We’ve had so many people come to us and tell us that they’re worried about scanning and digitizing their pictures — that those scanned images will lose some of the essence that makes physical photos so special. They feel that they may not enjoy these digitized photos as much.
We always tell them it’s the opposite! Scanning your photos brings all those wonderful memories back to life, and can help you enjoy them even more.
Here’s why:
• Photos become so much more shareable — You can share your photos with friends or family by emailing or texting a copy or sending photos on an external drive or USB.
• It’s easier to enjoy photos together — Whether you are flicking through pictures on your phone or streaming them to your television, it becomes much easier to explore a cool slideshow of images.
• You can enjoy a more personalized screensaver or backdrop — Wouldn’t you rather have your photos as your backdrop or screensaver rather than a stock photo or another random image?
• You can create photo books that you can print out and give as gifts for family and friends — Choose the right printing and scanning services, and you’ll achieve a lovely personalized gift for that special someone.
• A world of printing options becomes available to you — Whatever you want to do with your photos, it’s up to you. Print them on canvases to create professional-looking pictures for your home or office wall, or apply the images to pillowcases, blankets, or anything else that comes to mind. It’s easy when your photos are all digitized.
• Organizing is much easier — There are loads of apps available to help you display and organize your photos. Try a digital frame like Nixplay that will help you send, share, rotate, and edit photos with ease.
Sure, hard copy photos still look great, but you can’t ignore the options that digitization offers. You’ll find yourself enjoying pictures that may otherwise have been left forgotten in a drawer or closet.
Scanning your photos: What you need to do to prepare
If you’re getting ready to scan your photos, here are our recommended first steps and how to begin your preparations.
Related Post: INTRODUCING OUR PLW ORGANIZING EXPERT: ALEX BRZOZOWSKI OF BeOrganizing
Get sorting
It all starts with sorting your photos into categories. Get hold of some plastic zip bags, manila folders, or paper envelopes and start putting your photos into groups.
Sorting your photos might seem like a big task initially, but it’s going to save you a whole load of time and effort later on.
Make Post-Its your friend
Post-Its are pretty low-tech, but they are also seriously useful. Write the name of each photo group or category. Then, stick it on the bag, folder, or envelope you want to label.
Labeling in this way gives you a handy reference point so that you don’t lose track of your photos. A good photo scanning company will use the labels you give them and reproduce the label name on the digital folder they create — making the whole process much easier.
Adopt the same system you use for your digital photos
Don’t just write any old name on the folder notes. You need to make sure that you have a solid and reliable system so that your pictures stay organized.
For example, if you’re using a chronological labeling system, remember to stay consistent, such as “year-month-date-title” (2019-08-07-Mom’s Birthday). Doing so will help you find your photos easily once they are scanned.
Work with reputable scanners
Only work with the best scanning companies. Believe us — it’s worth the money. The peace of mind you experience when you know the job is being done right is priceless.
With a few simple steps, scanning that unwieldy set of physical photos becomes a lot easier and more straightforward. Don’t get overwhelmed — just get those photos sorted! Check out our Digital Photo Organizing Course if you want more specific broken down steps and how-tos for your digital photos.
Alex Brzozowski is a professional organizer and productivity specialist. She started Be because she believes there’s a better way to organizing people’s lives—focusing not only on the home, but specializing in digital and business organizing and productivity, including digital documents, CRM programs, photos, music, email contacts, calendar and more! Her goal is to help her clients free up time to do what they love by bringing order and efficiency to their business, digital life and home.
Alex’s Midwest upbringing and values as well as her schooling at Butler University around “The Butler Way” are the pillars that have built her successful career in San Diego.
As a Paralegal for 5 years, she spent much of her time at a leading San Diego “paperless law firm”. As the “go to” person when it came to keeping case files and documents in order, she created a deep understanding of building systems, tracking and storing highly sensitive and private documents online and off.
Alex founded Be Organizing in November 2012. Shortly thereafter she became a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). She is active in the San Diego Chapter of NAPO and currently serving as the Chapter President. She also is Co-Author of “It’s Not About the Food: Personal Stories and Inspiration from Health Coaches and Wellness Experts to Transform Your Weight Loss Mindset and Lose Weight Without a Diet” where she writes about organizing and it’s relation to weight loss. It’s not just about the food, it’s about so much more!
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