HowtoArchiveFamilyPhotos

AStep-by-StepGuidetoOrganizeandShareYourPhotosDigitally

DeniseMayLevenickTheFamilyCurator

Cincinnati,Ohio

shopfamilytree.com

DEDICATIONTomymemory-makingfamily:Dan,Zack,andChristian

Contents

Introduction

PART1:Organize

Chapter1DigitalImagingBasics

Discovertheessentialtoolsandskillsforworkingwithdigitalimages.UsetheDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheetandGettingStartedChecklisttopreparefororganizingyourphotocollection.

Chapter2TransferTips

Unsurewhattodowithalltheimagesonyourvariousdigitaldevices?Thischapterfocusesonhowyoucantransferimagestoacentraldigitallibraryusinganeasy-to-rememberroutine.

Chapter3Photo-ManagementSoftware

Photo-editingandphoto-managementsoftwarecanhelpyouautomateyourdigitalphoto-organizationroutines.Learnaboutthesoftwareoptionsavailableandkeyfeaturestoconsidertohelpyoumanageyourdigitalphotocollection.

Chapter4OnlinePhotoServices

Photowebsitesforphotosharing,publishing,creatinggifts,andstoringabackupofyourdigitalimagefilesareabundant.ThischapterwillintroduceyoutosomeofthebestphotowebsitesandprovideyouwithaCloudStorageServiceComparisonWorksheettoevaluateyouronlinephoto-storageoptions.

Chapter5DigitalPhoto-ManagementWorkflow

Putalltheorganizationadviceandinformationtogether.Thischapterpresentsstep-by-stepworkflowsyoucanusetoestablishadigitalphoto-organizingroutine.

PART2:Digitize

Chapter6HeirloomPhotoCollections

Rememberthedaysof35mmfilmanddoubleprints?Inheritacollectionof1900sancestorphotos?Digitizingthoseoldfamilyphotographsisagreatwaytopreservethemforfuturegenerations.LearntipsandusetheHeirloomPhotoInventory&DigitizingChecklistfordecidingwhichimagestodigitize.

Chapter7DigitizationPreparation

Digitizingphotocollectionstakestime.Thischapterguidesyouthroughcreatingaplan,settingupyourcomputer,andchoosingdigitalstorageequipmenttoefficientlydigitizeandorganizeyourphotos.

Chapter8ScanningEquipment

Ascannerisakeypieceofequipmentfordigitizingoldfamilyphotos.Thischapterintroducesyoutotypesofscannersandkeyfeaturestoconsiderwhendecidinghowtodigitizeyourimages.

Chapter9ScanningTactics

Thischapterprovidesstep-by-stepguidancetobegindigitizingyourphotos,fromheirloomphotostomulti-photoalbumpagestonegativesandslides.UsetheHeirloomPhotoScanningChecklisttohelpyouestablishascanningworkflowplan.

Chapter10HeirloomPhotoStorage

Whatdoyoudowithyourphotosonceyou’redonescanningthem?Thischapterprovidesbasicadviceonhowbesttopreserveandstorehard-copyphotocollections.

PART3:Create

Chapter11CorePhoto-ProjectSkills

Learnthebasicskillsandterminologyyou’llneedtoknowtocompleteavarietyofphotoprojects.

Chapter12Card,Collage,andScrapbookingProjects

PROJECTS:Athank-youcard,amousepadcollage,aholidaygreetingcardcollage,anancestorcollage,acustomFacebookcoverphoto,andadigitalscrapbooktributepage.

Chapter13CalendarProjects

PROJECTS:Awallcalendar,aperpetualcelebrationcalendar,plusideasforcelebration,year-in-the-life,andfamilyfoodiecalendars.

Chapter14SmartphoneandTabletProjects

PROJECTS:Mobileappstolabelaphoto,enhancetombstonephotos,createaphotobook,developafamilyhistorytimeline,andcreateanaudiophotobook.

Chapter15FabricandHomeDécorCraftProjects

PROJECTS:Avintageholidayphotopillowandphotoquiltblock.

Chapter16Photo-BookProjects

PROJECTS:Acustomphotobook,anautofillbirthdaybook,afamilyyearbook,anheirloomreproductionbook,aphotobookforbusypeople,agrandparentandgrandchildmemorybook,andaremembranceandcelebrationbook.

AppendixPhotoOrganizingandDigitizingResources

Introduction

Thecomputerharddrivehasbecomethephotoshoeboxofthetwenty-firstcentury.Wetossdigitalfilesintoourcomputers(orsmartphonememory)muchlikeourparentstossedsnapshotsintocardboardshoeboxes.Ourcomputerandmobiledevicesaresoonclutteredwiththedigitalfolderequivalentofoldphoto-processingenvelopeslabeledwithscrawledmemoslike“Dad’s80thBirthday”or“HawaiiVacation.”Sometimesthephotosmaketheirwayintoalbumsandscrapbooks,buttoooftenthedigitalshoeboxes—liketheircardboardcousins—fillwithmorephotosandarestashedawaytobeorganized“oneday.”

Iwasfortunatetoinheritdozensofboxesofoldfamilyphotoscollectedbyseveralgenerationsonbothsidesofmyfamilytree.Althoughonlyahandfuloftintypesanddaguerreotypessurvived,eachsuccessivegenerationaddednewphotossnappedwiththetechnologyoftheirtimetocreateafamilyphototimelinethatfollowedthegrowthandpopularityofpersonalphotography,fromcartesdevisiteandcabinetcardstoBrowniesnapshots,Polaroidprints,Kodachromeslides,andhomemovies.

Bythetimemygrandmotherwasayoungwomanin1905,shewasalreadysnappingphotoswithaBrownieboxcameraandpastingprintsonblackalbumpages.Shoeboxesbulgingwithblack-and-whiteprintsandnegativesbearwitnesstoherfascinationwithphotography.MymomandauntfollowedGrandma’sleadwiththeirownphotos,fillingmoreshoeboxeswithajumbleofalbums,slides,movies,andlooseprintsthatIinheritedwhentheypassedaway.NowI’mlookingatmyownlifeinfadingFujicolorandrealizingthatprintedimagesareonlyahintofthedigitaldelugeheadedourway.Morethan880

billionphotosweresnappedin2014,accordingtoYahoo!,mostofthemdigitalpicturestakenbysmartphonecameras.Mygrandmotherwouldhavelovedit!

Coincidentally,thesameyearIinheritedmygrandmother’strunkfilledwithfamilytreasures,Ialsobroughthomemyfirstdigitalcamera—alittleNikonCoolpixthatsnapped1.9megapixelimagesvisiblealmostinstantlyonthecamera’stinyimageviewer.Asagenealogistandthedesignated“keeperofthestuff”formyfamily’sheirloomphotosanddocuments,mydigitalshoeboxeswerealreadyburstingwithscannedimages.Itdidn’ttakethousandsofnewphotosformetorealizethatIneededasimpleyetcomprehensiveimagemanagementsystemtokeepupwithnewdigitalsnapshotsandscannedimagesofmyfamilyphotocollection.

InmybookHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes,Isharedmysystemforpreservingandorganizingallkindsofinheritedfamilytreasures,andbasicstepsfordigitizingheirloomphotosanddocuments.ButasIwrotethosechapters,Iknewthatscanningoldphotoswasonlypartoftheproblemfacingtoday’sfamilyhistorians.It’sagoldeneraforgenealogythatallowsusto

accessoriginalrecordsthroughdigitizededitionsavailableonline.preserveone-of-a-kindphotosanddocumentsbyscanningheirloomswithaffordablehomeequipment.sharestories,pedigrees,andresearchthroughe-mailandwebsites.createourowndigitallegacywithnewdigitalphotos,videos,andaudio.

Butallofthesedigitalfilesaremeaninglesswithoutawaytotapintothestoriestheyholdandsharethosestorieswithothers.Howmanyphotosare“somewhere”inyourdigitallibrary,waitinguntilyoucanfindthemagain?Howmanydigitalshoeboxesfilledwithfamilysnapshotsdoyouhavestashedonyoursmartphone,tablet,e-reader,andcomputerwaitingtobeorganizedandenjoyed?Isn’tittimetogetthoseimagesoutofthedigitalshoeboxandintoyourhandstobeenjoyedandsharedwithfamilyandfriends?

HOWTOUSETHISBOOK

Thisbooksharespracticalstrategiesforconqueringdigitalimageclutterandconfusionsoyoucanenjoy,preserve,andshareyourfamilyphotosandstories.Inthesamewaythatgenealogistsstartwiththepresentgenerationandworkbackwardonebranchofthefamilytreeatatime,thisbookbeginswiththepresenttohelpyoumasteryourcurrentdigitalclutterbeforeyoutacklethepreviousgenerationsofphotographs.

Youwillfindtechniquestoimportphotosfrommultipledevices,locations,andphotographers.Ifyouareworkingwithalargephotocollectionordigitizingproject,you’lldiscovertime-savingtipsforworkingwithimagebatches.Familyhistorianswilllearnwaystoorganizescannedimagesofheirloomoriginaldocumentsandphotos,anddigitizedgenealogyresearchmaterials.Andifyou’relookingforsomethingnewtodowithyourdigitalimages,you’llfindtwenty-fivecreativeprojectsfeaturingallkindsofdigitalimages.

Feelfreetousethisbookinthewaythatsuitsyourpresentneeds.Readitfromstarttofinish,orjumpinforideastohelpwithyourcurrentdigitalchallenge.

PART1:ORGANIZEincludesbasicinformationforworkingwithpresent-daydigitalphotosandheirloomscannedimages,includinghowtosetupyourcomputer,digitalstorage,andfile-namingsystem.Refertothissectionforhelpworkingwithcontemporaryorheirloomdigitalfiles.You’llalsofindanoverallstrategytohelpyouorganizeandarchivetheeverydayfamilyphotoscapturedtodaywithsmartphoneanddigitalcameras.

PART2:DIGITIZEhighlightsbestpracticesfordigitizingandpreservingheirloomoriginalphotosanddocumentsofallshapesandsizes.

PART3:CREATEoffersstep-by-stepinstructionsandprojectideastogetyoustartedusingyourdigitalimagesbycreatinguniquephotogifts,familyhistorybooks,calendars,andmore.

YOURPHOTOS,YOURWAY

Ifyou’vereadarticlesandbooksaboutorganizingjustaboutanything,you’veprobablyheardavariationonthetheme,“thebestorganizationalsystemiswhateverworksbestforyou.”Unfortunately,thatdoesn’thelpmuchwhenyou’vealreadydiscoveredthat“whatever”isnotworkingverywell,andyoureallyneedsomethingdifferent.Inthisbook,I’mnotgoingtotellyouwhatyoushoulddowithyourdigitalphotos,butIwillsharewithyouthestrategiesI’vefoundtoworkformeandforothers.Ihopeyou’lldiscoverthetoolsyouneedtobuildyourownphoto-managementsystem,onethattrulydoesworkbestforyou.

DeniseMayLevenick

Pasadena,California

PART1Organize

Thephenomenalgrowthofdigitalphotographyisamixedblessingforfamilymemories.There’snoextracostinsnappingmultipleimagesintheefforttocapturethe“perfectshot.”Editingtoolscaneraseblemishes,cropoutclutter,andadjustpoorexposure.Imagesareeasilysharedonlineandpublishedindigitalphotocreations.Unfortunately,organizingandbackingupphotosisn’tnearlyasfunastakingpictures.

