An estimate from Yahoo! places the number of photos taken in 2014 at around 880 billion — in just one year. Because of this, it makes sense that photo services are absolutely blowing up right now. Experts are able to do more than ever with new and old photos in order to help you organize and preserve them for future generations. Check out a few services that you can use today for your pictures!

Photo Restoration
Photo restoration is more of an umbrella term for upgrades and touchups that can be done to your photos. This can be anything from color saturation to digitizing photos and everything in between. The scary fact is, about 44% of parents answering a survey said that they have difficulty locating their photos and videos of their kids. In addition, 47% had not even thought about how they might preserve and organize those photos to be shared with their children once they grow up.

Fade Restoration
Have you ever found an old photograph of family members that you would love to keep, but it’s fading? Experts now have a means to fix the fading and restore your photos to near their original state. This can help when the photo itself is in good condition, but just needs an update in color and other elements as well.

Slide Scanning
Photographic slides are becoming more and more obsolete, and so is the technology that allows the owner to look at them. Luckily, many photo professionals offer services which allow you to change photographic slides to digital formats. This is a huge step forward, because it can help in two types of photos: personal and historical. Some people have kept their family’s photos on slides, and they can now digitize and organize those photos for future generations. In addition, museums can now preserve historical photos for future generations!

Are you looking into any of these services for your photos? Which ones are you looking at and how will you choose the right professional?

Research shows that photos are some of our dearest possessions. Whether they depict moments from our own lives, or we’re holding onto our ancestors through them, they serve as tangible memories. However, 41% of parents report that they only remember what was happening in photos by posting about it on social media. This is fine for now, but in the future it will make it harder to access and preserve those memories. Photo restoration and digitization can help you in many ways in this regard.

Get Rid of Fold Marks and Fading
Often, old photos get bent, folded, or begin to fade after many years. Over time, it may render them useless. Fade restoration and other techniques can help you to fix what you’re beginning to lose in an old photo, so that you can cherish it for years to come.

Preserve Your Family History
When many people think of old photos, they think about the photos they have seen or the photos they have of their ancestors. This is certainly a big reason why restoring photos has become so popular. About 24% of Americans agree that their family photos are more valuable documents than Social Security cards and birth certificates; women are twice as likely to say this. Old photo restoration makes it easier than ever before to bring the pictures of your loved ones into this decade and preserve them for generations to come.

Digitization
When you only have one copy of a photo, it can put a lot of stress on you. If something were to happen to it, it’s gone forever and you have no way of getting it back. Photo restoration allows you to keep a digital copy of your photos so that you never have to worry about losing it to a flood, fire, or other disaster. It’s simply another way to preserve the most important pieces of your life.

Do you think you’ll be investing in photo restoration services? What do you think is the biggest benefit of restoring old photos? We would love to hear your thoughts and comments!

Photo restoration has been gaining steam over the last decade with the rise in associated technology. It seems new technology is coming up every day that is designed to make it easier to restore old photographs. A survey of 250 parents revealed that 52% had not done anything with the photos and videos they have of their children, and 44% already have trouble locating those photos and videos. This is despite the conflicting statistic that 24% of Americans believe their family photos are more important documents than Social Security cards and birth certificates. Most people simply do not realize how easy it is to digitize and preserve photographs today. Read on for some of the services that are available to you.

Slide Scanning Services
While they are an older technology, many people still have slides from their grandparents laying around that they haven’t done anything with. Since most people no longer own the corresponding technology to enjoy these photos, it only makes sense that you should have them scanned by a professional. This ensures that you can pass these photos and documents down to future generations, and not have to worry so much about them being destroyed.

Fade Restoration
If you look at any old photo, it likely has at least a little bit of fade, even if it’s only from a decade ago. The thing is, it only gets worse over time, as evidenced by the fact that pictures of our ancestors are often distorted. Professionals in the photo industry now have the technology needed to restore those fades and breathe a bit of life back into those pictures.

Digitized Photo Service
Digitized photo services can help you put older pictures into digital folders, and can also help to organize the photos you already have. It’s worth a look, if only to ensure easier access to photos.

Do you think you’ll be investing in slide scanning services or the like anytime soon? What would be your primary motivation for doing so? We would love to hear your thoughts and comments.

In today’s society, we take pictures of nearly everything. It can be something as big as a wedding day or the birth of a child, or something as small as what you had for lunch or a pretty view on the way home. We capture everything in photographs, and this had been made easier with greater access to technology. One of the benefits of these technological advancements is that you can also restore and preserve old photos for future generations to enjoy.

How does this work? Here are three different restoration services that can make your old photos last for years to come:

Fade Restoration
Restoring old photos gets difficult after they pass a certain point of fading. While it’s not impossible, there is definitely a point of no return, and in order to preserve them, old photo restoration must happen first. Without restoration, you could lose photos of relatives who have passed on, or even newer photos of your children, simply because you did not give yourself the time to ensure their security.

Digitized Photo Service
After the old photo restoration is finished, you should ensure that you have the photos scanned and digitized. This provides you with multiple backups of your pictures. Therefore, if anything happens to the physical copies, you don’t have to worry! While 50% of Americans don’t believe paper will ever completely go away, they do understand that there are benefits of having digital documents. Having your photos saved in numerous ways helps make sure you won’t lose them.

Preservation
Photos are clearly important to most families: 24% ranked them as more important than their Social Security cards and birth certificates. Yet, up to 52% of 250 parents surveyed say they haven’t done anything with their photos and videos of their children in order to preserve them. Digitizing and restoring older photographs ensures that your photos will be there for future generations to enjoy.

