How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (2024)

Remento Staff

March 2024

Many people's old family photos are scattered throughout various places. Some may be stored in shoeboxes in a nearby closet, while others may be in dusty albums or located in different zip codes. For example, baby photos may be split between the home where the person grew up and the few that are kept on their nightstand. Teenage photos may be found in a half-finished scrapbook. Additionally, there may be a photo from the grandparents' wedding day that every sibling thinks should be theirs.

Digitizing old photos can seem like a daunting task, but with a little organization and the right tools, it's easier than you might think. Whether you're looking to preserve family memories or simply declutter your physical space, digitizing your old photos is a great way to do it. Here are the steps you can take to digitize your old photos with your phone.

You can also add stories to these photos and turn them into a hardcover book of stories with the Remento book today.

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (1)

Locating old photos can be a daunting task. If you already have photo albums organized, you can skip this step. Otherwise, start by alerting your friends and family that you are seeking their assistance in finding those old photographs. Make sure to give them enough time to search, but not so much time that the task becomes daunting. A deadline can be a great motivator!

It's possible that the people in your life have varying levels of technological expertise, so let your aunt know she can physically mail you some of her favorite photos and you will return them safely. For your sister and other family members who are more tech-savvy, try using texts, emails, or a shared folder in a cloud storage app like Dropbox or Apple Photo Shared Albums.

As you review your photos, select those that have meaningful stories or elicit emotion. It may be helpful to ask a family member to assist with identifying key dates and the stories behind the photos. Through this process, you may gain new insights about your family's history.

Before you begin scanning, make sure the photo is clean and dry. If the photo is particularly dirty or damaged, you may need to gently wipe it with a soft, dry cloth or use a soft brush to remove any dust or debris.

There are a number of photo scanning apps available for both iOS and Android, such as Google PhotoScan, Shoebox, and Photomyne. Some apps are free, while others charge a fee or offer in-app purchases. Experiment with a few to find the one that works best for you. Here are a few popular options:

  • Photomyne— Scan dozens of photos into digital albums in minutes
  • Google Photo Scan— Google’s PhotoScan is a free app for iOS and Android that scans your photos multiple times, then stitches all the images together to remove glare and improve the quality of the final image. The app works on matte, gloss prints, and photos inside or outside albums.
  • iPhone Native Notes App— Simply start a new note, click the camera icon at the bottom of the screen, and tap "scan documents."

Finally, make sure to store your digital photos securely on an external hard drive or cloud storage system like Apple Photos or Google Photos so that they are protected from any potential loss or damage due to computer failure or other unforeseen circ*mstances. Doing this will also make it easy for you to share these photos with family and friends!

Digitizing old photos with your phone can be an easy way for parents to preserve their memories without having to buy expensive scanners or printing out new copies of their photos every time they want to share them with someone else. The process may seem intimidating at first but once you get started, it becomes much easier and more enjoyable as each memory comes back alive again! With these tips in mind, anyone can easily digitize their old photos with just their phones!

Use the Remento app to add voice over and narration, telling the stories and memories behind photos. Record yourself or send a request to anyone.

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (2)

Next up: 11 Creative Ways to Preserve Family Memories – And Pass Them Down

What’s a Rich Text element?

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

The rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content.
  • Test

Test

A rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (3)

A rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (4)

A rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

  • Test
  • test
  • test

Static and dynamic content editing

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!

How to customize formatting for each rich text

Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (5)

The story book that writes itself

Preserve family stories.
No writing required.

Learn more

How to Digitize Old Photos With Your Phone (2024)

FAQs

What is the best way to digitize old photos? ›

Using a photo scanner gets the job done the fastest and gives you the highest quality digital copies of your old family photos. You can also digitize photos using the camera on your smartphone, but this won't get the same quality results as a photo scanner.

Is it better to scan or photograph old photos? ›

While scanning is more accurate and provides greater detail, which is helpful if you ever want to edit your photos, taking pictures with your smartphone camera can be a cheaper, faster, and more convenient option. Ultimately, it comes down to personal preference and what your goals are for digitizing your images.

What is the best free app to digitize photos? ›

PhotoScan by Google Photos

Google's PhotoScan is a free app for iOS and Android that scans your photos multiple times, then stitches all the images together to remove glare and improve the quality of the final image. The app works on matte, gloss prints, and photos inside or outside albums.

How much does it cost to scan 1,000 photos? ›

Package Options
250 Photos500 Photos1000 Photos
$7.95$8.95$9.95
$12.00$12.00$12.00
$8.95$14.95$24.95
$49.95$89.95$179.95
3 more rows

What is the best way to scan old photos with an iPhone? ›

Here's how to use Notes to scan photos to save on your iPhone:
  1. Open the Notes app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the new note icon in the bottom right of the screen.
  3. Tap the camera icon.
  4. Tap 'Scan Documents. ...
  5. Tap the shutter button to scan your photo.
  6. Happy with the results? ...
  7. Tap 'Done' to save your scanned photo in your Notes.
Sep 19, 2023

What app digitizes old photos? ›

PhotoScan is a scanner app from Google Photos that lets you scan and save your favourite printed photos using your phone's camera. Don't just take a picture of a picture. Create enhanced digital scans, wherever your photos are.

Is it better to digitize photos or negatives? ›

Photo negatives are sharper and more detailed than print photographs, so if you have negatives of the prints that you would like to digitize, we recommend sending in the negatives. Another thing to consider is that print photographs crop out the left and right sides of the negative image.

Is Google PhotoScan free? ›

Google PhotoScan is a free app available for both Android and iPhone.

What is the best device to scan old photos? ›

Our Top 7 Picks
  • Canon CanoScan LiDE 400. Best Overall Flatbed Photo and Document Scanner. ...
  • Epson Perfection V39 II. Best Budget Flatbed Photo Scanner. ...
  • Canon CanoScan LiDE 300. ...
  • Epson FastFoto FF-680W. ...
  • Canon ImageFormula RS40 Photo and Document Scanner. ...
  • ClearClick QuickConvert 2.0. ...
  • Plustek ePhoto Z300.

Should I scan old photos as JPEG or PDF? ›

The best format for scanning photos is typically a JPG or JPEG, as long as you keep compression to a minimum.

What to do with old photos no one wants? ›

Using a shredder to get rid of photos is another effective way to ensure they cannot be recovered. A thrift store blender will also do the trick. Both methods will destroy the images, ripping the picture into tiny pieces. Once you have effectively shredded your photos just throw out the remains.

Is it expensive to digitize photos? ›

On average, scanning 1,000 photos at 300 dpi can cost around $300. Legacybox can scan 1,000 photos at 600 dpi for $79.99. How do I scan large quantities of photos? There are multiple ways to scan a lot of photos.

Can Walgreens scan photos? ›

The stores have the ability to assist you with scanning images into the Photo Kiosk to either print the images or burn them onto a CD. Please note that in doing this, customers are only able to scan 24 images into the photo kiosk during each session. Please contact your local store for more information.

How do you digitize pictures on Android? ›

Scan your photos
  1. Go to Library Utilities. ...
  2. To start the scan, hold your phone directly above a photo.
  3. Tap the button to take a picture. ...
  4. Move your phone around to get the circle over each of the 4 dots.
  5. When the photo has processed, tap the photo thumbnail.
  6. Select a photo to rotate, adjust the corners, or delete.

Is there an app to scan old slides? ›

Welcome to SlideScan, the app for scanning photo slides! We're thrilled you decided to save your old photo slides. This is one of the most worthwhile things you could ever do to preserve those special memories - we promise!

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