Making digital backups of your old photo prints and negatives to store, organize and share is a wise decision, and ScanMyPhotos provides an attractive solution.
REPUBLISHED. By Jeff Collier (Shotkit Writer, Product Tester & Instagram Manager. Jeff Collier is an experienced film photographer who enjoys experimenting with modern digital photography equipment, software, and apps. He’s also an ex-world champion triathlete and avid cyclist, clocking hundreds of km each week in the beautiful Tweed Valley of northern NSW, Australia. republished)
LINK TO READ THE SHOTKIT ARTICLE.
Like wine, art, or antique jewelry, the value of a photo increases over time.
For me, nothing beats the pleasure of reliving hilarious childhood moments stored in photo albums in my living room. The only thing I disliked about the experience was seeing how my snapshots faded and deteriorated over time. In my quest to figure out how to perfectly preserve my pictures and protect them from getting damaged, I stumbled upon a simple solution: digitizing them.
Digitizing keeps my pics safe and allows me to sort, show, and share my memories on social media. Do you want to know the best part? I didn’t have to purchase expensive equipment or go through the hassle of scanning tons of photos myself! Thankfully, photo scanning services like ScanMyPhotos are around to get the job done.
If you considered doing the same, you’re in the right place! In this guide, we’ll answer the question: Should you use ScanMyPhotos to digitize your old prints?
What Is ScanMyPhotos?
ScanMyPhotos is a professional photo-scanning service that specializes in preserving photos, negatives, slides, VHS tapes, and movie films. It allows you to conveniently digitize your collection of analog media for easy viewing, editing, and uploading. Since its establishment in 1990, ScanMyPhotos has digitized over one billion pictures, with a 100% happiness pledge guarantee to all of its customers. The company is based in Irvine, California, and is headed by Mitch Goldstone and Carl Berman.
ScanMyPhotos’s newest services include express ScanFast same-day scanning. It allows your photos to be processed and instantly uploaded within a day of receiving your order. Plus, the company’s film digitization service has been upgraded for optimal viewing! What’s more, ScanMyPhotos now provides a 35mm Kodak slide carousel service for a fixed price of $40.
The company also offers its best-selling fill-the-box photo scanning, which has a capacity of 1,800 pictures! All these services and more are available on their official website.
What Services & Products Does ScanMyPhotos Offer?
You can choose from ScanMyPhotos’s wide array of budget-friendly options for your photo scanning and video transferring needs. The company accepts multiple media types, from a few home movies to a year’s worth of pictures.
Here are some of the company’s top-rated services and products:
Photo Scanning Service. If you have a bunch of fading snapshots in your drawer or in a shoebox collecting dust, consider ScanMyPhotos’s digital photo-scanning service.
Upon receipt, digitizing experts will process all of your pictures at the company’s facility in Irvine, California.
Your photos may be scanned into 72, 150, 300, or 600 dpi JPEG files, depending on your choice of resolution.
According to ScanMyPhotos, 300 dpi files are suitable for viewing, sharing, or reprinting photos of the same size. Meanwhile, the company recommends 600 dpi for archival purposes and large reproductions.
After scanning your photos, your digital downloads will be provided via email, and your analog pics will be shipped back to you, safe and sound. What a convenient way to protect, preserve, and enjoy precious memories!
ScanMyPhotos provides three budget-friendly options for its photo scanning services:
Pay-Per-Photo Scan Service – Pro. If you only have a small number of special snapshots to digitize, this option is for you! The pay-per-photo scan service allows you to send as few or as many photos as you like, with the corresponding charge based on the total number of pics.
The average turnaround time for this option is a few weeks. You can opt for express same-day scanning to speed things up. This add-on allows you to receive your order in one business day. Nice!
Photo Scanning Box. The photo scanning box option is perfect for digitizing the treasured photos of family members, pets, and friends that are filling up your shoeboxes and storage bins. When you place an order, ScanMyPhotos will swiftly send you a prepaid box that can hold up to 1,800 photos.
Without express same-day scanning, the turnaround time for this order is same-day to 5–10 business days.