We’retakingmorepicturesthaneverbefore,especiallywithsmartphonecamerasthathavelargelyreplacedpoint-and-shootmodels.Butunlikeourdigitalcameraswitharemovablememorycard,thepicturessnappedonourcellphonesaresavedtodevicememorywheretheyaccumulateuntilwemovethemorlosethem.

Doanyofthesesituationssoundfamiliar?

Youhavedigitalimagesonyoursmartphone,tablet,computer,flashdrives,SDcards,andexternalharddrives,butyoucan’tfindthepictureyouwant.Youhaveduplicateimagesscatteredacrossyourdevicesandarerunninglowonmemory.Yourphotosneverseemtobetherightsizeorresolutionforthephotobookyou’retryingtocreate.Youknowyoushouldbackupyourphotos,butyouaren’tsurehow.Youorganizedallyourphotosinfilefolders,butittakesforevertofindthepicturesyouwant.Youdon’tknowhowtomanageeditedandoriginalversionsofthesamephoto.

Part1ofthisbookoutlinesaplantoorganizeandmanageyourever-growingdigitalphotocollection.Theconceptswillbehelpfultoanyonewhowantsmorecontrolandconfidenceinpreservingtheirdigitalimages,whethertheimagesweresnappedlastweekorinthelastcentury.

Ifyouhavethousandsoflegacydigitalimages,eitherfromyourcameraorfromscannedheirloomfamilyphotos,Iurgeyoutopostponeaddingthesefilestoyournewdigitalmanagementschemeimmediately.Instead,setupyoursystemandworkwithituntilyouarecomfortablewiththetasksandhaverefinedanyroughspotsintheworkflow.Startbyaddingyournextsetofnewdigitalimages,whethertheyaretakenonyoursmartphone,digitalcamera,orscanner.Practiceeachstepintheworkflowandtweak

whateverisn’tworkingforyou.Asyouhavetime,gobackandaddoldimagefilestothenewcollection.Anddon’tbetoohardonyourselfifyoudon’tgettothoseoldphotosrightaway.Looktothefutureandaimtomanageyourphotocollectionforwardfromyournextdigitalimage.

I’llstartwithprovidingyouthebasicinformationyou’llneedtoknowtoassessyourdigitalstorageneeds,selectstoragedevices,setupyourcomputerfoldersystem,andestablishfilenamingandmetadatastrategies.Fromthere,I’llintroduceyoutotheworkflowI’veusedforyearsandsharetipsandtechniquestohelpyoumasteryourowndigitalphotocollection.

It’sagoodideatoreadthroughthechaptersinthissectionbeforemakinganydecisionsorchangestoyourpresentphotosystem.Creatingaplantomanageallofyourdigitalphotosmaysoundcomplicated,butitdoesn’thavetobe.Theinformationandworksheetsinthisbookwillhelpyoudevelopandpracticeyournewphotoorganizationsystemuntilit’sasnaturalasbrushingyourteeth.

1DigitalImagingBasics

Forpastgenerationsofshutterbugs,photographyalwaysinvolvedafinancialinvestment.TheinexpensiveBrownieboxcamerabroughtpersonalphotographywithinreachofmostfamilies,butfilmandprocessingwereanongoingexpense.

Oftenonerolloffilmwouldbeusedformonths,recordingspecialeventsandholidays,twoorthreephotosatatime.Eachimagehadacost,andfrugalAmericanswholivedthroughwartimerationing,theGreatDepression,andtheRecessionmadeeveryimagecount.Eventuallythefilmcounterclickedtozero,indicatingthatallthefilmhadbeenexposed,andtherollwasdroppedoffforprocessingandprintingatthelocalcamerashopordrugstore.Somepeoplesavedmoneybyorderingprocessingonlyandselectedindividualprintsdirectlyfromthenegatives.Amateurphotographersoftensetuphomedarkroomstoprocessandprinttheirownfilm.

Ourattitudetowardphotoprintsbegantochangeinthe1980sand1990swiththeintroductionoflow-cost“doubleprints”madepossiblebystandardizedautomaticphoto-printingequipment.Newtechnologybroughtpricesdowntopenniesper4x6-inchprint,andvendorcompetitionintroducedtripleandquadprintdiscounts.Forthefirsttimeinthehistoryofconsumerphotography,familyphotographersweretakingandprintingmoreandmorephotos,bothgoodandbad,andselectingthe“keepers”afterprinting.Insteadofonerolloffilmlastingweeksormonths,afamilyphotographermightuseseveralrollsoffilmtodocumentasinglebirthdayparty.Thisprintboomlastedonlyuntildigitalphotographycaughton,whenthesnap-happymindsetwasaperfectfitfordigitalcameras.

Today’sphotographerneedsonlyadigitalcameraorsmartphonetocapturethousandsofimages.Theminimalcostperimagecanmakeuscarelessaboutpreservingpricelessmemoriesuntilasmartphoneislost,acomputercrashes,orweaccidentallyhittheDeletebutton.

Inthischapter,Ipresenttheessentialtoolsandskillsforworkingwithandorganizingyourdigitalimages,includinghowtosetupyourcameraandothercapturedevicestoworkwithyourcomputerandstoragemedia.

DOYOUKNOWWHEREYOURPHOTOSARE?

Thefirststepinorganizingyourdigitalphotosisknowingwheretheyare.Afterall,youcan’torganizeyourdigitalfilesifyoudon’tknowwheretofindthem.Youmayhavephotosscatteredacrossdevicesandstoragemedia—fromyoursmartphoneandSDcardtoyourtabletandyourcomputer.Itwouldbeeasytomanagephotosacrossdevicesifwecouldjustdraganddropfilesfromonedevicetoanother,butAndroiddoesn’tplaywellwithApple’siOS,andyourmobiledevicesmightnotbeonspeakingtermswithyourcomputer.It’scomplicated.

Butitdoesn’thavetobedifficult.Organizingyourdigitallifewillbeeasierifyouputeverythinginonemasterlocation.Thiswillbeamasterfileforallyourdigitalimages,including:

newphotos:picturesoffamilyandfriendstakenwithyourcameraorsmartphoneoldphotos:familykeepsakephotosdigitizedwithyourscannerorcameraresearchimages:genealogyresearchdocumentsyouhavescannedorphotographed,oryouhavedownloadedfromtheInternetworkimages:businessandwork-relatedimages

Onceyou’vesetitup,you’llquicklyseethebenefitsofcollectingandmanagingyourphotosinonemasterlocation:

oneplacetoaccessimagesaconsistentfilestructurethatservesasamodelforfutureimageimportseasierbackupseasiermigrationwhenyouupgradeyourcomputerordevicesanintuitive,logicalsystemthatotherscanunderstand

Keepinmindthatthebeststoragelocationoptionmaybethesimplest.Forexample,alarge-capacityexternalharddriveyoucanusewithalaptopordesktopandeasilyusewithnewequipmentwhennecessarymaybeyourbestchoice.Mypersonaldigitalphotostoragesetupincludesthreeexternalharddrives:

PhotoLibrary:This1terabyte(TB)externalharddriveisattachedtomydesktopMaccomputeratalltimesandstoresmyworkingimagecollection—thefilesIuseonadailybasis.Ithinkofitlikealibrary(hencethename)whereI“checkout”imagesforviewingandediting.ThisismyMasterStorageLocation.ImageVault:Iattachthis1TBexternalharddrivetomycomputerattheendofaneditingsessionsoallofmyworkisbackedupfromthePhotoLibrarytotheImageVaultusingCarbonCopyClonerbackupsoftware.Idon’taccessmyimagesevery

dayandlikethesecurityofknowingthisstoragedevicecan’tbedamagedbypowersurgesifit’soff-line.PhotoArchive:This1TBexternalharddrivecomesoutofmyfireproofsafeforregularmonthlybackupsofmyentireimagecollection.Again,IuseCarbonCopyClonertohandlethebackup,andIkeepthisdriveathomesoit’seasytomaintainmybackupschedule.IalsoburnphotofolderstoarchivalDVDstomakeanarchivalpreservationset.AndIkeepacopyofmyphotosonmyDropbox<www.dropbox.com>cloudstorageaccount.Withmultiplecopies,there’slessriskofimagesbeinglost.

Yourdecisiononwheretostoreyourdigitalimages—onyourcomputerharddrive,anexternalharddrive,inthecloud,oracombinationofallthree—dependsonthreemainfactors:

thesizeofyourcurrentandoldphotocollectionthesizeofyourprojecteddigitalcollectionyouravailablecomputerharddrivespace

HowMuchStorageDoYouNeed?

Youmayalreadyhaveagoodideaofwhereyouwanttostoreyourphotos,butdeterminingyourcurrentandfuturecollection’sstoragespaceneedscanbeachallenge.Ifyouaren’tsurehowmuchstorageyou’llneed,orwanttoknowthatyou’veaccountedforalldigitalfilesbeforepurchasingequipment,usetheDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheetinthischapter.Thisworksheetprovidesaquickoverviewforassessingyourstoragespaceneedsandwillhelpyoudetermineifyourcurrentcomputercanstoreyourdigitalcollectionorwhathardwareyoumayneedtopurchase.

Ultimately,whenchoosingacentralstoragelocationforyourdigitalphotocollection,erronthesideofchoosingalocationwithtoomuchstoragespaceratherthantoolittle.Costpergigabytecontinuestodrop,makingitcost-effectivetopurchase1or2TBdrivesratherthansmallermodels.Ifyoudorunoutofspace,thegoodnewsisthatit’srelativelyeasytomigrateawell-organizedphotocollectiontonewhigher-capacityhardware.UseyouranswerstotheDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheetasaguidetoyourpresentandfutureneedsandmakeyourbestguess.

WhereShouldYouStoreYourPhotoCollection?

You’llwanttoconsiderthesestoragelocationoptionsforyourMasterStorageLocation:

DESKTOPCOMPUTER:Ifyouhaveplentyofroomonyourcomputerharddriveforyourgrowingimagelibrary,designateyourdesktopcomputerasyourMasterStorageLocation.Ifyoudorunoutofspace,youcanaddanexternalharddriveatalatertime.

LAPTOP:Ifyouusealaptopexclusively,plantopurchaseatleaseoneexternalharddrivetoholdyourimagecollection.Don’trelyonyourlaptopharddriveforlong-termphotostorage:Harddrivesfail,laptopsgetdroppedorstolen,andthestoragespaceisoftentoosmall.Instead,useexternalharddrivesorcloudserverstohelpmanagethedigitalload.

LAPTOPANDDESKTOPCOMBINATION:Ifyouusebothalaptopanddesktopcomputer,chancesareyouhaveimagesonbothpiecesofequipment.Toconsolidateyourphotocollectioninoneplace,chooseeitherthedesktoporanexternalharddrive.Storeyourphotosonequipmentthatistheleastsusceptibletodamageorlosswiththelargestharddrivecapacityavailable,typicallyastationarydesktopcomputer.Anexternaldrivehasthebenefitofportabilitybetweenbothdevices.

EXTERNALHARDDRIVE:Yourlaptopordesktopcomputer’sbuilt-inharddrivehasafiniteamountofstoragespace,butanexternalharddrivecanaddterabytesofstoragewithoutupgradingyourcomputer.Ifyoualreadyuseanexternaldriveasabackupdevice,consideraddingasecondexternaldriveforphotos.

HOMESERVER:Ifyouaretech-savvy,youcouldevensetupahomeserverorNetwork-AttachedStorage(NAS)toholdimagesforeveryoneinthehousehold.

Decidenowwhereyouwillstoreyourmasterfileofyourdigitalimages.WillyoumaintainyourPhotoLibraryonyourcomputerharddrive,onanexternalharddrive,inthecloud,oracombination?Storingimagesonyourcomputerisbestforsmalltoaveragesizedigitalimagecollections;anexternalharddriveisagoodchoiceforlargeorgrowingmediacollections.

