Photo Scanning Tips

The following ideas are taken from the article "Yes, You Scan!" by Rick Crume  published in the  Jan/Feb 2013 issue of Family Tree Magazine

1. Equipment
1. computer, scanner and cloud storage or external hard drive
1. Multifunction printers do not perform as well on photos as standalone scanners do
2. Free photo programs Picasa.google.com and windows Photo Gallery
2. Preparation
1. Wear white cotton gloves or wash hands with soup, rinse and dry well and only handle edges of photos
2. Remove staples, paper clips, rubber bands etc from photos
3. Keep photo collections together and in order to help with identification
4. Keep scanner glass clean - spray cleaner on lint-free towel and then wipe the glass
5. Use soft brush to remove dust from each photo before scanning
3. Scanner Settings
1. Color - scan in color not grayscale even for black and white or sepia photos
1. This gives more options when editing
2. Resolution: - 300 dpi for reprinting same size as original
1. scan small prints at 1,200 dpi and large at 800 dpi
1. Higher resolutions take longer and require more storage
3. File Format - Uncompressed TIFF or optimal quality
1. retain more detail than JPEG and require more storage space will not degrade each time to save as a jpeg will.
2. To edit a JPEG file, save i n TIFF as the original unedited copy
4. Scanning
1. Advanced mode allows you to change the dpi
2. Do rough scan to see if anything needs to be changed
3. Image setting allows for corrections such as removing dust, adjusting color balance, brightness/contrast and tone.
1. Faded picture - increase the contrast
2. Scan back to pick up any written information
5. Label and Editing
1. label with "tags" and captions
2. Edit a copy not the original image
3. Back up work
6. Slides - can get adapters to scanners to do slides

Preserving Photographs part 2

1. Duplicate Images
1. Make extra prints and digital copies of photographs
1. Black and White Photo prints will outlast digital copies so do not pitch them
2. Each successive copy loses quality so only make 1st generation copies
2. Film is less stable so print up the negatives or slides and digitize them
3. To keep digital files long term scan as uncompressed TIFF files not JPG
1. JPG files lose information every time they are changed or resaved
2. To edit, crop or change, work from a copy
4. Back up digital files 
1. 3-2-1 - three copies, two different kinds of storage technology and one more location
1. Try and external hard drive and in the cloud such as Picasa or flickr
5. Keep up to date with the current storage method so the photos will not be lost.
1. I can not read anything stored on a floppy disk today!
2. Preserve and Store
1. Stand up photos, unsleeved but organized in an archival photo box which is acid free and lignin-free.  If stacking get boxes with reinforced corners.
1. www.archivalmethods.com
2. www.hollingermetaledge.com
2. Do not do air tight containers.  They need and air flow, something breathable
3. Beware of "photo safe" or "archival" labels.  Make sure acid and lignin free
4. Dyed boxes are risky - color could leach
5. Place valuable or fragile originals in individual photo sleeves made of archival polyester that is chemically inert.
1. These are expensive - can substitute polypropylene sleeves
6. Archival albums - 
1. album pages should be archival paper: acid-free, lignin-free and preferably buffered to slow acid migration
2. Page protectors - polypropylene
3. Album covers - buckram fabric, leather, bonded leather and leatherette no vinyl covers
7. Store on a main level in the house where the temperature is steady
8. Do not frame originals but high quality copies instead
9. Damage from sunlight, and acid are permanent to photos

Preserving Photographs Part 1

I just received my newest Family Tree magazine.  (January/February 2013)
I am excited about an article by Sunny Jane Morton about Photo Preservation and an article about scanning photos by rick Crume.  I have a whole bunch of Peterson photos to scan.  I have been waiting to do the scanning until I bought a flip pal scanner but that plan didn't work out.  So I think with the information by Rick I will be able to scan them well enough into my printer.  I want a way to easily access this information again so I decided to take notes from the articles and record them here for my future reference.

Photo Intervention and Preservation:

1. Storage
1. wear white cotton gloves when handling photos
2. Do not store in acidic paper environments such as cardboard boxes, book pages, with newspaper clippings or other papers, photo frames, magnetic albums, remove adhesive tape from photos
3. Resource - Sally Jacobs, the Practical Archivist -http://practicalarchivist.com/
1. sales a photo rescue kit for $25 
2. Offers a class for $25
2. Cull, label and organize
1. Select those to save - do not save everything - save the most meaningful
2. Save old and rare photos
3. Label the photos
1. Use a extra soft #1 pencil to label the back with names, dates, locations and story behind the photo
4. Make a spreadsheet and give each photo a number.  Use the same number if you scan and digitize the photo
1. On spreadsheet include columns for date taken, provenance (chain of ownership), names of individuals pictured, location and story behind the picture
5. Organize the photos
1. Consider organizing chronologically.  If date is unknown guess the decade
1. To guess the decade go to identification tips by Maureen A. Taylor's Photo Detective blog at familytreemagazine.com/blog