Make sure that your memories last a lifetime — and beyond. Ask us today about how your photos can be restored and archived, so you can pass them down to future generations.

Photography has become a large part of our society. We document nearly everything with it, whether it’s a wedding, a birthday, a concert, or even the outfit we’re wearing. Since the first photograph was taken 186 years ago, more than 3.5 trillion pictures have been taken, with Yahoo! estimating that 880 billion were taken last year alone. With technology at our fingertips to help us record our lives, it’s not hard to see why photography is such an integral part of our lives.

The thing is, despite how important photography is in our lives, we don’t always do what we need to in order to ensure those photos will live on. When was the last time you tried to look for a picture you took and you were unable to find it? Or you tried to show a photo of an ancestor to your children only to realize the picture is fading away? This is where photo restoring services and digital photo services can help.

Digital Photo Services
In a survey, 44% of parents said they had a hard time locating pictures and/or videos of their children. The same can be said for photos from specific events or timelines. It can simply be difficult to keep track of all of the pictures you take. But when you digitize photo albums, you can organize them by events, the people in them, or even by the year they were taken. Furthermore, folders and subfolders allow you to categorize a picture by all three of those subjects!

Photo Restoration
Photo restoring services can help you with things such as fade restoration in old photographs. This allows you to preserve pictures of your family for future generations to find and preserve themselves. This is very important for many people, and yet they never look into these services.

Have you taken the steps necessary to preserve and organize your photos? Will you do so after reading this?

Photos are an important piece of our lives. They depict some of our best moments — birthdays, weddings, babies, and other important life events. Yet, many people have not thought of how they will preserve their photos or pass them on to their children. In fact, 52% of parents say they have done nothing with photos and videos of their children in order to preserve them. In addition, 47% of parents say they haven’t even thought of how they might share the photos and videos from childhood with their kids later in life.

Despite these statistics, 24% of Americans still say family photos are their most important documents, beating out both Social Security cards and birth certificates. So why are we not taking preservation more seriously? Read on for three reasons you should start thinking of how to secure your photos.

Have a Backup
By using a photo digitizing service, you will have a backup of all of your pictures. This means that if something unfortunate were to happen, such as a flood or a fire, you won’t have to worry about losing your precious memories. Having them saved digitally will bring you peace of mind.

Photo Restoration
Restoring photos is difficult, if not impossible, when all you have is a physical copy. But when you choose to digitize photo albums or single photos, restoring photos is much easier. With new technology, a few clicks can bring a photo into better focus, help with fade restoration, or correct coloring to make it easier to see. This can be especially helpful in preserving older photos you have from your ancestors.

Organization
Digitizing your photos will also help provide a way to organize. You can create folders and subfolders to control where your photos are save. This makes it easier to find the exact photo you are looking for.

Have you thought of how you’ll preserve your photos? Do you agree with these reasons? What steps will you be taking to ensure your photos are safe?

Photography has been around for quite some time now, and with a rise in technology, digital photography has made it easy for almost anyone to take pictures. An estimate from Yahoo! stated that there were over 880 billion photos taken in 2014 alone. Technology allows us to snap pictures of anything — from our lunch, to our children, to concerts, and weddings — with relative ease. But many are not taking the necessary steps to preserve photos for future generations.

In a survey of 250 parents, 52% reported that they haven’t done anything to their photos and videos to preserve them for the future. Yet, when asked, 1 in 4 Americans say that family photos are their most valuable documents, beating out even Social Security cards and birth certificates. No one seems to be bothered by the disconnect between what we feel for those photos versus what we’re not doing to keep them.

Though photo restoration has become easier over time and over rises of technology, restoring photos is not easy, and if they get accidentally lost or stolen, it’s impossible. Fade restoration on a physical photograph is one thing, but if the picture is gone, it’s gone. Things happen and you never get those pictures back. Restoring photos only works when you have photos.

Digitized photo services can help with slide scanning and restoring old photographs. It works wonders, and this way, you have multiple backups. Your photos will be preserved for years upon years to come when they are digitized. This is also an easier way to sort and categorize the photos you do have.

We never know where life will lead, and it’s scary to think that for some people, a house fire could destroy all evidence of their family. Digitizing your photos protects against that loss.

Most old photographs are heirlooms by definition. Passed down from generation to generation, they are snapshots of memories and times long past. The world is filled with them as there have been over 3.5 trillion photos taken since the very first photograph 186 years ago. Depending on the subject matter some may hold significant monetary value, but the true worth of old photos is sentimental and emotional. In fact, 24% of Americans rated family photos as their most valuable documented piece of information.

For retired engineer and designer Lowell Harris, 72 of American Fork, Utah, the pictures and photo restoration that goes with it is something of a hobby and passion, according to the Utah news site HeraldExtra.com.

Before he started working on restoring old photos, Harris was an engineer who built CT scanners for various companies, mainly in the Midwest, for 40 years. He studied biomedical engineering at the University of Utah where he graduated with a doctorate degree.

After retiring, Harris decided to combine his passion for photography and his experience with CT scanners and get into the business of restoring photos. He was also smart enough to realize that digital photo services were not just a passing trend and immediately began thinking of ways to incorporate his two area of interests. Half of Americans understand the benefits of digital documents, but they still don’t believe paper copies will ever go away completely.

“I’ve been interested in photography for many years,” Harris said. “I started with film, then when digital photography came along I immediately embraced it. This leads into all kinds of things for this endeavor; a computer monitor, digital camera and learning how to manipulate the photos.”

When he first started photo restoration he used a cheap scanner that only had 256 levels of gray color. Compare that to the commercial-scale one he upgraded to after making the decision to really get serious, which has 10,000 shades of gray. Slowly but surely his part-time hobby had grown into quite the operation as he bought new tools and software to aid him in more challenging projects.