Viewatextversionofthistable

AnalyzingYourAnswers

OnceyoucompletetheDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheet,askyourself:Inwhatcolumnsdomostofyouranswersfall?

Ifmostofyouranswersareinthefirstcolumn,youhaveminimalstorageneeds.Ifmostofyouranswersareinthesecondcolumn,youhaveaveragestorageneeds.Ifmostofyouranswersareinthethirdcolumn,youhavehighstorageneeds.

DigitalStorageTipsChooseoneMasterStorageLocationforyourcollection.Storingyourmasterdigitalimagesonyourcomputerisfineforsmalltoaveragesizedigitalimagecollections;anexternalharddriveisagoodchoiceforlargeorgrowingmediacollections.

TIPProtectingYourDigitalStorage

Whenyousetupyourdigitalphotostoragehardware,makesurethosestoragedevicesarepluggedintoasurgeprotector,notjusttoaregularoutlet.

EQUIPMENTFORDIGITALPHOTOSTORAGE

Onceyoudeterminethespaceyou’llneedtostoreyourmasterdigitalimagesfile,you’llneedtopurchasethehardwareandsetupyourdevicesandstoragetoworktogethersoyourimagescanbemovedtoanewpermanentstoragelocation.

Herearetwoimportantpiecesofequipmentyoumayneed:

EXTERNALHARDDRIVE:Mostexternalharddrivesaresimpleplug-and-playdevicesthatworkwithanylaptopordesktopcomputer.Followthemanufacturer’sinstructionsforconnectingthedevicetoyourcomputer.Aboxybook-shapedexternalharddrivewithitsownpowersupplymakesthedrivestableonadesktopsurfaceandoftenoffershigher-capacitystoragethanasmallerportabledrive.Ifdeskorofficespaceisaconsiderationoryouneedportablestorage,lookatportablehigh-capacitydrives.Somemodelsincludeaprotectivesleevethatcanbehelpfulwhentraveling.

MEMORYCARDREADER:Althoughdigitalcamerasoftenincludeacamera-to-computercablewithsoftwareandinstructionsformovingimages,it’smuchfasterandeasiertouseastand-alonecardreaderoracardreaderbuiltintoyourcomputerorhomeprinter.Plus,youdon’thavetouseyourcamerapowerorworryaboutthecamerashuttingoffduringtransferwhenyouuseacardreader.Cardreadersareinexpensiveandcomeinseveralconfigurations;someaccommodatemultiplecardssuchasSD,microSD,andCompactFlashcards.LookforaUSB2.0/3.0interfaceforhigh-speedtransfer.

ManydesktopandlaptopcomputersnowofferanintegratedSDcardslot,andmanyhomeofficeprintersalsohaveabuilt-incardreaderslot.Ifyourequipmentalreadyhasabuilt-incardreader,youmaynotneedadditionalhardware.

Andremember:InadditiontostoringyourfilesinyourMasterStorageLocation,you’llneedtothinkaboutbackingupthosefilesaswell(butwe’llgettothatlaterinthischapter).

FILENAMING

ThekeytoorganizingyourPhotoLibraryisusingasimpleandlogicalsystem.Thatsystemstartswithdigitalphotofilenames.Irecommendusingshort,meaningfulfilenamesthatdon’tneedakeytoabbreviations.

UseConsistentFileNames

Long,complicatedfile-namingschemesaredifficulttomaintainandcumbersometouse.Theendofthenamemaybetruncatedorcutoffinyourcomputerfoldervieworprintout.Plus,morewordsprovidemoreopportunitiesformisspellingsandinconsistency.Asyoudevelopyourpersonalfile-namingscheme,createaFile-NamingCheatSheetasagentleremindertohelpyoumaintainconsistencybetweenworksessions.

AsyouimportphotostoyourPhotoLibrary,eithermanuallyorwiththeaidofphoto-managementsoftware,taketimetoconsistentlynamenewfiles.Usethesestandardfile-namingconventionsrecommendedbydocumentrecordsagencies:

KEEPFILENAMESSHORT.Operatingsystemsnowallowlongfilenames,butwhenfilesareuploadedtotheInternet,alongnamecanmaketheURL(akaWebaddress)evenlonger.Ifnecessary,usestandardtwo-letterabbreviationsforstatesandmonths.Beconsistentinusinganyabbreviatedfamilysurnames.

USEUNIQUEFILENAMES.Itisessentialtomaintainindividualuniquenamesforphotofiles.Yourcameraassignsauniquenumbertoeachimagethatremainspermanentlyembedded,evenifyourenamethevisiblefilename.Butthatwon’thelpyouselectbetweentwophotoswiththeidenticalname:davidbirthday2013.Don’trelyonfoldernamestohelpidentifyfiles,either.Forexample:Ifyousetupfoldersnamed2013Thanksgivingand2014Thanksgiving,buteachincludesaphotonamedgrandpa-carving-turkey.jpg,thefilenamedoesn’tprovideacluetowhenorwhere.It’smuchbettertousefilenamessuchas2013_grandpa-turkey.jpgand2014_grandpa-turkey.jpg.

FILE-NAMINGCHEATSHEETFIVEFILE-NAMINGCONVENTIONSTOREMEMBER1. Short2. Unique3. Nospecialcharacters4. Underscoresanddashes5. Consistentlyformatteddates

MYFILE-NAMINGSTYLE

Fordates

Forfamilyphotos

Forheirloomphotos

Forscannedimages

AVOIDSPECIALCHARACTERS.Specialcharacterscreateconfusinganddifficult-to-readfilenames.Andmostcomputeroperatingsystemsdonotpermitcertaincharactersinfilenames,including\/|{}()<>:;*%@and#.

USEUNDERSCORESANDDASHES.Punctuationandspaceshaveaspecialpurposewhenusedinafilename.Periodsidentifythebeginningofafileextension.Spacesbecome%20whenuploadedtoawebsite.Slashesdividefilefolderlocations.Insteadofslashes,periods,andspaces,useunderscoresanddashestoseparateinformationinyourfilenames.

FORMATDATESCONSISTENTLY.Chooseadateschemeandstickwithit.YYYY_MM_DDwillsortfilesinyear,month,anddateorder.MM_DD_YYYYsortsbymonth,date,andyear.

ConsiderDifferentFileFormatandDocumentTypes

Genealogistsworkwithmanydifferentkindsoffiles:photos,scannedimages,documents,PDFreferencefiles,andmore.I’velearnedthatIdon’tnecessarilyneedthesamefilenamestructureforeachdocument,butIdotrybeconsistentwitheachkindoffile.

SCANNEDDIGITALIMAGESANDIMPORTEDDIGITALIMAGES:ThesefilesaretypicallyTIFFscannedfiles,PDFs,orJPGimagesdownloadedfromtheInternetorphotographedforresearch.You’llwanttofindthesefilesquicklyandeasily.Mygeneralfile-namingschemehasfourparts—name,date,place,anditem—eachseparatedbyanunderscore,plusthefileextension.Iuseadashtoseparatewordswithineachpartsuchassmith-john_19240315_co-pueblo_theater_edit.jpg.Thisfilenamehasthefollowingparts:

surname-firstname

date(YYYYMMDD)place(fromlargesttosmallestwithtwo-letterabbreviationusedforstates)item

Iprefertousealllowercasecharactersandaddversioninformationattheendofthefilename.Ikeepfilenamesshortandconsistent.Thisfile-namingschemeisechoedinallmycomputerfiles,althoughImaynotuseeachpartofthefilename.

FAMILYSNAPSHOTSANDVIDEOS:Ienjoysnappingphotosandvideosoffamilyandfriendsathomeandonmytravels.Thesephotosdon’tneedextensiveinformationalfilenames.Itakeadvantageofthebatch-namingfunctionofmyAdobeLightroomandiPhotosoftwaretorenamethephotosastheyareimportedtomycomputer.Thesoftwaregiveseachfileanewnameandsequentialnumber:

2010_david_bday-01.jpg2010_david_bday-02.jpg

NOTESANDREPORTDOCUMENTS:Thistypeofdocumentmightincludespreadsheets,charts,genealogyresearchnotes,ortimelines.Idon’tneedthefulldateandlocationinformationusedinotherfiles,somyfilenamesforthesedocumentslooklikethis:

smith-john_research-notes.docsmith-john_military-timeline.doc

HEIRLOOMORIGINALPHOTOSANDDOCUMENTS:Iwasfortunatetoinheritalargecollectionofphotos,documents,andcorrespondencefrommymaternalgrandmother.Insteadofindividuallynamingeachfile,I’vechosentomanagethecollectionusingalabelthatindicatestheseriesanditemnumber.Myscannerprovidestheuniquefilename,andwhenItranscribeorexaminetheitemfurther,Ienteridentifyinginformationinthemetadatafieldsfortitle,caption,keywords,andsoon.Thesefilenamesmayappearas:

AAK_P00012.tifAAK_OP0009.tif

Thissystemencouragesmetomoveforwardscanningandarchivingtheoriginalmaterialwithouttheneedtostopandtranscribeinformationforafilename.Icanworkdirectlyfromthescannedimagetostudythesource,andtheoriginalsaresafelypreservedinarchivalstoragefoldersandboxes.MybookHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakesincludesmorepopularfile-namingstrategiesforgenealogists.

HowtoManageFileVariations

Photoimagefilesarelikelytocreatemoreversionsandderivativesthantypicaldocumentfiles.Withdocumentsit’scommontousev01,v02,orv03toindicaterevisededitions.Fordigitalimages,youcanusetheSaveAscommandtocreateanewfileaftereditingorchangingaJPGphoto.Avoidusingvaguenamessuchasold,new,orrevised.Youmayhaveseveralnewversionsbythetimeyou’refinishedediting.Insteaduseeditv01,editv02,editv03toshowtheversionnumber.Savetheshortlabeleditforthefinalversionanddeleteothercopiesifyouwish.

Ifyou’reoptimizingyourimagesforuseonmultipleplatforms,useanabbreviationattheendofthefilenametoindicatethepurpose:Web,print,ore-mail.Forexample:2013_grandpa-turkey-web.jpgor2013_grandpa-turkey-print.jpg.

AlwaysusestandardfileextensionssuchasTIFF,JPG,orPSDwhensavingfiles.Thesefileextensionshelpdifferentiatearchivalandworkingfiles.Forexample,keepthescannedTIFFarchivefileandphotobook-readyJPGtogetherinafolderwheretheyareeasytoorganizeandlocatewhenyouneedthem.

FOLDERORGANIZATIONSCHEMES

Youdon’tneedacomplicatedfolderstructuretoorganizeandlocateyourphotos.Ifindthatsimpleisdefinitelybetterwhenitcomestoimagemanagement.Ifphotosareburiedthreeormorefoldersdeep,ittakeslongertodrilldownandfindthatfile.System-widesearchesarefaster,too,iffilesareorganizedinfewerfolders.

It’slikelyyouareworkingwithatleasttwokindsofimagefiles:

everydaysnapshotsofyourhome,family,andfriendsgenealogyimagesofscannedphotosanddocuments,sourcedocumentsphotographedonresearchtrips,cemeteryandtombstoneimages,snapshotsfromfamilyreunions,andphotosofheirloomsandfamilykeepsakes

Genealogistsoftengetboggeddowntryingtoforceallphotosintoonegiantorganizingsystem,butwhatworksforonekindofphotomaynotbeagoodsolutionforanotherkindofphoto.Iusedifferentfile-namingschemesfordifferenttypesofphotos,anddifferentfoldersystems,too.

