Tips on scanning and organising large collection of family photos

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kycrosscrew
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 21, 2021 5:40 pm

Tips on scanning and organising large collection of family photos

Post by kycrosscrew »

I am definitely the most technology challenged person I know. So I need to be hand held through this process and program if anyone can do that. My grandma recently died and everyone wants her pictures. I volunteered to take the pictures, scan them and put them on flash drives for everyone so there is no fighting over who get them. First I'm going to have to find a picture scanner that scans quickly and with good quality as the HP Envy Photo 7855 does a decent job of scanning but it takes a very long time to do so. I have seen a couple on Amazon and Walmart website for the less than $600.00 price point but not sure how well they'll scan and I believe one only offers 4x6 and I have pictures that are of varying sizes and some over 100 yrs old that I would be afraid to put through a feeder although a feeder with ability to do multiple sizes is what I think would be easier for me than loading and lining up on a flat bed scanner. My child with special needs could even help and would enjoy being about to feed pictures through a non flatbed.

So 1st question is do any of you experienced photo folks have a recommendation for scanner to get my pictures on my computer to use this xnview program. I see lots of different xnview products when I search xnview (I heard about xnview from a tech video but it was very generic when I put in search for reviews of those photo stick options that pop up in my feed all the time) I come up with Xnview, xnviewmp, xnviewfix, Nconvert, xnshelf, etc... are all these the same thing? Do I need all of them? What is the best option for tech challenged folks? It is fairly simple to use? It is good to have on phone as well? When I say I'm tech challenged I mean I can do as much as take a picture with my phone, crop it with within the camera and save it. I can scan a picture to my computer from my copier/scanner and if I manage to scan it into the pictures album that comes with Windows 10 I can send it to someone and maybe crop it there too.

It seems I have files of pictures that have names although just what number it scanned I believe and I don't always remember even how to see the pictures in thumbnails (impressed with myself I even know that term) instead of word file name. I'm sure there are probably many multiples of pictures because I just don't know what the heck I'm doing on a computer. I was looking into the photo stick devices because it claims to find pictures regardless of where they are on your computer or phone, not copy duplicates and put them all on the stick and came with software to edit. It sounded idiot proof so perfect for me. Researching I found they weren't good options and was led to this xn system. If this made sense to any of you can you tell me what is best options within this xn system, what I need, how hard this is going to be for me, and all the other questions including how to get the pictures on my computer to begin with.

I know volunteering for the family to do this was crazy considering my ignorance with technology but I think I am the only one that even owns a computer. The rest only use a smart phone. My hubby bought me a nice camera about 6 years ago (which is outdated compared to the ones you can wifi straight to computer of phone) but otherwise is still a good camera. Not worth the added expense of upgrading just to get wifi when I haven't even figured out how to use the one he already got me beyond put on auto mode and shoot. I even got editing software when he bought it for me loaded one on my computer, couldn't figure out how to get a picture to it from my computers picture files so gave up. I didn't even open the other software packages (back when you bought disk for your software and up loaded it). I'd like to learn although at this point not sure picking a camera up and trying would do much for my sanity but if this xn editing and such is user friendly for folks like me maybe I'll try. Anyone out there willing to teach and old dog new tricks? I'm going to be honest, my technology ignorance can be annoying. I'm the kid whose mother pulled her hair when I couldn't understand her homework help. So I must be bad. At least I can't have my hair pulled via the internet. Thanks folks from an old dog.
cday
XnThusiast
Posts: 4132
Joined: Sun Apr 29, 2012 9:45 am
Location: Cheltenham, U.K.

Re: Tips on scanning and organising large collection of family photos

Post by cday »

My first tip would be to try to keep your posts as concise as possible, as more people are likely to read them!

While you might get some advice on this forum on scanning or photographing the originals, in general the emphasis is on enhancing and organising photograph collections. And the sad reality is that not many people post other than to ask for help with their own issues.

Another forum you might also post on is DIYBookScanner. That forum in practice is concerned with imaging problems in general, one past project being to image the labels on a collection of vinyl records! Although that forum is currently very quiet, you might possibly get useful some advice there if you are patient.

P.S.

Another tip might be to think twice before you volunteer, I should try to remember that myself! :wink:
martin10
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Jul 19, 2023 9:09 am

Re: Tips on scanning and organising large collection of family photos

Post by martin10 »

AI photo culling refers to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology in the process of sorting, selecting, and organizing photos from a large collection of images, typically taken during events and weddings. Photo culling software that incorporates AI algorithms can significantly streamline the post-processing workflow for photographers, providing several key advantages in the events and wedding photography field:

Time Efficiency: Events and weddings often generate hundreds or even thousands of photos. Manually sorting through such a vast number of images can be time-consuming and laborious. AI-powered photo culling software can quickly analyze and categorize images based on various criteria, such as image quality, composition, and facial recognition, significantly reducing the time needed for the culling process.

Automated Selection: AI algorithms can be trained to recognize and prioritize certain elements in photos, such as well-composed shots, sharp focus, smiling faces, and group shots. This automation allows photographers to focus on the creative aspects of their work, as the software takes care of the initial selection process.

Consistency in Quality: With AI photo culling, photographers can maintain a consistent level of quality in their final deliverables. The software can be programmed to filter out blurry or poorly exposed images, ensuring that only the best photos make it to the final collection.

Reduced Storage and Editing Costs: By automatically eliminating duplicate and low-quality images, AI culling helps reduce storage requirements and post-processing time. This translates to cost savings in terms of storage devices and editing software usage.

Client Satisfaction: Clients expect to receive a curated collection of the best moments captured during their events or weddings. AI photo culling ensures that clients receive a cohesive and visually appealing set of images, enhancing overall satisfaction with the photographer's services.

Scalability: For photography studios or photographers who handle multiple events and weddings, AI photo culling offers scalability. It allows them to efficiently manage larger volumes of photos without compromising on quality or spending excessive time on culling.

Improved Creativity: By offloading the initial culling process to AI, photographers can spend more time on creative tasks such as retouching, color grading, and artistic enhancements. This results in higher-quality final images that showcase the photographer's artistic vision.
Bosrmak
Posts: 16
Joined: Tue Nov 14, 2023 4:33 pm

Re: Tips on scanning and organising large collection of family photos

Post by Bosrmak »

I myself had a lot of family photos developed from film in the form of paper photos. I scanned them in high resolution on a regular scanner and then manually cut them into images (frames) and created files from them. It's hard work, but there are a lot of them. This is the only way I could save my family photos, which look worse every year.
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