The process can be difficult and time-consuming, but Harris seems to love the entire experience.

“You want to increase the contrast and reduce the ‘noise,’ (grain that comes from aging),” Harris said. “Most old photographs have a lot of noise. You selectively get rid of noise – it has to be done by cloning or taking part of the photo from somewhere else to ‘heal’ it. The process is absolutely fascinating.”

His strategy usually involves working on the face first, since that’s typically the most important part of old photo restoration. He’s been able to successfully restore more than a couple photos that have looked beyond saving, many of them family heirlooms of relatives clients will never meet; but now, at least have a beautiful moment of them captured forever.

In the 186 years since the first photograph was taken, more than 3.5 trillion photos have been snapped. In fact, Yahoo! Estimated that people took more than 880 billion photos in 2014 alone. Despite the digital age, 50% of Americans don’t believe that paper, including print photographs, will ever completely go away. However, these photographs are printed on material that can fade over time, or be lost to disaster. To combat the loss of our precious memories, many have turned to digital formats as a way to preserve old photos from loss. As more photos are becoming digital, some groups are looking to take old photographs and convert them into a digital format, which they can easily share.

To conserve our photographs, the Photogrammer program by Yale University has put 170,000 Depression era photographs through old photo digitization. This includes a digital copy of the photo, as well as some photo restoring services such as fade restoration. Once the 170,000 photographic slides were put through the photo restoring services, Yale has uploaded them onto their uniquely designed digital photo album. The album is set up as a large map, where you can explore photos within a certain area. You can also sort the photos by location, year, photographer, and classification.

The pictures were collected from all across the United States, and depict a variety of different activities taking place during the Depression era between 1935 and 1945. This includes everything from depression recovery, to preparations for World War II. They wanted photos that would “primarily depict life in America during the Great Depression and World War II,” and asked the Farm Security Administration-Office of War Information to help provide some of the most iconic Great Depression Images. This includes a variety of famous photographers whose work are featured in this collection, including Dorothea Lange, Walker Evans, and Arthur Rothstein.

Each of the 3.5 trillion photos that have been taken since the first photograph 186 years ago is a brief snapshot of a moment in time. Together, photographs tell stories that otherwise would have been forgotten. However, many of these memories are lost, forgotten, or destroyed over time. In a recent survey, 3,000 people said they felt their photographs were “gone in 60 seconds.” In response to the overwhelming loss of historical documentation, the West End Museum is working with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) to create an exhibition about urban renewal.

The exhibit, titled “Dewey Defeats Truman/The Housing Act of 1949” as a reference to an inaccurate headline, explores the BRA’s attempts to extend their urban renewal efforts for another 10 years. They will showcase maps, archived photos and documents, and other information dealing with the extension process that the BRA is working on. They hope to showcase the evolution of the renewal, and share stories about the renewal process.

As part of their efforts to restore the city, the BRA has scanned photographs from their archives using image scanning services. Along with old photo digitization, the 700 pictures were put through some revitalization with fade restoration. Each scanned photograph is now being displayed on the BRA website.

While half of Americans agree about the benefits of picture digitizing services, they don’t believe that paper, including print photographs, will ever completely fade out. Projects like the ‘Dewey Defeats Truman/The Housing Act of 1949’ exhibit show us that print and digital can work together to ensure that our precious history is not lost.

With an uprise of the use of digital photo services, the use of film cameras has sharply declined. Today, only 13% of young people between the ages of 18 and 24 have ever owned a physical photo album. While half of Americans understand the benefits of digital photography, they do not believe that print photographs will ever become completely obsolete. In fact, nearly one in four Americans agree that their family photos are their most valuable documents. Kyler Zeleny seeks to preserve the mystery of physical photographs with his new project, Found Polaroids.

Zeleny always had a passion for polaroid images, which he began collecting several years ago. Since his collection began, Zeleny has gathered over 6000 Polaroid images. Wanting to share his collection, Zeleny used old photo digitization in the individual transition from photographic print. After some minor touch ups and fade restoration, each scanned photograph was uploaded onto the Internet. However, Zeleny desired to breathe new life into these old, abandoned photographs. He found himself asking questions about what happened to the subjects of these newly scanned photographs, or what was going on during the captured moment. This is when he got the idea for Found Polaroids.

The project is open to anyone who is inspired to write by one of the various photographs displayed on the website. These short stories must ranger between 250-350 words, and must be based on the subject or event of the chosen photograph. According to the site, this can include “a story essential to the individual’s character, a defining moment,” or an explanation of what is going on “beyond what we can observe.” The project also encourages that writers do not shy away from photographs that have already been written about, as they’re accepting multiple stories for every picture.

Submitted stories are shared on the website, as well as through the project’s Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr accounts. The site claims that once there is a diverse enough collection of stories, they will work with a publishing company to compile a book. They plan to eventually turn the project into a multi-media exhibition.

In the age of digital cameras and smartphones, there are tens of thousands of photographs being taken every day. Yahoo! estimates that people took more than 880 billion photos in 2014, and that number is only growing. However, the recent surge of photographs is now making the preservation of photographs difficult. In a survey of 3,000 people, 10% of respondents said they felt their photographs were ‘gone in 60 seconds.’ Here are a few organizational tips to help you spruce up your digital photo album.

Organization Styles
The easiest and best way to organize your digital photos is to sort them by date. Create a folder for each year that you have pictures from. Once you’ve done that, create a folder for each month in each of your ‘year’ folders. Or, if you want, you can organize by events or holidays, such as Christmas gatherings, birthday celebrations, or family vacations.