TIPPhotoSearching

Whenyourphotosareorganizedwellandhavedescriptivefilenames,itmakesiteasiertosearchyourcomputerforthefilesyouneed.OnaMac,searchforfilesbytypinginasearchtermintheSearchboxatthetoprightofanyFinderwindow.OnaPC,clicktheStartbuttonandtypeyoursearchtermintheSearchboxtolocateafile.

HowtoCreateYourFolderSystem

Whencreatingyourfoldersystem,Irecommendavoidingcomplicatedmultilevelfolderschemesthatcreatemanyplacestolookforfilesandphotos.Instead,takeadvantageofafile’smetadata(identifyinginformationembeddedintotheimagefile)tolabelphotoswithkeywords,location,event,andtagsthatwillassistyouinsearchingandfindingimages.Andmakeitahabittoimport,organize,andtagimagesshortlyaftereachphotoshootorscanningsession.

Followthesesteps:

STEP1:Onyourmainstoragedevice(eitheryourcomputerharddriveoryourexternalharddrive),createafolderlabeledPHOTOLIBRARY.Ifyoulike,personalizethefoldernamebyaddingyourinitialssuchasDMLPHOTOLIBRARY(replaceDMLwithyourinitials).

STEP2:InsidethePHOTOLIBRARYfolder,createafewannualfolderstoholdimagesforeachyearbeginningwiththecurrentyear.Remember,youwillbeorganizinggoingforwardandaddingoldfilesastimeallows.

STEP3:Insideeachyear,createfoldersforeachbatchofimages.Thesecanbeorganizedbymonth,date,orevent—howeveryouwish.

STEP4:Importimagesfromyourmemorycardandmobiledevicesintothefolders.(LearnmoreaboutthisinChapter2.)

WaystoOrganizeYourPhotoFolders

SomeresearcherskeepallpersonalandgenealogyphotostogetherinonePhotoLibrary,whileothersprefertomaintaintwodistinctphotocollections:personalphotosandgenealogyimages.Iliketokeepnewfamilysnapshotstogetherinfolderslabeledbyevent

oroccasioninsideafolderforeachyearandmonth,andgenealogyfilesinonebiggenealogyfolder.

Formypersonalphotos,IuseafoldernamedFAMILYPHOTOStoholdallcurrentfamilyphotos.Insidethisfolderareannualfoldersthatholdthefoldersforeachyearandmonth(seeImageA).

Forgenealogyfiles,I’vefoundthatitisdifficulttoorganizethosefilesinfoldersbydate.Wemaynotknowaphoto’sdate,location,orevent,forexample.Andhowwouldyouorganizeaphotoofacemeterytombstonetakenonatripin1998?Doyoufileitina1998folder,bythedateonthetombstone,orinasurnamefolder?

Genealogistswillneedtodecidewhatmethodworksbestfortheirpersonalworkstyleandtechnologyexpertise.Ultimatelyyou’llneedtodecidewhatworksbestforyou.Herearetwooptionstoconsider.

1.ONEBIGGENEALOGYFOLDER:Harnessthepowerofthecomputertosearchandlocatefiles.Usefairlybroadsubfoldersinsidethemainfolderstoorganizedigitalfiles.CreateamainGENEALOGYfolderinsideyourcomputer’sDocumentsfolder(seeImageB).Keepresearchnotesanddocumentsinsidethisfolderorganizedbysurname,locality,orothersystem.InsidethisbigGENEALOGYfolder,createafoldernamedGENEALOGYPHOTOS.Fileallofyourgenealogy-relatedimagesinsidetheGENEALOGYPHOTOSfolder.Formorefile-organizingideasforgenealogydocuments,seemybookHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes.

2.ONEPHOTOLIBRARY:ThesimplestfolderschemeofallistoplaceallyourimagesinsideamasterPHOTOLIBRARYfolder(seeImageC).Thisisthecentrallocationforfamilyphotos,scannedimages,genealogyimages,andanyimagehandledbyphoto-managementsoftware.CreatesubfolderswithinthePHOTOLIBRARYfoldertoholdyourfiles.AsImentioned,IhavesubfoldersinmyPHOTOLIBRARYfolderlabeledFAMILYPHOTOSandGENEALOGYPHOTOS.Usingthisscheme,you’llcontinuetostoreandmanagePDFanddocumentfilesinyourbigGENEALOGYfolder,butallyourimageswillbestoredinthePHOTOLIBRARY.

Ifyouplantousephoto-managementsoftwaresuchasAdobeLightroomorPicasatomanageyourphotocollection,keepinmindthatstoringallyourimagesinasinglelocationisessential.That’sbecausewhenyousetupyoursoftware,itwilllookforyourphotosinacertainfolder.Whenimagesaremovedoutsidethesoftware,thelinkislostandmustbereconnectedmanually.Andifyoucreateaseparatefoldertostorephotos,thesoftwarewon’tbeabletofindthatadditionalfolder.Asaresult,youcan’ttakeadvantageofmanysoftwarefeatures.

IMAGEDATA

Haveyoueverviewedtheinformationforadigitalphotoandwonderedwhereitcamefromandwhatitmeans?Thatinformationiscalledmetadata.Tounderstandhowmetadataworks,it’shelpfultounderstandhowcamerasandmobiledevicesorganizeimagesinternallyoronamemorycard.

Everyimagecanincludetwodifferentkindsofdata:Exchangeableimagefileformat(Exif)andInternationalPressTelecommunicationsCouncil(IPTC).Somedataareautomaticallyrecordedbythecamera,andothersareavailableforyourinput.Thedataareusedtosortandorganizeimagesinthecameraandwhentransferredtoyourcomputer.

TheExifandIPTCdataprovideinformationaboutyourdigitalimage.ThedataareembeddedinthedigitalfileforJPGandTIFFformatimagesorsavedinacompanion“sidecar”fileforRAWimages.Thereissomeoverlapbetweenthetwosetsofdata.

EXIFISDEVICEDATA:TypicalExifinformation(seeImageD)includesinformationaboutthecameramakeandmodel,resolution,exposure,location,andothersettings,butmostimportantlyfororganizingfiles,Exifdatarecordthedateandtimeofcapturewithauniquefilenameforeachimage.Thedateandtimeisusedtoorganizeimagefilesintofolders,andtheuniquefilenameidentifiesindividualimagefiles.

IPTCISSUBJECTDATA:TheIPTCdata(seeImageE)areusuallyaddedbytheuserintheformoftitle,caption,subject,photographer,copyright,andsoon.Originallydesignedtohelpnewsproviderslocateandcreditphotosources,IPTCdataareagenealogist’sfriendwhenitcomestoaddinginformationaboutthepeople,places,andeventsshowninanimage.YoucansetsomeIPTCdataautomatically,butmostinformationmustbeindividuallyrecorded.

ToaddIPTCmetadatatoindividualphotos,you’llneedtousethePropertiespanelonyourPCortheGetInfooptiononyourMac.

OnaPC,right-clickontheimageandselectProperties.Renamethefileinthemainwindow.ClicktheDetailstabtoaddtagsandkeywords(seeImageF).

OnaMac,selectanimageandopentheInformationwindowwithCommand-I.RenamethefileandaddtagsandkeywordsintheGetInfowindow(seeImageG).

Whenorganizinglargecollectionsofimages,however,it’smoreefficientandfastertoaddtags,keywords,andcaptionstothemetadatausingbatchfunctionsinaphoto-

managementprogramsuchasiPhoto,AdobePhotoshopElements,AdobeLightroom,orPicasathanaddingittophotosindividually.

SetUpYourCamera

Dependingonthekindofcamerayouuse,youmaynotbeabletocustomizeeachmetadataoption,butthedateandtimesettingshouldbeavailableonallcameras.ThismetadataisallrecordedintheExifdatafortheimage.Whenyougetanewcameraormobiledevice,usethesestepstoensureitissetupproperly.

STEP1:SETTHEDATEANDTIME.Oneofthefirststepswithanynewcameraorsmartphoneshouldbetosetthecorrectdateandtime,andconfirmtheregularsettingsarecorrect.It’seasytomistakenlyadvancetheyearwhenadjustingforDaylightSavingTime.Yourcameramenumaylookdifferentfromtheoneshown,solookfortheMenuoptionandselectSettingstofindDATEANDTIME.Usethenavigationarrowstosetthecorrectinformation.MakeitahabittochangeyourcameraclockwhenyouadjustyourhouseholdclocksforDaylightSavingTime.

‘

STEP2:TURNDATEIMPRINTOFF.ConfirmthatyourcameraissettocaptureimageswiththedateimprintsettoOff.

STEP3:CONFIRMCONTINUOUSFILENUMBERING.Somecamerasoffertheoptiontoresetfilenumbers,butcheckingthisoptionmaygiveyouduplicatenumbersandcreatehavocinyourorganizingsystem.Optforcontinuousfilenumberingfromonememorycardtothenexttoavoidconfusionandconflicts.

STEP4:SELECTTHERESOLUTION.Mostcamerashaveanoptiontosettheresolutionfrommaximummegapixelstosmallersizes.Togetthebestimagequalitypossibleforallphotos,keepthissetatmaximum.Purchaselargermemorycardsifneededtoaccommodatemorephotosonalongvacationorresearchtrip.

STEP5:INPUTPHOTOGRAPHERANDCOPYRIGHTINFORMATION.Somecamerasnowofferanoptionforthephotographertoincludeanameandcopyrightinformation.Ifyouliketoshootphotosandpostthemdirectlytosocialmediaviain-cameraWi-Fioraftertransfertoyoursmartphone,youmaywanttopersonalizethesesettings.

TIPCameraFileFormats

IfyouuseadigitalSLRcamera,you’llhavetheoptiontoshootpicturesinRAW,RAW+JPG,orJPGfileformats.RAWfilestakeupconsiderablymoreroombutarethecameraequivalentofTIFFfiles,andarestableanduncompressed.YouneedtoprocessRAWfilesinordertoworkwiththeimages,somostfamilyphotographersstickwiththeJPGfileformat.Ifyou’reworriedaboutJPGcompressionandimageloss,considerworkingwithanondestructivephotoeditorsuchasAdobeLightroomorPicasa.

InsidetheMemoryCard’sOrganization

Alldigitalimagesareorganizedbytheoriginaldeviceinmuchthesameway,whethertheimagewascapturedbysmartphone,digitalcamera,ormobilescanner.Thedateandtimeareessentialpiecesofinformationusedinsortinganddisplayingimagefiles.

Eachdeviceusesashortcutdevicenametoidentifythemanufacturerandsometimesthedevicemodel.InsertanSDcardinyourcomputerandclicktwicetoopenthefolder.YoushouldseeafolderlabeledDCIM.DCIMisanabbreviationforDigitalCameraIMages.DCIMistheindustrystandardfilefolderthatcontainsthephotoscapturedbyyourdevice.Toseetheindividualimagefiles,opentheDCIMfolder;youshouldseeeitheraloosecollectionofconsecutivelynumberedimagefilesoraseriesoffilefolders.

WhytheCorrectCameraDateIsImportant

Here’sanexampleofwhycorrectmetadataandcamerasettingsareimportant.ImageHshowsthefilefolderstructureformySDcardlabeledNONAME.InsidetheDCIMfolder,you’llseemanydifferentnumberedfolders.Thefirstthreedigitsrepresenttheyearandtheorderthephotoswerecaptured,followedbyanunderscoreandatwo-digitnumbertorepresentthemonththephotosweretaken.Thephoto’sexactdateandtimearealsorecordedintheExifdata.Folder125_04holdsthefifthgroupofimagescapturedin2012;04indicatesApril2012.