Family Generation Collection. You can quickly, conveniently, and affordably preserve a lifetime of nostalgic photos with ScanMyPhotos’s family generation collection. You’ll receive six prepaid boxes with an average capacity of 10,800 photos. Your order will typically be completed in 10–20 days. This order has the option of express same-day scanning as well.
But wait, there’s more! ScanMyPhotos also offers the following add-on services to further enhance your orders:
Scanning photos in order
Photo soap
Dual side scanning
Scanned photos stored in a standard DVD
Scanned photos stored in an 8GB thumb drive
Delivery signature confirmation
Related: What is the best photo scanning software?
Negative Scanning Service. Your photo negatives are also at risk of degrading over time.
When stored in unsuitable conditions, the pictures on them may fade, warp, or discolor. For this reason, ScanMyPhotos offers a scanning service to preserve your fragile negatives. This service individually hand-scans your negatives into 24-bit JPEG files with vivid color and impressive clarity. You can choose a 2,000 dpi resolution if you want to print your negatives as photos. Meanwhile, 4,000 dpi resolution is ideal if you plan to print posters from your pics.
It’s worth mentioning that all of ScanMyPhotos’s negative scanning services have add-on features to choose from. You can visit the company’s website to access special promo codes, instant rebates, and big discounts for their services!
ScanMyPhotos provides the following options for scanning your negatives:
35mm negative scanning services
APS negative scanning services
120mm negative scanning services
Slide Scanning Service. You might’ve thought that the photos on your family’s old slides are completely irrecoverable, with the memories being lost forever. Thankfully, that’s not the case! ScanMyPhotos provides slide scanning services where each one of your slides is hand-scanned by a technician. In addition to standard slide scanning, ScanMyPhotos offers premium slide scanning. This option involves careful adjustment of your photos to achieve excellent color and density. The scanning process uses Kodak’s digital ICE technology to reduce surface scratches and dust.
The following options are available under slide scanning:
Pay-per-slide service
Slide scanning box
Kodak Carousel Slide Scanning
VHS and Film Transfer Service. The magnetic material on your VHS degrades over time, causing your tapes to eventually break down. To avoid losing your recordings, try ScanMyPhotos’s 8mm/16mm film and VHS tape transfer service. All you have to do is send in your VHS, VHS-C, MiniDV, and Hi8 video tapes or your 8mm/16mm film. ScanMyPhotos will then transfer the footage to an archival-quality DVD. You can opt to have your movies uploaded or stored on a hard drive, too.
Photo Restoration Service. ScanMyPhotos’s restoration services can bring your vintage photographs back to life! Just upload your old pictures as you order and let photo artists enhance and restore them to their former glory. Experts will repair any flaws and discoloration from your photos, transforming them into vivid and colorful artworks. The average turnaround time for this service is 20 days. Rush 10-day completion and ultra rush 3-day completion options are available for an additional cost.
Here are some of the features and add-ons that come with this special service:
Photo colorization
High-end pro eye retouching
Image cropping
Teeth whitening
High-end blemish removal
High-end background enhancement
Photo Soap
Photo soap is a computerized image correction process that ScanMyPhotos offers in combination with its scanning services.
To enhance the exposure or correct the colors of your old or faded pictures, select this add-on when ordering. Photo soap comes with the following impressive features:
Skin tone correction
Greater shadow detail or better highlights
Image sharpening
Reduction of abnormal tint due to tungsten, fluorescent, UV, and infrared lighting
The color vibrancy and saturation restoration
Exposure optimization for underexposed photos
Is ScanMyPhotos Right for You?
If you’ve been meaning to digitize a bulk of precious snapshots, negatives, slides, or films but don’t have the time to do so, ScanMyPhotos might be an ideal solution. Not only are the services affordably priced, but they’re also professionally done and have a fast turnaround time. Additionally, ScanMyPhotos’s services are suitable for customers who want to restore special photos but lack expertise and equipment.
The same applies to customers with outdated media, such as VHS and slides, that need a technician’s skill to be converted into digital format.
Compared to other photo scanning services in the market, ScanMyPhotos stands out as a strong contender for its quality and speed.
Thus, if you need extra help in digitizing your memories, ScanMyPhotos is definitely worth considering.