Buy an External Hard-Drive
A spare hard-drive has extra space that can be used to store digital files. If you want to organize your photos, think about investing in a hard drive specifically for your digital photo album. This will create one place for you to store all your photos without having to use a monthly cloud subscription or clog up your computer’s memory. You also don’t have to worry about being connected to a network, allowing you to have access to your album at any time, as long as you have the drive with you.

Add Your Old Album Photos
If you’re going to organize your digitized photos, you might as well add the photos in those old family albums. Have your photos converted by your local photo digitizing service company. These companies offer assistance with the digital transition from photographic print, as well as other photo digitizing services such as old photo digitization. In addition, many photo digitizing services will help with old photo restoration, which can refresh the look of your old photos with fade restoration and damage reducing technologies.

Organizing your digital album is a great way to ensure that your precious memories are never lost. In a recent survey, 41% of parents said they remembered the family photos and videos that have been posted on social media sites. While this may work for now, photographs are often lost in the depths of digital content, making it difficult to preserve them for the future. By keeping your digital photo album maintained, you can ensure that your precious photos will never be lost.

Nearly 50% of Americans know that digital documents are a good thing to have, but nevertheless, believe that paper photographs will never go away. Americans love their photos. Whether it’s photographic slides, Polaroid snapshots, school pictures or ancient family history, photos are 24% of Americans’ most valuable documents. (They even place more value on their photographs than their birth certificates or social security cards.) If you want to keep your photos as timeless as you feel they are, looking into image scanning services is a good option for you.

Scanning your photographs and making them into digital photos is the best way to ensure your memories aren’t lost due to water damage, fire, age, or any other unforeseeable event. You’ll be able to cherish them in print, while ensuring their permanence on the digital screen, where you can keep them longer and share them more easily. Digitizing your photos will also allow you to make duplicate prints with ease.

Image scanning services can also help you bring back the memories that you’ve already lost. Old photo restoration can help you bring aged photos back to life, with fade restoration, color enhancement, and other specialized editing that only digital can offer. So now, you can see your family’s history in clear detail, while preserving their memories in a medium that won’t fade away with sun and time.

Since the invention of the photograph 186 years ago, more than 3.5 trillion photographs have been taken. Many of them probably live in albums in the countless homes around the world. If your photo albums were ever lost, stolen, or damaged, your family’s moments could be gone forever. Help your memories live on safely and beautifully through picture scanning services like digital image scanning and restoration. When it comes to your precious photos, it’s much better to be safe than sorry.

Since the invention of the photograph 186 years ago, more than 3.5 trillion photographs have been taken. However, every year hundreds of these photographs are lost, forgotten, or destroyed. Family photos are important documents that help preserve special memories, yet many families have difficulty keeping them safe, or just don’t have the room for huge photo albums in their home.

Protection
You family photos have a lot of enemies: fading from the sun, water damage, rips and tears, and so on. Once a photograph is damaged or lost, there is nothing that can be done about it but to pray that one of your other family members has a copy. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans rated their family photo album as their most valuable document, above Social Security cards and birth certificates. Despite this, a survey of 250 parents showed that 52% have done nothing to protect their children’s photos for the future. Using a picture scanning service, parents can save all their children’s childhood memories, preserving them for the future so they will have something to share with their own children.

Restoration
Not only can a professional photo scanning service save the new memories you and your family are making, it can also be used for old photo restoration. Digitized photo service companies will take your old, fragile pictures and provide you with image scanning services, digitally fixing any flaws and making them look as good as they were the day they were taken. Old photo restoration can be a great way to preserve your family memories, and can also be a great gift for any member of your family.

Sharing
Showing your extended family pictures of your vacation can be a nightmare, especially when everyone lives in a different place. While it’s possible to send each and every family member a copy of your album, the process can be time consuming and costly. Digitized photo services are a great solution to the family demand for sharing photos by creating a digital album of photographic slides that anyone you shared it with can access, anytime and anywhere.

Chances are you or someone in your family has a few boxes of old family photos. These pictures capture family memories, and are one of the most important documents in a home. In fact, nearly one in four Americans (24%) rate family photos among their most valuable documents, trumping birth certificates and Social Security cards. Despite this, many physical photographs are lost each year due to wear and tear. Photo digitization is the process of taking physical photos and converting them into a digital file, allowing for the preservation of your family photos. Here are a few methods for digitizing your old photos.

Take a Picture With Your Phone
For those who do not have a scanner, a smartphone with a high definition camera can be used to digitize your photos. There are many apps designed specifically for old photo digitization, which will assist in giving you the highest quality digitization provided. However, the downside is that you will need to take a picture of each photograph, which can be incredibly time consuming.

Using a Scanner
Scanning your photographs is one of the best ways to get high quality digital copies of your photos. Gather the photographs you plan to digitize, and make sure they are clear of any dust or prints on them by running them over with a microfiber cloth. Wipe down the scanner as well. When scanning your photographs, save yourself time by scanning multiple photos at once. One issue with this method is the difficulty of organizing your scanned photographs. Most scanners do not allow you to name a file until after it’s already scanned, making it difficult to find the pictures you want without having to search through hundreds of files.

Use a Photo Digitizing Service
A picture digitizing service will take your old photos, put them through a professional scanner, and place them in an organized digital album. Photo digitizing services take the pain out of scanning your photographs individually. Digitization services also help restore your old or faded pictures, using sophisticated photo-editing technology to make your photos look as good as the day they were taken.