LookatthethumbnailimageandmetadataindicatingthecapturedateApril13,2012.Whenimportedtoaphoto-managementsystemthatorganizesbyyear,month,anddate,thisfilewillbecorrectlyfiledinApril2012.

ImageIillustrateswhathappenswhenthedateisincorrectlysetinthecamera.Thedateontheimageinthelastcolumndoesn’tmatchtheabbreviatedfoldername:Thefolderlabeled121_10shouldholdimagescapturedinOctober2012,butthephotoinformationgivesthecreationdateasOct.5,2011.Theotherphotosinthefolderaresimilarlymismarked.ThisphotoandothersinthegroupwillbeincorrectlyfiledinOctober2012insteadofOctober2011.

Thisistheresultofanincorrecttimeanddatesettinginthecameraitself.TheyearmayhavebeenchangedaccidentallyifthecamerawasadjustedforDaylightSavingTime,oritmayhavebeenincorrectallalong.

PHOTOBACKUP

Thebesttimetobackupyourphotosisrightafteryoutakethem.Doyouwanttolosethegraduate’sgrinorthebride’ssmile?Forthisreasonalone,automaticcloudsyncingandstorageforsmartphonephotosisawonderfulfeature.Ifyourphoneislost,fallsintothe

punchbowlattheweddingreception,orisresetbyaninquisitivetwo-year-old,yourphotoswillbesafe.

3-2-1Backup

Abackupismerelyaduplicatecopyofafile.Atruebackupisaduplicatecopystoredinadifferentlocationfromtheoriginal.Ifyouuseacloudstorageservicewithyourmobiledevice,thatsnapshotyoutookwithyoursmartphoneatyourniece’sweddingistheoriginalstoredonyourmobiledevice;thebackupisacopythatgetsuploadedandrestsonyourcloudstorageservice’sservers,readytobesyncedtoyourharddrivewhenyouturnonyourcomputerathome.Onephoto,threecopies.

Whenbackingupphotos,followthis3-2-1plan:

Create3copies:smartphone,cloudstorageservice,andyourhomecomputerUse2differentmedia:computer,USBflashdrive,orexternalharddriveStore1copyoff-site:useacloudstorageserviceoronlinebackupservice,orburnanarchivalDVDandstoreitoff-siteatarelative’shomeorinasafe-depositbox

BackUpYourComputerHardDrive

Youhavemanychoicesforbackingupyourcomputerharddrive:

externalUSBharddrivehomenetworkserveronlinecloudstorageonlinebackupservicerecordable(andarchival)DVDsandCDsUSBflashdrives

Selectyourstoragehardwareandsetupabackuproutine.Professionalphotographersbackuptheirworkdailyorperiodicallythroughoutaneditingsession.Makeitahabittoalwaysbackupyourworkafterimportingnewimagesorattheendoflengthyphoto-editingsession.

Investigateautomatedonlinebackupsystems,too.(SeealistofbackupservicesintheAppendix.)Whyuseanonlinebackupservice?PersonalexternalharddrivesstoreyourPhotoArchiveon-siteandarerelativelysecurefromhackers,butwhileyoucontrolthehardware(andonlyhavetopurchaseitoncevs.payaregularsubscriptionfee),yourfilesaresusceptibletofire,theft,andharddrivefailure.Inaddition,ifyouuseanexternalhard

driveasyourarchivalbackupsolution,youmustbeyourownTechGuru,purchasingandinstallinghardware,migratingyourPhotoArchivetonewequipmentasneeded,andmanagingbackupcopies.

Alternatively,anonline,cloud-basedbackupservicedoesallthetechworkforyou:maintainingstate-of-the-artequipment,providingredundancy,andprotectingyourdatafromtheftordisaster.Withautomaticuploads,youneverhavetoworryaboutrememberingtomanuallybackup,sync,ormigrateimages.

Themaindrawbacksofonlinebackupservicesarecostandsecurity.Youhavetopayamonthlyorannualsubscriptionfeetokeepyourfilessafe.Morestoragecostsmoremoney.Enhancedsecurityfeatures,morerestorationpoints,andthelevelofcustomerserviceofferedarefeaturesthatdrivethepricehigher.

Dependingonhowmuchbackupstorageyouneed,expertsrecommendevaluatingyouroptionstodeterminethebreak-evenpointbetweenthecostofmaintaininganexternalharddriveatanoff-sitelocationandstoringyourPhotoArchiveusinganonlinebackupservice.Thedecisionwilllikelybebasedonthesizeofyourcollectionandyourcomfortlevelwithstoringimagesinthecloudvs.theworkofmaintainingyourownequipment.

BackUpYourMobileDevices

Agoodoptionistosetupyourmobiledevicestoautomaticallysyncandbackupphotosfromyourdigitalcameratoyourcomputer.SyncphotostoanonlinecloudstorageserviceandthendownloadimagestoyourpersonalPhotoLibrary.Simplifyyourdigitallifebyintegratingyourmobileandcomputerbackups.RemembertheacronymLOCKSS—itstandsforLotsofCopiesKeepStuffSafe.Havingmanydigitalcopiesisagoodthingwhendisasterstrikes.

Ifyoutakelotsofpicturesonyoursmartphoneortabletandrelyonthecloudtobackupyourimages,youmightbesurprisedtolearnthatcloudstorageisn’tautomatic.ThousandsofiPhoneusersthoughttheirimageswerestoredinthecloudandlaterdiscoveredthatthoseimageswerelostunlesstheyhadbeensavedtothedevice’sCameraRollortransferredtoiPhotooranotherphoto-managementlibrary.ThenewMacOSXYosemitephoto-managementsystemaimstomakeallphotosavailableanywhereintheiCloudPhotoLibrary,asystemsimilartocloudstorageservicessuchasDropboxandGoogleDrive.

Thetakeaway:Cloudsyncingandstorageisconvenientandeasy,butdon’trelyonthecloudasyoursolephotobackup.

TurntoChapter2formoreideastomoveyourphotosfromyourcameratoyourcomputer.

GETTINGSTARTEDCHECKLISTCompletetheDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheet.Decidewheretostoreyourimagecollection,andpurchasenecessarystoragedevicehardware.Setupyourcameraandmobiledeviceswiththecorrectdateandtimeandanyotherdesiredsettings.Setupyourstoragedevices.Purchaseadedicatedmediacardreaderifyoudon’thaveabuilt-incardreaderonyourcomputerorhomeprinter.Purchaseandsetupbackupdevices.Decideonyourfile-namingandfolderorganizationstructure,andsetupyourPHOTOLIBRARYfoldersystem.

2TransferTips

Digitalphotographyhaschangedthewaywecapturespecialmomentsinourlives.Ifyouhaveasmartphone,youalwayshaveacamerareadytogoinyourpocketorpurse.Wenolongeronlytakephotosofimportanteventssuchasweddingsandgraduations.Wetakephotoseverydayofanymomentwewanttoremember.Wetakephotosofthefoodsweenjoy.Wetakenear-dailyphotosofourchildrenorgrandchildren.Wetakehundredsofphotosonvacation.Digitalphotographyhasallowedustobecomeproficientattakingpictures,butwearemuchlessefficientatmanagingthem.Despitetakingmoreandmoreimageseveryday,it’shardertoaccessandviewourimagesnowthanwhenwetookourfilmtobeprocessedandorderedpaperprints.

Formanypeople,organizingdigitalphotosmayseemoverwhelming,andtheorganizingsystemsyoumayhavelearnedandnowrelyoninyourbusinesslifemayworkmoderatelywellwithdocumentfiles,buttheymaynotworkaswellforyourpersonaldigitalphotos.Forexample,youmightorganizewordprocessingdocumentsandspreadsheetsinadigitalversionofametalfilecabinetbecauseitmakessense.Thecomputerdoestheheavyliftingbymaintainingstrictalphanumericorder.Andfilesenterthesystemfromonlyafewlocations.Tofindaspecificdocument,youclickthroughfolders,lookingforthefileyouwant.Aslongasyouuseaconsistent,intuitivefile-namingsystem,itisfairlyeasytolocatethefileyouneed.

Thisbusinessfileorganizationstrategydoesn’tworkquitesowellfororganizingdigitalphotos.Managingyourdigitalphotosdemandsadifferentorganizationsystemforthreereasons:

1. Wetakeandneedtomanagethousandsofdigitalimageseachyear.2. Differentusesforphotosmayrequiremultipleversionsofthesameimage.3. Wecaptureimagesonmultipledevices,andourimagesmaybescatteredamong

multipleusers.

Inthesamewaythatyou’dneverleaveyourheirloomweddingphotosstuffedintotheglovecompartmentofyourcarforsafekeeping,keepingphotosstashedonSDcards,onflashdrives,andinfreecloudaccountsisnotareliablephotostorageormanagementstrategy.

Managingdigitalphotosisabitlikecreatinganongoingphotoalbumwhereyoucaneasilyaddnotesandrearrangephotos,allwithoutscissorsandpaste.Thetoolsyouusearedifferentfromtraditionalpaperalbums,buttheresultsareevenmoresatisfying.

Inthischapterwe’lllookatoptionstohelpyoumovethephotosyou’vecapturedonanydeviceintooneMasterStorageLocation—yourPhotoLibrary.

BASICIMAGETRANSFER

Alldigitalphotomanagementbeginswithasimplestrategyyoualreadyknow:organizingwithfilesandfolders.Beforeyoubegintransferringimages,you’llneedtosetupaMasterStorageLocationtoholdyourPhotoLibraryoneitheryourcomputerharddriveoranexternalharddrive,andcreateabasicfilefolderstructure,asrecommendedinChapter1.YouwilltransferyourimagestoyourPhotoLibraryusingatransfermethodsuitableforyourphotocapturedevice.Youcantransferyourphotosusingoneofthreeapproaches:

manualimagetransferautomatedimagetransferadvancedimagetransferusingsoftware

ManualImageTransfer

ManualimagetransferinvolvesmovingfilesbydragginganddroppingimagesfromyourdevicetoyourMasterStorageLocation.Inamanualapproach,youareresponsiblefortransferringfilesfromthecapturedevicetoyourPhotoLibraryandforplacingimagesinthecorrectfolders.AftertransferringfilesfromthecapturedevicetotheMasterStorageLocation,youcanmanuallyrenamefilesandmakeadjustments,suchascroppingorresizing.

Manualimagetransferisgoodifyou

wantmaximumcontrol.arecomfortablewithdrag-and-droporganization.prefernottolearnanewsystem.useanycomputerplatform:PC,Mac,orLinux.haveasmall-toaverage-sizeddigitalphotocollection.

Themaindrawbacksofamanualimagetransfermethodarethat

itreliesonuserconsistency,soitcanbedifficulttomaintain.itrequireshands-onattention.

filesmustbeindividuallyrenamedandtagged.filescanbeaccidentallydeletedormisplaced.

Abenefitofmanualimagetransferisthatyoucancontinuetomanuallymove,sort,andaccessyourdigitallibraryindefinitely.Formanypeople,thisisallthephotomanagementtheyneed.

Theprocessofcollecting,moving,andorganizingyourimagesmaytakesometime,dependingonthenumberofimagesandsizeofyourphotocollection,butyoudon’thavetodoitallatonce.Startwithyourremovablecameramemorycardsandanynewimagesyou’vetaken,andthenmoveontoyourmobilephone,tablet,andotherSDcards.Workononedeviceatatime,double-checkingtoconfirmthattheimageshavetransferredandaresafelystoredbeforemovingontothenextdevice.

