark. Gently wipe the surface of dusty photos with the dry tissue to remove anything that will wipe off.
Position Photos Carefully
Like copy machines, scanners have little arrows or marks next to the glass scanner surface that show where to line up photos when scanning. Position photos on the scanner glass carefully, moving close to a corner to line up two sides of the photo with the edges of the scanner glass. Leave about one millimeter between the scanning surface edge and the edges of the photo to make cropping easier. Lower the scanner's lid slowly, being careful not to create a gust of wind that shifts the photo.
Crop and Adjust
While scanning a photo, your scanner will present options on your computer. With your mouse, adjust the dotted lines that surround the scanned photo so the lines are right at the edges of the photo. Older photos sometimes have a white frame around them; you can include this in the cropped image or crop it out by moving the dotted lines to the edge of the photo inside the white frame. Other options may include enlarging the scanned image, enhancing color, and adding special effects. Click "Save" before moving on to the next photo.
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