Since the first photograph was taken 186 years ago, more than 3.5 trillion photos have been taken. Yahoo! estimates that in 2014, people took more than 880 billion photos. With so many photographs in the world, it can be a challenge to keep track of your precious photographic memories. Old photo digitization is the best way to ensure the longest life for your photos, and allows you to share your pictures for years to come.

Photographs are snapshots of special times in our lives that we want to remember for the rest of our lives. Nearly one in four Americans rate their family photos as the most valuable document in their house, ahead of Social Security cards and birth certificates. But when a disaster hits, those precious memories can be lost in an instant. Rather than throwing out your damaged photos, here are some ways that you can save your photos in the case of water damage from a flood:

First, talk to your relatives to see if they have any copies of the photographs you have lost, or if there are undamaged negatives that can be reprinted. If no new copies can be made, there are several methods of restoration that can be utilized. When trying to save your damaged photos, time is of the essence. The longer it takes to salvage the photos, the more permanent the damage will be.

To start, separate the photos so they do not dry, which can cause them to stick together and make the process even more difficult. If the picture is damp, soak the photo in cold water to wash away any debris. Once the photos are separated and rinsed, there are a few different options for the next step.

One method is to freeze the photos before they have a chance to dry or grow mold. Another method is to place the photo in an airtight container with kitty litter, placing the photos on top of a sheet of plastic. This process should dry the photos out, but it may take a few days so be sure to check back often. You can also lay the photos out on any type of blotting paper, as long as it does not have ink that can be transferred.

If your photo restoration efforts are fruitless, you may want to consider photo digitizing services. These photo digitizing services provide customers with professional photo scanning and digitization, along with old photo restoration. These image scanning services can help save your damaged photos, and picture digitizing services can help prevent future photographs from being lost. In a survey of 250 parents, 52% admitted that they have not done anything with the tons of photos they have of their children to preserve them for the future. As only 13% of 18 to 24 year olds have ever owned a photo album, photo digitizing services are a great way to get your children to appreciate the value of owning family photos.

Pictures are snapshots of important moments in our lives that help us remember the memories that we made during those times. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans (24%) believe their family photos to be the most valuable document in their home, beating even Social Security cards and birth certificates. But preserving these memories can prove to be very difficult, as photographs can fade over time, or be lost due to natural disasters. A recent survey found that 52% of parents said they have not done anything with the photos or videos they have of their children. As a result, 44% of surveyed parents said they sometimes have trouble locating photos of their kids. To avoid the loss of your precious memories, here are a few tips on how to preserve your family photos.

Keep your photographs out of direct sunlight, as it can cause them to fade. When handling photos, avoid touching the actual photograph by holding it from the edges. Your hands exude oils that may be harmful to your photographs, so it’s best to wear gloves, or at they very least wash your hands with soap and water before touching them. When storing your photo, avoid places that may expose your photographs to humidity and high temperatures such as basements, attics, and garages. It’s recommended to instead store you photos in a closet, guest bedroom, or under the stairs. Using high quality, archival boxes to store your photos. These boxes will protect your photo from UV damage, dust, and pests such as insects or rodents.

To further protect your precious family photos, consider taking them to a picture digitizing service company. A digitized photo service business will provide customers with professional photo scanning, as well as old photo restoration and digitization. They can also create a digital photo album of your new photos, providing you with photographic slides that are accessible to view at time on multiple platforms. Picture digitizing services can be a great solution for those who move often, or just those who have difficulty keeping track of all their photos.

There’s always that one family member who is impossible to shop for. When you ask for suggestions, they either don’t have any, or tell you not to worry about it. If you’re struggling about gift ideas, you may want to consider digital photo services. Here are some reasons why you should consider looking into professional picture scanning services for the gift-giving season.

You Don’t Have to Pay for Multiple Copies
In the 186 years since the first photograph, more than 3.5 trillion photos have been taken. Most pictures only have one or two physical copies, so if they are lost or destroyed there is not getting them back. However, digital photo services can create files that can be copied an infinite number of times. This can make it easy to send photos to your whole family, without having to shell out extra cash to print out physical copies.

You Can Restore your Old Photos
Digital photo services may also offer old photo restoration along with the digitization process. Old, faded photos can be retouched to look almost as good as the day they were taken. This can be a great gift for that person in your family who likes to hold on to old photos. Old photos that are restored and digitized help bring family memories back to life, and make sure they are never forgotten.

You Can Use Them Again
Digitized photos can be the gift that keeps on giving. Not only can a digitized photo album make it easy to share your photos online, they can also be used on other customizable gifts. Professional picture digitizing services will provide you with the individual file for each photo you have, making them easy to use again and again. Some gifts you can give using your digital photos include: mugs, shirts, stickers, magnets, pillows, and more. Or, you can use the photos to create a calendar that can be printed for each member of the family.

Digitized photo service can be a great way to remind your family about the good memories they’ve had. Nearly 1 in 4 Americans rated family photos as their most valuable documented piece of information, ranking over Social Security cards and birth certificates. However, 47% of parents say they have not really thought about how they will share the photos and videos they have of their children with them. Digitizing your family album can be a great way to preserve these precious moments, and can be a great gift for any family member.

Since the first photograph was captured 186 year ago, it’s estimated that over 3.5 trillion photos have been taken. Unfortunately, all of them do not capture a happy story.

Jimi Yamaichi was just 19 years old when he and his family were forced from their rural farm in San Jose, CA and incarcerated in an internment camp in northern Wyoming with thousands of other Japanese-Americans after the infamous attack on Pear Harbor.

“When we were leaving home and going to the camps, I saw Mom and Dad with tears in their eyes, looking at the green fields ready to be harvested, and they had to leave,” said Yamaichi. Still living in San Jose, the 92-year-old now serves as the curator of the San Jose Japanese-American Museum.

