Preserving Family Photos Electronically

Family photos are irreplaceable pieces of the past, but they are fragile by nature; even with the best attempts at preservation, a photograph’s life is limited, and if not properly taken care of, it will deteriorate much more quickly. These important heirlooms need not be lost, however – with current technology, your family history can be preserved almost indefinitely, and damaged photos may even be repaired.

Choosing a scanner. A scanner is a sound investment, especially if you have many photos to be scanned. When shopping for a scanner, keep two things in mind: the quality of the scan that you would like to achieve, and the size of the photos or documents you would like to scan. As for the former, it’s probably a good idea to get the most advanced scanner available (at an affordable price, that is), so that you can give your family treasures the best treatment available. As for the latter, some scanners have the ability to scan a larger region, which may be helpful for large photographs, portraits, newspaper clippings, or large documents.

Scanning photos. When scanning your photos, it’s important to choose the scanning resolution carefully. If you want to preserve the photos electronically only, resolution may not be a big issue for you. However, if you would like to reproduce the photos at the same size as the originals, be sure to scan at a setting of at least 300 dpi. For larger reproductions, multiply 300 by how many times larger you would like it – for example, if you want to reproduce the photo at 4 times its original size, scan at 1200 dpi. In contrast, if you are scanning the photos for posting on the web, you’ll only require a resolution of about 72 dpi.

Storing your photos. Although transferring your photos to electronic format greatly increases their chances of being enjoyed by future generations, remember that computers are not foolproof. Do not entrust the files to only one location, whether it be your computer’s hard drive, a disk, a CD, or some other method of storing files – computers can crash, and storage devices can be destroyed. It’s best to make several copies of any CD you make – which will also allow you to share the family keepsakes with the family – as well as storing the files on your computer. You can frame any reproductions you have made, but the original photos should be carefully stored, away from light and extreme temperatures; do not store old photos in plastic, as the moisture in the air will not be able to escape, and will eventually cause deterioration of the pictures.

With the proper precautions, your family photos will be available to all for years to come.