TransferringPhotosFromaMemoryCard

Yourcameramemorycardisaminiaturestoragedrive.Youcanopenthecard,viewfiles,andmoveitemsbydragginganddropping.Youalsocanrenamefilesandfoldersrightonthecard.Transferringimagescapturedonmemorycardstoacomputerisrelativelysimple.AfteryouhavesafelytransferredthephotostoyourPhotoLibraryandbackedthemuptoastoragedevice,youcanerasethecard’scontentstomakeroomfornewimages.Photostorageisnearlyinfinitebecauseyoucanaddmemorycardsformorepicturesasneeded.Here’sastep-by-stepexampleforhowtodothisonaMac(thestepsaresimilaronaPC).

STEP1:Insertyourmemorycardintoamemorycardreaderandviewthecardonyourcomputer.Thecardmayormaynotbenamed.Control-click(orright-click)onthecardandrenameitwithyourlastnameorinitialsandtheyearyoustartedusingit,suchasDML2014.

STEP2:Youshouldseeoneormorefoldersinsidethecard.YourphotoswillbeinsidetheDigitalCameraIMage(DCIM)folder.Continueopeningfoldersuntilyouareviewingtheimagefiles.Theywillbelabeledwithagenericprefixandconsecutivenumbers.Notetheyearthephotosweretaken.ThesephotoswerecapturedinMay2010.Identifythecorrectcaptureyearfromthefilefoldername108__05(2010-May)orfromviewingtheimagethumbnail.

STEP3:Onyourcomputerorexternalharddrive,openyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder(yourMasterStorageLocation)andthenopenafolderforthecorrectyear,orcreateanewfolderandlabelitwiththeyear(inthisexample,2010).Selectorcreateanewphotofolderinsidetheyearandrenameitwiththemonthandeventoroccasion.Someusersprefertonamefilefolderswiththeexactdateinadditiontothemonthtokeepphotobatchesorganizedingroups.It’suptoyouhowyouwanttomanagethefolders,butdouseaconsistentfolder-namingstructurethatincludesatleasttheyear,month,andidentifyingname.

STEP4:Selecttheimagefilesanddragthemfromthememorycardtotheappropriatefolder.

TransferringPhotosFromSmartphonesandTablets

Photostakenwithasmartphoneortabletcameraareatthemercyoflimitedmobilestorage.Ifyoutakealotofpicturesandvideos,youmayfindyourselffrequentlyseeingthedreadedmessage:NotEnoughStorage.Regularlytransferringphotosandvideostoyourcomputerwillkeepyourdevicefreefornewimagesandsafeguardthoseyou’vealreadyrecorded.

YoucanmoveimagesmanuallyfromanAppleorAndroidsmartphoneortablettoyourcomputerviaaUSBcable.Thisprocessisfastandallowsyoutomanuallyorganizeasyoudraganddropfilesfromonelocationtoanother.

IfyouhaveanAndroidsmartphoneortabletwithremovablestoragemedia,youhaveonemoremanualimagetransferoption:Youcaninsertamini-SDcardfromyourdeviceintoyourcomputer’smemorycardreaderandmanuallymoveimagestoyourPhotoLibrary.

Ifyougrowwearyofthehands-onorganizationorwanttousefeaturessuchasbatchfilenaming,tagging,andcustomcaptions,readontolearnaboutphoto-importandphoto-managementsoftwarethatmakesthetaskeasier.

TIPAutomatedTransferfromMobileDevices

Youcanautomaticallytransferimagesfrommobiledevicesviacloudsynchronization,too.AppleiOSuserscanusetheAppleiCloudservice,andAppleandAndroiduserscanmoveimagesviaDropboxandotherservices.

AUTOMATEDIMAGETRANSFER

Theeasiestphoto-transferringsolutionisonethatgoesoninthebackgroundsoyoudon’tevenhavetothinkaboutit.That’swhatautomatedimagetransferdoes.Itallowsyoutoautomaticallytransferimagestoadesignatedlocation,peryoursetupinstructions.Automatedimagetransfersolutionsprovideagoodalternativetophysicalfiletransfer,andinsomewaysareevenbetterbecausethere’slesschanceforuseromissionorerror.Yourchoiceofauto-transferandsynchronizationwilldependonyourdevice’splatformandwhatonlinephotoorcloudservicesyoualreadyuse.PopularautomatedsystemsincludeApple’siCloudPhotoLibrary<www.apple.com/icloud/photos>,Dropbox<www.dropbox.com>,Shutterfly’sThisLife<www.thislife.com>,andotheronlinecloudstorageprograms.AllmajorcloudstorageservicesofferAndroidandAppleiOSapps.(SeemoreononlinecloudstorageservicesinChapter4.)

Touseanautomaticimagetransfermethod,selecttheonlinestorageserviceyou’dliketouseandconfigurethesettingsonyourdevicesandinyouronlineaccountforstorage.Inmostcases,you’lltransferyourimagetoacloudstorageservice.Themaindrawbackofthistypeofsystemisthatit’sstilluptoyoutomanuallymovethoseimagesintoyourMasterStorageLocation,whereyouwillbeabletorenameandmanageyourimagesinacentrallocation.

TransferringPhotosWithImageCapture(Mac)

ImageCaptureisahandyMacprogramthathelpsyoumovefilesbetweenstoragedevicessuchasmemorycardsorexternalharddrives,andfromdigitizingequipmenttoyourcomputer.Itoffersaviewingwindowtoassistyouinselectingnewimagesforimporttoyourfilefoldersystem(ImageA),makingiteasytoselectimagesforimport.TheIconview(ImageB)showsimagethumbnails.ImageCaptureallowsyoutoselectone,some,orallphotosfromyourdeviceforimporttoaselectedlocation.

YoualsocanchecktheoptiontoDeleteafterImport,butIrecommenddeletingimagesfromthecameraafteryouhaveconfirmedasafetransferandbackedupthefiles.It’sasimplesteptodeleteimagesusingthecamera’smenu.

TransferringPhotosWithPhotoGallery(PC)

PhotoGalleryoffersseveralhelpfulfeaturesformanagingyourphotosduringandaftertransferringtheimagestoyourPC.Tostarttransferringyourimages,followthesesteps.

STEP1:InsertamemorycardandopenthePhotoGallerytoviewtheImportwindow.SelecttheoptiontoReview,Organize,andGroupItemstoImport,andclickNext.

STEP2:IntheImportwindow,checkeachgroupofphotosyouwouldliketoimport,namethegroup,andaddtags.UncheckindividualphotosifdesiredandclickImport.

Donoterasethememorycardinthecomputer.Afterconfirmingthatthephotoshavebeensafelytransferred,erasethecardusingthecamera’sDeletefunction.

TransferringPhotosFromWi-Fi-EnabledCameras

Inrecentyears,Wi-Fi-enableddigitalcamerashavebroughtmobileconnectivitydirectlytodigitalcameras.ThesenewmodelstypicallyofferAndroidandiOSappsthatpartnerwiththecamerasoyoucanshootphotoswiththedigitalcameraandthenviewtheimagesonyourtabletorsmartphoneforediting,e-mailing,andpostingtosocialmediasitessuchasFacebook,Twitter,andInstagram.

Tosetupawirelessconnectionbetweenyourcameraandyourmobiledevice,you’lltypicallyneedtodownloadandinstalltheapptoyourmobiledeviceandthensetupaconnectionbetweenyourcameraandtheapp.Thisdirectconnectionbetweenthecameraandthedeviceisturnedonwhenyouwanttotransferphotosfromcameratodeviceandturnedoffwhenyouarefinished.TheimagesremainonyourSDcard,andyoucantransfertheimagesfromthecardtoyourcomputerlater.Thecamerainstructionsandappwillwalkyouthroughthestepsforyourspecificcameramodel.

Usingadedicatedcameraforlargedigitizingprojectswillconserveyourmobiledevicebatteryforotheruses,andthelargersensorinadigitalSLRcameramayproducebetterimagesthanyoursmartphonecamera,especiallyinlow-lightconditionssuchaslibraries,archives,andconferencehalls.

SomeWi-Ficameraappsalsoincludeoptionsforotherfeatures,suchas

remoteshutterrelease.addingGeotags.in-appediting.directpostingtoFacebookandothersocialmediasites.

I’veexperimentedwithaWi-FicameraforcapturingmicrofilmimagesattheFamilyHistoryLibraryinSaltLakeCity.Thecamerarecordedgood-qualityimagesdirectlyoffthemicrofilm-viewingtableasIworkedtheshutterviatheremoteapponmyiPhone.Thebiggestdrawback,however,wasthequickdrainonbatterylife.BoththecameraandiPhoneneededtoberechargedafterafewhoursofuse.Ithinkitwouldhavebeenmoreefficientandcreatedlesspowerdraintohaveusedaphysicalremoteshutterrelease,andthenusedtheWi-FitosimplytransferthephotostomyiPad.

AreYouRelyingTooMuchontheCloud?

Cloudstoragecanbeanessentialpartofanybackupstrategy,butitshouldn’tbetheonlyplaceyoustoreyourphotos.AimtocreateandmaintainonecentralPhotoLibrary(yourMasterStorageLocation)onyourownequipmentthatholdsallyourimages.Ifyouwanttouseacloudservice,useacloudservicetosyncandstoreimageswhiletravelingortohelpmovefilesbetweendevices,ortohouseanoff-sitebackupofyourPhotoLibrary.Remember,you’llwanttobackupyourPhotoLibraryregularlysoyouhavethreecopiesontwodifferentmediawithonecopyoff-site.

Wi-Fi-enabledcamerasareavailableincompactpoint-and-shoottoprofessional-levelmodels.Ifyouarelookingtoexpandyourdigitaltoolbox,theslightlyhighercostofaWi-Fi-enabledcameramaybeagoodinvestmenttoexpandyourphotoopportunities.

TransferringPhotosFromaWi-Fi-EnabledMemoryCard

AnotheroptiontoaddWi-Ficonnectivitytoastandarddigitalcameraiswithawirelessmemorycard,suchasanEyefiSDcard<www.eyefi.com>.EyefiSDmemorycardsprovideahybridphototransferringsolutionthatyoucanadapttosuitalmostanyphoto-managementworkflow.DifferentmodelsofEyeficardsareavailable;we’llfocusontheEyefiMobiSDcard.

TheEyefiMobiSDcardworkslikeanystandardSDcard—simplyinsertitintoanSDcardreadertotransferimagesdirectly.Therealmagic,however,liesinthecard’stinywirelesstransmitterthatcantransferimageswirelesslyfromyourdigitalcameratoacomputer,smartphone,ortablet.Insteadofwaitinguntilyouimportormanuallydraganddropfilesfromoneplacetoanother,theEyefiMobiSDcardautomaticallytransfersimageswirelessly(inseconds)wheneveritdetectsawirelessconnectionbetweentwopaireddevices.ThecardworkswithPCandMaccomputers,aswellasvirtuallyalldigitalcamerasthatuseanSDcardandtheFlip-PalmobilescannerorotherdevicesthatstoreimagesonanSDcard.Thephotos,whichcanbeinJPGorRAWformat,thenreside

withinthefreeEyefiMobiapponyourdevice.Forexample,ifyousetupthecardtotransfertoyoursmartphone,yourphotoswillbecopiedfromtheEyefiMobiSDcardinsertedintoyourcameratoyourphonewheneverthecamera(andcard)arewithinrangeofthesmartphoneandtheEyefiMobiappisopen.