Nearly 100,000 Japanese-Americans that were ordered to leave their lives, homes, and jobs behind when Executive Order 9066 took effect in February 1942 after the bombing of Pearl Harbor two months earlier. The controversial order mandated that anyone on the West Coast who the government considered a threat to national security be transported to internment camps located across the country.

For Yamaichi and the shrinking number of surviving Japanese-Americans who were detained at these prison-like facilities, this bleak period in American history is an integral part of their own personal stories. Before these stories fade into time, a new project has is underway to preserve the documents linked to the World War II internment camps.

San Jose State and 14 other campuses apart of the California State University (CSU) system will use old photo digitization and professional photo scanning to preserve 10,000 photographs and documents into a searchable database called the CSU Japanese American History. The project is expected to take up to two years to complete.

The goal of the project is to shed light onto a dark aspect of American history that is so often overlooked or worse, completely forgotten.

CSU’s project highlights the importance of old photo digitization in the modern era, a fact which many mobile photo-sharing apps have neglected. Though one in four Americans — roughly 24% — rate printed family photographs as among their most prized possessions, even more important than their Social Security cards and birth certificates.

Ironically, many Americans haven’t considered how they intend to preserve their analog or printed photographs. A survey of 250 parents revealed that 52% had not taken measures to preserve their videos or photographs of their children for the future.

However, there are some mobile apps and companies that make the process of old photo digitization easier and far less intimidating. These apps are not meant to replace professional image scanning services or picture digitizing services, but allow users an easy way to preserve their most cherished memories.

A recent survey from the Pew Research Center reveals some surprising facts about aging Americans. A growing number of Americans ages 65 and up are regularly using the Internet. Specifically, “59% reported using the Internet,” according to Mainline Media News. That’s a 24% increase from 2008, when just 35% of seniors made a habit of going online. What exactly are older Americans doing on the Internet?

Facebook Isn’t Just For College Students Anymore
For several years now, Facebook has been tweaking its user policies. Now that it has been some time since the social media network required a college or university email address to sign up, it’s catching on with the older crowd — and particularly with seniors. Nearly half (49%) of all seniors 65+ use Facebook, as reported by Forrester and its “Digital Seniors” report. Of course, that raises questions about why seniors log onto the social networking service and what they get out of it. And Forrester answers these questions, too. The overwhelming majority of seniors say they use Facebook primarily to keep in touch and/or reconnect with family and friends; the second most popular reason to use Facebook is to share and view photos.

Getting Your Old Photos On Facebook
Of course, there are some challenges. While it is worthwhile for seniors to see new pictures of friends and family, it is also more than reasonable to want to share photos of their own — and it can be particularly fun to share some pictures from long ago, especially when reconnecting with an old friend. Thankfully, there are several simple solutions. Professional photo scanning, image scanning services, and photo digitizing services are all great options. Picture scanning services can be used to digitize photo albums, digitize photos taken with disposable (in 2011, one-time use cameras accounted for 31 million rolls of film, or 60% of all film sold) and water-proof cameras, or even to scan old slides to use and share online.

Pictures are an important part of our lives. Over 3.5 trillion have been taken since the first picture ever, and the ability to quickly and easily share them online (thanks to Facebook and professional photo scanning) — and among all age groups — is likely to drive this number up even higher.

With the recent ubiquity of camera phones, tablets, and social media, many people are forgetting all about their old photo prints and slides. Even though a quarter of Americans surveyed felt that family photos were their most valuable personal documents, overstuffed closets nationwide feature an old shoebox full of slides. Although a staple with families for over 150 years, the physical photo, slide, or even photo album have become considered quaint. Why not breathe new life into those old memories by using a slide to digital service? Digital photo services can rescue old prints and slides allowing you to post, share, or even just digitally organize all those precious family photos.

Many people are curious about what exactly a slide to digital service does. Quite simply a slide digitizing service will create a digital copy of the image on a physical slide. At the end of the process you have your original archival slide as well as digital image you can enjoy without digging your old projector and screen out of storage.

But what if you enjoy the ritual of setting up the projector to spend an evening walking down memory lane? By utilizing a 5mm slide scanning service — or a 35mm slide scanning service, for that matter — you still get to retain the physical slide. However, the photo slide as a physical object is always going to be at the mercy of the elements and ravages of time. A recent survey of 250 parents showed a little more than half had not done anything to preserve their photos and slides for the future. Image scanning services can protect your precious photos and slides while allowing for copies to be easily passed on to family and friends. But, more importantly, it will preserve a copy for future generations to enjoy.

Once digitized, your photos and slides can take on a whole new life! Did you know only 13% of 18 to 24 year olds have ever owned a photo album? By using a slide to digital service you can create an online, or digital, album to allow the next generation to experience the joys of “virtually” thumbing through a collection of family memories. Don’t let those old images go to waste, use a slide to digital service today!

=[/caption]Some things are just better done the old school way; however, photography just isn’t one of them.

Believe it or not, in 2011 — which wasn’t that long ago — it’s estimated that 31 million rolls of film in the form of single-use disposable cameras were sold. While more than half — 60% — of the 31 million rolls of film that were sold in 2011 were packaged inside disposable cameras, the remaining was sold as packaged film.

Surprisingly, an esteemed film producer sold roughly 348 rolls of film each day in 2010. Furthermore, a survey involving thousands of people from 70 countries around the world conducted by film manufacturer Ilford revealed startling statistics: a third of those surveyed were under 35 and roughly 60% of respondents had started film photography within the last five years.

