Posts Tagged ‘photo scanner’

Posted on October 19, 2009 - by Pete Fontaine

Scanning for a Slideshow Project

Everyone has that big box of photos in the back of the closet that’s worth a million and at the same time next to nothing. If you can’t share your photos easily then what good are they? You’ll be surprised to find out that it’s simple and inexpensive to turn your deteriorating images into an enjoyable work of art. There are photo scanning services that can digitize your photos for as little as a nickel apiece. And don’t try this yourself! Photo scanning at home is heart stoppingly boring!

You can build your own slideshow by purchasing software. My favorite is Pro Show Gold by Photodex. This software is relatively simple to use and has lots of features that make the project fun. You just add your photos to the program, then drag them into the order you want. With Pro Show Gold you can edit your photos and color correct, add your own music and then synchronize it to the photos. You can add text to the photo in the location you choose and use the “Ken Burns” effect to zoom from place to place on your images. With Pro Show Gold you can play your slideshow on TV. You’ll be amazed at how good your 4×6 photos look on a 50″ TV.

If you need slideshow freeware you’ll find it on the web. Different free services and software are suitable for different purposes. Some make it easy to create and upload your slideshow to social networking sites. Some are simply slideshow creation software. Spend some time exploring the features that are offered, and always download from a familiar site. Sites like Goggle Picassa, Extra Photo Slideshow Free, and Wildbit software can include music and photo editing capabilities. They may not allow you to show your slideshow on a TV.

You may want to think about placing your slideshow in a digital picture frame. Prices have come down on digital picture frames with some 14″ frames selling for as little as $99. Some of the smaller frames now go for under $25. We expect this trend to continue. With memory card prices also hitting new lows you can afford to put your entire digital photo library on them. Lots of digital frames come with slideshow software installed, and some will play audio. So when your friends come over you can crawl into the back of that closet to dig out the box of gradually fading photos, or you can flip on that beautiful digital picture frame.

Look at some of the online slideshow hosting services. These can help keep friends and family from needing to download and store your slideshows. Sites like Picturetrail and Iwebphoto can make viewing your slideshow easier, especially if you have a lot of images, and allow you to edit, remove, and replace your items at will. Remember to add text to your images to help everyone understand what they are. And then go crazy with special effects. Have fun!

Make sure you choose a photo scanning service that scans at 300 dpi, and don’t pay for more. See if you can find a service that includes automatic photo enhancement at a reasonable price. This can do wonders for some if not all of your images. And be sure to insist on a complete copy of the original scans that have not been rotated, enhanced, or manipulated in any way. Then always make a copy of your master scans to use for anything. Shop around, scanning costs can vary greatly.

Scanning photographs permanently protects them from destruction and loss. Once your images are stored on a DVD and sent to two or three different places you are assured of always being able to retrieve at least one copy. You can generate copies on your computer for the price of a blank DVD to share with your friends and family. Day to day loss of quality is no longer an issue. Your treasured memories are safe and sound.

Don’t fail to include your older photographs in your slide show creations. Pete Fontaine invites you to learn more about photo scanning at his website www.nickelscan.com

Posted on October 16, 2009 - by Pete Fontaine

Scanning Photos for The Motor Home Owner

It doesn’t matter whether you’ve got a million dollar motor coach or a tiny weekender you can still take a complete set of you photographs anywhere you go. There is never enough room in a motor home for photo albums or boxes of photographs, and you probably wouldn’t want to expose your photos to the additional risks associated with traveling anyway, but you don’t have to go without.

Wouldn’t it be great to take a complete set of all of your photos with you, neatly stored away on a DVD or two? Digitizing your ordinary photos is the way to make this possible. Whether you decide to purchase an inexpensive photo scanner and do it yourself or send your photos to a low cost scanning service. You can find excellent scanning services for as little as a nickel per scan.

Scanning your photos puts an end to their natural aging and deterioration. Your images are permanently preserved and because they are now easy to copy, you can put complete sets of your images in different locations. This will prevent you from losing your photos to natural disaster. You’ll also be able to share complete sets of your photos with each family member.

One great way to view your photos once you have them scanned is to create a slideshow that you can watch on TV. This is the perfect project for those evenings “on the trail”. Slideshow software makes it easy to add captions to your photographs and also include your favorite music. If you’re not feeling that creative, you can easily find companies that will build a slideshow just the way you want it.

Digital picture frames are a great way to view your newly scanned photos. And the good news is that they are getting to be relatively affordable. Some of the more expensive frames allow you to play a slideshow, add captions to your images, and add music. The low cost of high capacity memory cards now makes it possible to store all of your digital images right in the frame. Having your photos organized in a digital picture frame when you are visiting family or making new friends on the road is definitely worth the effort.

If you have large numbers of photos then doing them yourself could be an incredibly boring task. You could consider using one of the photo scanning services found online. But, shop carefully as prices and services vary greatly. Make sure you understand what your requirements are. For example you shouldn’t be paying to scan ordinary photos at a higher resolution than 300 dpi. You can find other articles online by this author that discuss some of these money saving topics. You can find great photo scanning services for as little as a nickel.

So now you’re in business. You’re rolling down the highway, your family’s precious memories are not only protected from damage and destruction, but wherever you go you have that little piece of home with you. You can add new digital pictures you are taking to your collection, but now they won’t be in two different forms. They will all be digitized, easy to store, easy to duplicate, and easy to view and enjoy. Happy Motoring!

Are you considering photo scanning for your recreational vehicle or to permanently protect your family’s precious memories from damage and deterioration? Pete Fontaine talks more about scanning photos at his website www.nickelscan.com