====== How to Scan Old Family Photos for Archiving ======

This article  will explain how to do archival quality scans of old family photos. It is my hope that this guide will be simple enough for your grandmother to follow so that she can preserve her photos with little outside help. It will not explain image processing, digital restoration, or Photoshop. These can all be done later. The goal is to get photographs preserved as soon as possible before they deteriorate or are lost.

===== Step 0: Get Those Photos Out of the Sun! =====

<WRAP important>
Sunlight causes photographs to quickly fade in a way that's very difficult to restore. **Cover any irreplaceable photos or move them away from areas that get direct sunlight.**
</WRAP>

===== Step 1: Gather Materials and Equipment =====

Gather the following:

1. Your photos, slides, and negatives. See the article on "[[source media]]" for tips and more information.

2. A **flatbed scanner**. See the article on "[[flatbed scanners]]" for more tips on choosing a scanner.

<WRAP important>
Do not use a sheetfed scanner or document feeder. It may scratch or damage the photo.
</WRAP>

<WRAP tip>
A scanner will create **much** better scans than a smartphone. However, a smartphone is more **convenient**, especially with an app like [[https://www.google.com/photos/scan/|Google PhotoScan]]. Doing what's **convenient first** and following up later with a **high quality archival scan** is a perfectly good strategy.
</WRAP>

//This article focuses on scanning with a flatbed scanner, but you can adapt these instructions for the use of a smartphone.//

3. **Scanner software**. I use [[VueScan Professional]] because it's easy to save [[raw|raw]] scans.

4. A **soft, lint-free cloth, [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000CHK7OA/|lens brush]] or shaving brush, and/or [[https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0013J0502/|air blower]]** to gently remove dust from photographs before scanning.

<WRAP important>
Do not use compressed air to clean photographs as it may leave a residue.
</WRAP>

5. (Optional) Something flat and **non-scratching** (something not metal) to weigh down a photo flat against the glass of the scanner, maybe a book or a slab of acrylic.

6. **Digital storage** for 3 copies of each file, 1 copy of which should be offsite. Read more in the article about "[[backups]]".

7. Archival grade [[photo storage|photo storage]] to **prevent further deterioration of your photos**. //Most photo albums are archival grade. Ordinary //Ziploc// bags are a good temporary alternative.//

===== Step 2: Prepare the Equipment =====

1. **Clean the glass of the scanner**. //See the article "[[cleaning scanner glass]]" for more information.//

2. **Calibrate the scanner**. In VueScan, go to ''Scanner'' > ''Calibrate''.

<WRAP tip>
Calibrating the scanner will prevent vertical lines and other artifacts in the photos.
</WRAP>

3. **Set your scanner software** to [[48-bit Color]][(Even if the photo is in black and white.)], [[TIFF]] file type (or ''Raw''), and all software corrections turned **OFF**. In VueScan Professional, this is done by choosing the following options:

^  Tab ^  Option  ^  Setting  ^
|  Input  |  Media  |  ''Color''  |
|  Input  |  Bits per pixel  |  ''48 bit RGB'' if available, otherwise ''24 bit RGB''  |
|  Input  |  Scan resolution  |  ''800''/''1200 DPI''[([[Optimal Scan Resolution]])]  |
|  Output  |  Raw file  |  ''ON''  |
|  Output  |  Raw file type  |  ''Auto'', or ''48 bit RGB'' if available, otherwise ''24 bit RGB''  |
|  Output  |  Raw DNG  |  ''ON''  |

===== Step 3: Prepare the Photographs =====

1. **GENTLY** remove the photo from the photo album or photo frame glass, **if you can do it without damaging the photo**.

<WRAP important>
If you can't remove the photo from the photo album or photo frame glass without damaging the photo, you will need to try to scan the entire album page or photo frame glass. A [[flatbed_scanners#cis_vs_ccd|CCD scanner]] or a tripod mounted DSLR camera works best for that.
</WRAP>

2. Carefully **dust off the photo**, even if you don't see any dust.

<WRAP tip>
Removing dust now will save you a lot of time later in Photoshop trying to remove all the little dust particles.
</WRAP>

3. If the photograph is severely curled, you may need to [[Rehumidifying Curled Photographs|rehumidify it]].

<WRAP alert>
Do not attempt to flatten a severely curled photograph without rehumidifying it first. It may create folds in the photograph or cause the emulsion layer to crack and require digital restoration.
</WRAP>

===== Step 4: Scanning =====

1. **Select a DPI** (dots per inch) setting according to the article "[[Optimal Scan Resolution]]".

2. **Lay the photo on the scanner**. Try to keep the edges of the photo straight, and move the photo away from the edges of the glass at least ¼ inch. If the photo isn't perfectly flat, lay a book on top of it.

<WRAP tip>
Moving the photo away from the edges of the glass will make it possible to scan right up to the edges of the photo.
</WRAP>

3. If the photo is **not cracked or brittle or severely curled**, place the book or weight on top of the photo to press it against the glass of the scanner.

<WRAP important>
If the photo is cracked or brittle, have it professionally restored and scanned by a digital archivist to avoid further damage.
</WRAP>

4. Do a **Preview scan**.

5. Use the selection tool in your scan software to **select an area** __just outside the borders__ of the photo paper.

6. When you're ready, do the **final scan**. Remember, **save directly to TIFF or RAW**.

<WRAP important>
If you accidentally choose JPG, **do not open the JPG and resave it as TIFF**. You must scan it over again.
</WRAP>

7. **Closely inspect the scanned image**. If you see dust or lint, dust off the photograph and scan bed and scan it again. If you see vertical bands in the image, calibrate the scanner and scan again. If you still see vertical bands, consider another [[strategies to eliminate banding|strategy to eliminate banding]].

7. Name the scan file. See [[#step_5file_naming|Step 5: File Naming]] below.

8. Feel the photograph. If it isn't perfectly smooth and glossy--if it is **textured, creased, or cracked**--then rotate the photo **180 degrees on the scanner glass** and repeat steps 5 through 8, changing the filename slightly for the second photo. If it's **heavily textured, scan again at 90 and 270 degrees**. See the article "[[Texture]]" for more information.

===== Step 5: File Naming =====

//Main article: [[file naming]]//

Name the scan file like this: ''2018-07-04_Fireworks-1_4x6print_48bpp_1200dpi_raw.tif''

^  Date  ^  Description  ^  Media  ^  Bits Per Pixel  ^  Dots Per Inch  ^  "Raw"  ^  Extension  ^
|  ''2018-07-04''  |  ''Fireworks-1''  |  ''4x6print''  |  ''48bpp''  |  ''1200dpi''  |  ''raw''  |  ''.tif''  |

===== Step 6: Documentation =====

Document the image. See the article "[[documenting images]]" for more information.


===== Step 7: Digital Archiving =====

// Main article: [[backups]]//

Make **two (2) additional copies** of each file. One copy should be on a **separate hard drive** or DVD or Blu-Ray from the original; and another copy should be **offsite** in case of theft, fire or malware.
===== Step 8: Safely Storing Photos =====

//Main article: [[Photo Storage]]//

After scanning your photo, **store it away** from sunlight, heat, moisture, and any chemicals that may harm it. On the back or on a piece of **acid-free paper** or cardstock, using an **acid-free pen**, write the filename of the scan. Read the article "[[Photo Storage]]" for more information.

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===== Other Topics =====
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===== Footnotes =====

~~REFNOTES~~

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~~socialite~~
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