All of this goes to show that film, while outdated, is far from being irrelevant. Film does, however, pose a few challenges in terms of preserving your photos for the future. After all, the crux of photography is to capture a moment in time in order for it to be remembered in the future. Without a means of preserving the print or slide, the image will begin to deteriorate and will be lost to time.

Luckily, slide scan services, otherwise known as slide to digital service, allow you to convert your old prints and slides into digital files. Professional photo scanning, which includes slide and picture scanning services and may even include old photo restoration if needed, is an excellent way to ensure that your favorite captured moments in time last a lifetime, if not longer.

Slide scan services, or 35mm slide scanning services, are commonly used not only by families who would like to preserve their photos for future generations, but also by museums and historic agencies who have vast archives of film work.

Let’s face it: Dads are notoriously difficult to shop for, and there is only a month left until Father’s Day. That means it is time to put your thinking caps on. While you could just buy Dad yet another three pack of socks or a tie, there are plenty of other — and much more personal and thoughtful — ways to show you care. Try some of these one-of-a-kind gifts made out of family photos:

Smartphone And Tablet Cases
Roughly 186 years ago, someone snapped the first photograph — and over 3.5 trillion have been taken since. Chances are, one of them would look great on Dad’s smartphone or tablet case. This is an especially thoughtful idea for new dads or new grandfathers. Most digital photo services will be able to convert pictures into a digital file and then onto the appropriate case. Many of them are even able to convert pictures from old family albums or pictures taken with a disposable film camera (i.e., pictures not transferred over from an iPhone).

Pictures Everywhere!
If you like the picture idea, run with it. Digitized photo services and image scanning services are capable of so much more than slapping a picture of a newborn baby or new grandchild onto a smartphone case. Mouse pads with pictures, regular and travel coffee mugs, calendars, and key chains with pictures are also perfect options for Father’s Day.

Get A Little Creative
What’s Dad’s favorite vacation spot? Does he still talk about his long-ago trip to Bali to this day? Great! Treat your dad this father’s day by converting old slides with a slide to digital service. Photographic slides, while a popular Dad thing back in the day, aren’t going to last forever. And preserving memories is becoming increasing difficult. (In a survey of 3,000 people, 10% say pictures are “gone within 10 seconds.”) Create a CD, digital slideshow, picture book (or all three!) out of treasured picture slides from years ago.

With the help of a digital photo service or slide to digital service, you can show Dad you truly care this Father’s Day — and that you have finally thought of some gifts other than socks or a tie.

With camera phones, cameras in game consoles and tablets, as well as webcams, digital photography is a rapidly growing industry that continues to progress as technology makes taking pictures more and more accessible. In fact, it is estimated by Yahoo that in 2014, more than 880 billion photos were taken.

Preserving family photos has change exponentially in the past two decades. While maintaining physical family photo albums or scrapbooks was the norm 20 years ago, the digital revolution has dramatically impacted the way we view and store photographs. While digital photos are certainly the wave of the future, what happens to the old, tangible photographs we are still clinging to? How do we preserve them for the future?

With almost 25% of the population claiming that family photographs are their most prized documents (even over birth certificates and social security cards), it is easy to see why preserving these memories is important. Yet, many people don’t consider how their family legacy will be kept safe. When 250 parents were questioned, over 50% claimed they had not done anything in order to preserve family photographs or memories. If you haven’t given it much thought either, you may want to consider picture digitizing services. There are many picture scanning services that can help restore, repair, and preserve all of your physical photographs for years to come.

What You Need to Know About Picture Scanning Services:
1. The Basics – Many places offer digital photo services, which simply means, converting your physical photograph into a digital version that you can share, save, and protect much better than a tangible copy. Many places also allow consumers to drop off full photo albums that can be converted, as well as slides, which are uploaded via slide digitalizing services.

2. Restore and Repair – Of the many image scanning services available, some offer old photo restoration services, which can make old photos look like new again. Cracks and bends in old photographs can be repaired so that your digital copy remains the best quality available.

3. Disposable Popularity – It is estimated that over 31 million rolls of film were purchased in 2011 for disposable cameras. Many weddings and other receptions are allowing guests to capture their favorite moments with disposable cameras. This allows for more photo options, but can also leave the hosts with a mess of cameras to deal with. Sending these in to a camera shop offering picture scanning services can help eliminate the physical clutter, by converting the images to digital files.

Picture scanning services are more important than ever during this digital age. Don’t let your memories get washed away and forgotten; look into digitalizing your photos today.

The modern age is truly a fascinating time to live in; however, nostalgia often takes hold which is why so many trends from past generations have made comebacks in recent years. In fact, it’s cool to go retro or vintage. Some things from the past, though, can benefit from a modern touch. This is perhaps most evident with old photo digitization such as slide to digital service.

Over time, the color and clarity of old photographs and slides begins to fade, which in turn negatively affects the quality. In fact, old photographic prints are quite fragile, and even handling them can require some extra care. However, photo digitizing services, namely old photo digitization, can breathe new life into your old family photographs and ensure they can be enjoyed for years to come.

Here are the top three benefits of using a picture digitizing service to safeguard some of your most precious moments.

Improved quality
While 50% of Americans are aware of the benefits of digital documents, they don’t believe paper, including print photographs, will ever completely go away. While printed photographs may be around for quite some time, they’re not impervious to the damaging affects of the sun and even routine handle. This may affect the quality of the image. Thanks to photo editing software, though, the original quality can be digitally restored.

Ability to share
Wouldn’t it be great to share a photo of yourself from your childhood on social media? Digitizing slides services allow you to do just that. Not only will the color and overall quality of the photograph be restored — if not improved — but you’ll be able to share it with family and friends on social media.