Afteryoutransfertheimages,youcanviewthem,organizethemintoalbums,andtagthephotoswithintheEyefiMobiapp.Meanwhile,onyoursmartphone,youcanshareimagesandsavethemtothedevice’sCameraRoll,wheretheywillbeavailabletootherappsforeditingandphotoprojects.YoualsocanpairyourEyefiMobiSDcardtoyourdesktopPCorMaccomputer.Onyourcomputer,“watchfolders”collectimagestransferredfromtheEyefiMobiSDcardtoautomaticallyimportthemintophoto-managementprogramssuchasAdobeLightroom.

AslongasyourEyefiMobiSDcardispairedwithonlyonedevice,allphotoswillbetransferredtothatdevice.IfyouinstalltheEyefiMobiapponaniPadandyouriPhone,however,anyphotosnotpreviouslytransferredtoanydevicewillbecopiedtothisnewlypaireddevicewheneverthecardiswithinrangeofthatdevice.Theresult:Somephotosmaybemovedtoyoursmartphonewhenthecardispairedtothatdevice,andthenexttimeyoutakepictures,thenewimagescouldbemovedtoyouriPadifthecardisalsopairedtoit.Inaddition,theEyefiMobiSDcardsavesbothJPGandRAWimagefilestothecard,buttransfersonlyJPGandvideofileswirelessly.

TheEyefiCloud

IfyouuseaWi-Fi-enabledEyefiMobiSDcard,youmightwanttousetheoptionalEyefiCloudserviceaswell.TheEyefiCloudserviceisdesignedtosynchronizefilesthatmaybedownloadedtodifferentlocations.Itworksinthebackgroundtosynchronizeallofyourimagesonallofyourdevicesbyhostingafull-resolutioncopyonEyefi’sCloudstoragewebsite.YoucanusetheEyefiMobiSDcardwithoutanEyefiCloudaccount,butyourimageswillonlybehousedinthelocationoforiginaltransfer.Ofcourse,imagesarealwaysaccessiblebymanuallycopyingthefilesfromtheSDcardtoyourcomputeroranexternalharddrive.

TheEyefiCloudincludessomeorganizingfeaturestomovephotosintoalbums,butnoeditingortaggingfeatures.Downloadingandsharingislimitedtoindividualphotosandbatchselectionbydate.Overall,theEyefiCloudisusefulforsharingimagesorforimagebackupwhiletraveling,butmaybecumbersomeforpracticaluseascloudstoragebecauseitlimitsyoutodownloadingimagesoneatatime.

AlthoughtheoriginaldigitalphotoswillremainontheEyefiMobiSDcard,ifyouaren’tcareful,youcanendupwithimagesscatteredindifferentlocations.ToavoidtransferringimagesfromyourEyefiMobiSDcardtomultiplelocations,simplyclosetheEyefiMobiappondevicesyoudon’twantimagestotransferto.ThisgivesyoutheflexibilitytoopenthemobileEyefiMobiapponyourphoneifyouwanttoreceivephotosfromyourcameratoe-mailorshareonFacebook,orclosethephoneappandopenthetabletappifyou’dliketousethelargerscreentomakeadigitalphotobookonyouriPad.

ADVANCEDIMAGETRANSFER

Usersofphoto-managementsoftwaresuchasiPhotoorAdobeLightroommaybescratchingtheirheadsandwonderingwhatwe’retalkingaboutwith“manualphototransfer.”That’sbecausethesenondestructivephoto-managementprogramshandleimagetransfer,filerenaming,andfolderdestinationswithautomatedpresetsthattakethehassleoutofroutinefilemanagement.

Ifyouworkwithalargeheirloomphotocollectionorenjoytakingphotoswithyourdigitalcamera,youmaywanttoinvestigateaprogramsuchasAdobeLightroom,availableasstand-alonesoftwareoraspartoftheAdobeCreativeCloudsubscriptionservice.SeeChapter3formoreinformationonphoto-managementsoftwareoptions.

MYIMAGE-CAPTURE-TO-COMPUTERWORKFLOW

Nowthatyouhaveanoverviewofdifferentimagetransferoptions,I’dliketoshowyouhowIimportmyphotostomycomputer.Itakealotofpictureswithbothmydigitalcameraandmysmartphonecamera.Inaddition,Iscankeepsakefamilyphotosandresearchmaterialswithseveraldifferentscanners.Mygoalistogatherallmydigitalimagesinonephotocollectionandusefoldersandtagstoorganizeandidentifypresent-dayfamilyphotos,scannedphotos,andresearchimages.

MyphotosarestoredinthePhotoLibraryexternalharddrivedescribedinChapter1andmanagedwithAdobeLightroomphoto-managementsoftware.UsingLightroom,Iexportcopiesofimagefilesasneededfrommyphotocollectiontoshareonmyblog,onsocialmediasites,orforphotoprojects.IusetwowirelessEyefiSDcardstosimplifymyphotoworkflow:oneinmydigitalcameraandoneinmyFlip-Palmobilescanner.IhavetheEyefiMobiappinstalledonmyiPhoneandmyiPad,andIhavetheEyefidesktopappinstalledonmyMac.

AtHomeWorkflow

WhenI’mworkingathome,Iusuallyneedphotosforlectures,webinars,andarticleillustrations.TheEyefiMobiSDcardinmydigitalcameramakesiteasytoaccessnewimageswithoutremovingthecardfrommycamera.Iconfirmthatthemobileappsareclosedandthedesktopappisavailableinthemenubar.WhenIturnonmycamera,thecardconnectstomycomputerviaawirelessconnection,andtheimagestransfertomycomputer.Here’showitworks.

STEP1:IMAGESTRANSFERTOCOMPUTER.WhenmycameraiswithinWi-Firangeofmydesktopcomputer,theEyefidesktoptransferappautomaticallystartsandbeginstransferringthefull-resolutionimagestoafolderonmydesktoplabeledEYEFI.

STEP2:IMPORTPHOTOSTOADOBELIGHTROOM.IusuallyreviewtheimagesinthefolderandthenopenAdobeLightroomphoto-managementsoftware.IusetheImportoptioninLightroomtotransfertheimagestomyPhotoLibrary.ThesoftwarepromptsmeforafolderlocationinmyPhotoLibrary(onanexternalharddrive),filename,keywords,andothermetadata.Iaddmycopyrightinformationaspresetdata.

STEP3:EDITPHOTOS.UsingtheDevelopmoduleinLightroom,Ieditandcroptheimages.

STEP4:EXPORTFORPROJECT.IselectthephotosneededformyprojectandchoosetheappropriatePresettoapplythefileformat,filesize,watermark,andotheroptions.

SometimesIusemysmartphonetosnapaquickphoto.IwaitfortheimagetosyncwiththeAppleCloudandformyphototoappearinmydesktopPhotosapp.IthentransferthephototomyPhotoLibraryandtoAdobeLightroom,whereIworkwiththefileandexportitoncemoreformyproject.

TravelingWorkflow

WhenI’mtravelingandwanttoviewphotosfrommyscannerorcameraonmymobilephoneoriPad,IopentheEyefiMobiappandallowtheimagestotransfertothedevice.Here’show.

STEP1:TURNONDIGITALCAMERA.ThepowermustberunningonyourdigitalcamerafortheEyefiSDcardtoconnecttoyourdevice.

STEP2:OPENTHEEYEFIAPPONSMARTPHONEORTABLET.Thephotosfrommycamerawillbegintoappearonmydevice.

STEP3:POWEROFFCAMERAANDCLOSEAPP.Whenthetransferofimagesiscomplete,IturnoffmycameraandclosetheEyefiapp.

STEP4:MANUALLYTRANSFERIMAGESATHOME.WhenIreturnhome,IinserttheEyefiSDcardintomydesktopcomputer’smemorycardreaderslottomanuallycopythefilestomyPHOTOLIBRARYfolderonmyexternalharddrive.Idonotusethedesktoptransferappbecausesomeofthephotosmayhavealreadybeentransferredtomymobiledevices.

Technology-ProofYourPhotoCollection

Technologyformanagingyourphotosonyourdevicesisconstantlychanging.Caseinpoint:Apple’snewestoperatingsystems,YosemiteandiOS8,replacedPhotoStream(apopularfeatureinearlierAppleoperatingsystemsthatallowedAppleuserstoviewimagesonallconnecteddevices)andtheiOSCameraRollwithanewphoto-managementsystemcalledtheiCloudPhotoLibrary,apartoftheiCloudDrive.Asusersupdatetothenewoperatingsystems,they’lldiscovertheirphotoshavebeenmovedintothesenewlocations.UsersalsowillseethatanewApplephotoprogramfordesktopintegrationhasreplacediPhotoandAperture.

IfyouuseanolderMac,youmaynotbeableorwanttoupgradetoYosemite.iPhotowillcontinuetofunctiononyourcomputer,butwillnolongerbesupportedbyApple.WhenyoueventuallyupgradeormovetoanewMac,you’llhavetofindanewwaytomanageyourphotocollection.

ThistransitiontoanewApplephoto-managementsystemisagoodreminderthatyoushouldalwayskeepcurrentwithyourphotostrategyandbeanactiveandawarephotoconsumer.Inaddition,youshouldmakesureyourphotosareinasafelocationthatyoucanaccessnomatterhowtechnologychanges.

3Photo-ManagementSoftware

Youcancertainlysetupaphoto-managementsystemusingonlyyourcomputerfolderstructureandabasicphotoviewer,butifyou’reworkingwithalargephotocollection,youmayfindthetaskwillbeeasierandmoreenjoyablewithsoftwaredesignedforthetaskofmanagingphotos.

Usingphoto-managementsoftwaretoimportimagestoyourfoldersystemsavestimeandhelpsmaintainconsistencyinfilenamingandfolderorganization.Youneverhavetorememberwhetheryouareusingyear-month-dayormonth-year-daynamingandfolderstructures;thesoftwareautomaticallycreatesandnamesfoldersasneeded.

Organizingadigitalcollectionwithphoto-managementsoftwareisespeciallyhelpfulifyouhavealargephotocollection,aswellasforanyonewho

wantsautomationforroutineorganizationtasks.workswithimagefileseveryday.wantsbatchfile-namingandeditingfunctions.wantsnondestructivephotoediting.usesPCorMaccomputersystems.haslargeorgrowingdigitalcollections.

Thegreatestdisadvantageofusingphoto-managementsoftwareisthatitrequiresyoutospendsometimelearningtomasterthenewsoftware.Onceyoulearnit,though,itshouldhelpmakeyouroverallworkflowmuchmoreefficient.

UsethePhoto-ManagementSoftwareComparisonWorksheetinthischaptertoevaluatefeaturesandoptionsmostimportanttoyourpersonalworkflow.

TIPSoftwareTutorials

Learnmoreabouthowtousephoto-managementsoftwarebyexploringusergroups,websites,andonlineeducationsitessuchasLynda.com<www.lynda.com>.

KEYSOFTWAREFEATURESTOCONSIDER

Throughouttheyears,I’veuseddozensofdifferentphoto-managementandphoto-editingprogramsonWindowsandMaccomputers,andexperiencehasprovedtomethatthebestsoftwaresolutionsforfamilyphotomanagementofferfourkeyfeatures:

nondestructiveeditingbatchediting,filenaming,andfileconvertingcross-platformversionsalarge,activeuserbasethatsupportsofficialandthird-partytrainingandtutorials

Photo-managementsoftwareisonlyonepieceofthedigitalphoto-managementpuzzle,butit’sanessentialpartofmyworkflow.