Preservation
A recent survey found that nearly half — 47% of parents — say they have not yet considered how they will share their photos or videos of their children with them when they are older. In addition, 44% of parents admit to having trouble locating photos and videos of their family. Having digital files provides the convenience of having your family photos in a central location while providing the security of digital storage.

It’s now officially spring, which means some spring cleaning is probably in order. This year, in addition to cleaning out any nooks and crannies that might have been neglected over the winter, you might also want to tackle a common project that often gets pushed off for years at a time: organizing boxes of old photos or slides that are being stored instead of shared and enjoyed.

While sorting photos by date might be part of this process, you should also consider digitizing your images to preserve them for years to come. More than 3.5 trillion photos have been snapped since the invention of the photograph 186 years ago, but an increasing number of photos have become inaccessible either because of physical deterioration or a lack of the equipment used to display slides. By digitizing your photos, you could be flipping through decades-old memories with your children and grandchildren this summer needing only a computer. But old photo digitization takes specialized equipment, technical expertise and time, meaning that using a photo or 35mm slide scanning service is probably the most efficient way to get high-quality digital copies of all your favorite images. Here are some tips to keep in mind as you start the process of going through your old photos and slides:

• Pare Down Your Photo Collection Carefully
  Especially if you’re trying to keep the costs of a scanning service low, it may be tempting to only have a few images digitized, eliminating duplicates before sending them off for digitization. There’s nothing wrong with this, but you should be careful as you’re sorting; you may find when you get high-quality digital copies that photos appearing to be identical when viewed as small prints or slides are actually subtly different. Since the additional cost of having a few more photos or slides scanned is relatively low, it may be worth it to have similar photos scanned anyway, just to be sure.

 

• Choose the Right 35mm Slide Scanning Service
  Photographic slides can be significantly more difficult to successfully digitize than prints; you can’t simply put a slide on an average scanner and end up with a high-quality image. So even if you have the time and wouldn’t mind scanning photos yourself, it’s probably best to find a 35mm slide scanning service if much of your collection consists of old slides.

 

• Don’t Get Discouraged by Fading or Damage
  It’s true that colors on both prints and slides will fade over time, and it’s easy for photos to get damaged as they sit in an attic or cupboard; preventing further damage is one of the most persuasive arguments for taking the time to find a photo and slide digitizing service now, instead of waiting another few years. But you should also know that old photo restoration is possible with the right equipment and best skills, and there are professionals who can help you recapture memories even if your old photos and slides aren’t in perfect condition.

Did you know that while digital photography still dominates the market, film is making a comeback for some uses? One top film manufacturer sold about 348 rolls of film each day in 2010, and a survey by film producer Ilford (involving thousands of people from 70 countries) found that a third of film users were younger than 35, and about 60% of the group had started film photography only in the last five years.

Technology has changed and improved a lot of things. From advances in medical technology to the advent of the internet, things are definitely a lot different — and better in many aspects — than they used to be. This is perhaps most apparent in the field of photography.

When photography first came onto the scene almost 200 years ago, people had no idea what to make of it. Traditional artists and painters did not feel it was a legitimate art form, and felt that up and coming photographers lacked true creativity. In their eyes, the camera was doing all the work for them. In addition, some people feared photography, and felt that having your picture taken would capture your soul (if only they knew how popular selfies would become).

Fast forward to modern times, and now more than 3.5 trillion photos have been taken in the 186 years since the first photograph. While digital and mobile photography has dominated the industry, film photography is still quite relevant among all the digital photo services offered.

For example, did you know that in 2011, an estimated 31 million rolls of film were sold in the form of single-use disposable cameras? A year prior in 2010, a top film manufacturer sold an average of 348 rolls of film per day.

With all that film going around, it’s likely you may be in need old photo restoration or old photo digitization. These are two of the most common services provided by digital photo services in addition to slide to digital services.

During the professional photo scanning process, your old, worn, and perhaps discolored photographs will be scanned into a digital format. From there, a skilled technician will be able to use tools such as Photoshop in order to enhance their appearance and restore it to a like new condition. Depending on your preference, you may also be given prints or digital files for future use.

Pictures may be worth a thousand words, but their sentimental value is priceless. Photographs are moments in time that have been captured and frozen and have been brought into the physical world — as opposed to remaining in one’s memory — via slides, prints, or digital files.

Regardless of photography’s format, it has the ability to evoke raw emotions. For example, it was Ansel Adam’s — who is often considered the father of black and white photography — epic shots of Sequoia and Kings Canyon in California that helped to convince Congress to designate these areas as national parks in 1940.

Aside from nature or natural landscapes, nostalgia is also a common theme in many photographs, especially those involving family, friends, or favorite places and items. In fact, nearly 1 in 4 — 24% — of Americans rate family photos among their most valuable documented pieces of information, beating out Social Security cards and birth certificates. However, women are twice as likely as men to consider family photos the most valuable documented pieces of information.

While old family photographs are considered by many to be prized possessions, a recent survey revealed surprising statistics. Out of 250 parents, more than half — 52% — say they have not done anything with the photos or videos of their children in order to preserve them for the future.

Over time, photographic prints and slides can fade, losing both color and quality. This can affect the overall picture, and in some cases, prevent it from even being viewed and enjoyed. However, photo digitizing services, such as old photo digitization and old photo restoration, can breathe new life into your old photographs while preserving them for the future.

Professional photo digitizing services offer a wide range of photographic specialties such as slide to digital service and image scanning services to help preserve your most cherished memories. This allows you to relive your family’s best moments again and again, while ensuring future family members will be able to do the same. In addition, digital copies allow you to easily share these moments with other family members and friends via email or social media.