NondestructiveEditing

Whatisnondestructiveediting?Somedatabase-basedphoto-managementprogramsprocessimageeditsbysavinginstructionsfortheeditsratherthanalteringtheoriginalfile.Thisallowsyoutoeasilyreturntotheoriginalversionortostepbackincrementallyifyouwanttoundoseveraladjustments.Thisnondestructiveeditingpreservesyouroriginalimageandyoureditswithoutmultiplecopiesfillingupyourdatabase.

Incontrast,conventionalimageeditingsavestheeditedversionofafilebyoverwritingtheoriginalandlosingtheoriginaldata.Forexample,atypicaleditingsessionmightinvolve

1. openingaJPGimage.2. rotatingtheimage.3. croppingtheimage.4. applyingauto-adjusttoimprovecontrastandbalance.5. savingthechangeswiththeSavecommand,whichoverwritestheoriginalfile.

Usingthisscenario,youcannotreopenthefileandreturntotheuncroppedversion.Thechangeshaveerasedtheoriginalfile,andsomedigitalinformationislosteachtime

thefileissavedandcompressed.Aftermanysavesthefilecanbecomedegradedsoextensivelythatitbecomesunusable.Thisscenario(“lossy”compression)occurswheneveryousaveaJPGimage.

OnealternativeistousetheSaveAscommand,creatinganeweditedversionofthefile.ThisprocessdoublesthenumberofimagefilesandstoragerequirementsandcancreateconfusionasadditionaleditedcopiesareaddedforWebversionsandotherprojects.Additionally,evenifyousavean“uncompressed”JPGimage,thefileremainslossyanddegradeseachtimeitisopenedandsaved.

AsecondalternativeistoconvertallJPGimagestoTIFFimagesandperformeditsontheTIFFversion.TIFFisalosslessfileformat,whichmeanstheimagewillnotdegradewitheachsave.Thefile,however,willbepermanentlyedited,andcroppedareaswillremaindeleted.YoucannotreverttotheoriginalTIFFafterchangeshavebeenmadeinthesamewaythataneditedJPGcannotreturntoitsoriginalversion.Thisprocedurealsocreatesmultipleimagefilesandincreasesfilestoragerequirements.

Organizingandeditingimageswithnondestructivephoto-editingsoftwareavoidstheproblemofhavingmultiplecopiesandlossyfileformats.Insteadofchangingtheimagefile,nondestructivesoftwarewritesinstructionsforthechanges.Theseinstructionscanbereversed,likeastep-by-stepUndobutton,toreverttotheoriginalimage.Becauseanyeditsarereallyinstructionstothesoftware,youmustexporttheeditedimagetoviewandusethefileoutsidethephoto-managementprogram.

BatchEditing,FileNaming,andFileConverting

Ifyou’veeverrenamedmanyfilesonebyone,orindividuallychangedthesizeofseveralphotosfore-mailing,you’veprobablywishedforawaytochangemorethanonefileatatime.Batcheditingisafeaturethatallowsyoutoapplythesamechanges—afilename,fileformat,orotherfilecharacteristic—toseveralphotosatonce.BatcheditingcansavehoursofworkwhenyouwanttoconvertphotofilesfromTIFFtoJPGformatforaphoto-bookprojectordownsizefull-resolutionimagesforpostingontheWebore-mailing.

Exploreyourcurrentphoto-managementsoftwareorsoftwareyouareconsideringpurchasingtoseeifitoffersthisfeature.Typically,youwillneedtoselecttheimagesyou’dliketochange,thenmodifythename,size,orotheroptions.Somesoftwareprograms,suchasAdobeLightroom,allowbatcheditingasfilesareexported.

Alsolookforfile-renamingoptionsthatallowyoutorenameagroupoffileswithacustomnameandsequentialnumber.Usethisfeaturetoquicklyaddameaningfulfile

nametophotos,suchasimagesfromarecentvacation:hawaii01.jpg,hawaii02.jpg,andhawaii03.jpg.

Cross-PlatformVersions

WhenIstartedmyfamilyarchiveprojectoveradecadeago,IwasahighschoolteacherusingAppleMaccomputerswithmystudentsandaWindowsPCathome.Iwantedsoftwaresolutionstohelpmanagemygrowingdigitalcollection,butIdidn’twanttohavetorelearnaprogramifIdecidedtoswitchcomputersystemsinthefuture.ThishasproventobeagooddecisionandenabledmetoeasilymovemydatabasefromWindowstoMacwhenIlefttheclassroomandreplacedmyoutdatedPCwithadesktopMac.

Cross-platformsoftwareworksonbothMacandPCcomputers.ThesameprogrammaybeofferedatonepriceforPCandMaccomputers,oritmayrequireseparatepurchasesforeachversion.AdobePhotoshopElementsandAdobeLightroom(bothavailableat<www.adobe.com>)offeressentiallythesameprogramforPCandMac.LightroomisalsoavailableasapartoftheAdobeCreativeCloudsubscriptionserviceofferingcross-platformaccesstothelatestversion.Picasa<picasa.google.com>offersPCandMacversions.Eachoftheseprogramsalsooffersnondestructivephoto-editingfeatures.

ActiveUserBase

Somepeopleseekoutobscureorsmallsoftwarecompanies,figuringtheywillgetpersonalizedserviceiftheyavoid“thebigguys,”butbigisnotnecessarilyabadthingwhenitcomestoselectingphoto-managementsoftware.Irecommendlookingforasoftwarecompanywithalarge,activeuserbase,preferablywithanonlineconsumerforum.Satisfiedusersareawonderfulresourcewhenyouhaveaquestionorareunsureabouthowsomefeatureswork.

Ifaprogramhasanactiveuserbase,enthusiastsoftenposthelpfulvideos,blogposts,andtutorials,oroffercustomadd-ons.Alargegroupofuserswillfindsoftwarebugsquicklyandalertdevelopersforfastpatchesandupdates.Inaddition,beingintouchwithalargeuserbasecangiveyouasenseoftheoverallhealthofthesoftware:Areuserssatisfiedwiththecompany’sresponsetorequestsfornewfeatures?Dodevelopersreleaseperiodicupdates,orhasitbeenmanymonthssincethelastrefresh?

PHOTO-MANAGEMENTSOFTWAREANDEVOLVINGTECHNOLOGY

Unfortunately,notmanysoftwareprogramsoffertruenondestructiveediting.AdobeLightroomandPicasa,aswellasthenow-discontinuedAppleprogramsiPhotoandAperture,arepopularnondestructivephotomanagersofferingediting,batchediting,cross-platformversions,andalarge,well-informeduserbase.Eachprogramalsoofferssomelevelofeditingsoyoucancrop,rotate,andadjustimageswithouttheneedtoworkinaseparateeditingprogram.LightroomandPicasaareavailabletoMacandPCusers,andtheirpopularityhascreatedamarketforbooks,tutorials,webinars,userforums,andtrainingopportunities.

AdobeLightroomisavailableintwoversions:aspartoftheAdobeCreativeCloudsubscriptionservicewhereyoualwayshaveaccesstothelatestupdates,andastand-alonethatcanbepurchasedanddownloadedtoyourhomecomputer.Picasaisafreeprogramthatyoudownloadanduseonyourcomputer,noInternetconnectionrequired.

Untilrecently,MacusersalsohadtheoptiontousetheeasynondestructiveeditingfeaturesofAppleiPhotoorAperture.WiththereleaseoftheYosemiteoperatingsystemandiOS8formobiledevices,ApplebeganmovingawayfromiPhotoandAperturetothenewApplePhotosforOSXappandannouncedthatitwouldnolongersupportitspreviousphotoprograms.TheApplePhotosforOSXappisdesignedtomakeimagesandvideosavailableonmultipledevices.IfyouhaveanolderMaccomputerwithiPhotoorAperture,youcancertainlycontinuetousetheprogram,butbeawarethatsoftwareupdateswillbediscontinuedandallnewMacswillofferthenewApplePhotosforOSXappprogram.It’sagoodreminderthatphoto-managementsystemshaveseenfundamentalchangessincetheirinitialintroduction.Technologyconstantlychanges,andtheshiftfromcomputertomobilephotomanagementhascreatednewchallengesforsynchronizingimagesbetweendevicesandusers.

Photoarchivistslookingfornondestructivesoftwareoptionshavefewerchoicestodaythanafewyearsago.Ifyouwanttofindaphotosolutionthathasstayingpower,it’sessentialtoknowwhatfeaturesaremostimportanttoyouandhowtoevaluateyouroptionssoyoucanmoveyourcollectiontoanewsystemifneeded.

Ofcourse,nosoftwarewillsolveyourdigitalimageclutter.IfyoudumpallyourphotosintoaprogramlikeAdobeLightroom,iPhoto,orPicasa,youwillbesorelydisappointedtofindthosepictureslookingrightbackatyou—withthesameemptymetadatafields,thesameuselessfilenames.It’suptoyoutolearnhowyoursoftwarecanhelpyousuccessfullyorganizeandmanageyourphotolegacy.

AdobeLightroom

OneofmybestdecisionsforphotomanagementwastoinvestinAdobeLightroom.In2006,Iinstalledversion2onmyWindowsXPcomputerandstartedworkingwithmyscannedimagesandnewdigitalfamilyphotosstoredonanexternalharddrive.WhenIswitchedtoaMacfouryearslater,themovewaseffortless.ImovedtheharddrivecablefromthePCtotheMacandwasbackinbusinesswithLightroomforMac.Ididn’tevenneedtopurchaseanewlicense.

Newuserstodayhaveachoicetopurchasethestand-aloneversionofLightroomorsubscribeviatheAdobeCreativeCloudservice.Thereareadvantagestoeachchoice,andyouwillprobablywanttogowiththeoptionthatsuitsyourbudgetandneeds.ThemainadvantagestotheCreativeCloudsubscriptionareautomaticupdatesandaccesstothenewmobilesyncingservice.Ifyoudon’tneedorwanteitherofthesefeatures,youmaybebetteroffpurchasingLightroomandmanagingyourownupgrades.

AdobeLightroomisagoodchoiceforsomeonewithalargeandgrowingimagecollectionwhowantsbatchnaming,custommetadata,presets,exportoptions,collections,keywordhierarchy,andplug-ins.Lightroomuserscanbenefitfromtappingtheknowledgeofmanyprofessionalphotographerswhoshareworkflows,tips,andtechniquesinworkshops,webinars,blogs,andbooksaboutusingthesoftware.Andofcourse,Lightroomoffersnondestructiveediting.Aswithanyprofessional-levelsoftware,however,expecttospendtimelearningtousethispowerfulprogram.

AdobeLightroomPhoto-EditingExample

Here’sanexampleofhownondestructiveeditingworksinAdobeLightroomsoftware:

1. TheoriginalimageinLightroomshowsaphotoalbumpagewiththreevintagephotos.

2. Afterselectingandcroppingaphotofromthealbumpage,theeditedimageinLightroomshowsthefinalcroppedimage.

3. Tousethecroppedphotoinaproject,IexportedtheimageinJPGformattomycomputerharddrive.Theimagefileontheharddriveshowsthenewcroppedphotoreadyformyproject.

4. TheoriginaluncroppedphotoremainsuntouchedinthePHOTOLIBRARYfolder(theMasterStorageLocation)whereitisaccessedbyLightroom.

Picasa

ManyuserslikePicasabecauseitisafreedesktopprogramthatworksoneitherMacorWindowscomputers,andphotosareeasilyaccessibleonlinefrommultipledeviceswhenteamedwithGoogle+Photos.Forfreesoftware,Picasaissurprisinglyrobustandfull-featured.Itdoesn’thaveasmanybatchoptionsasAdobeLightroomdoes,butitcaneasilymanagefileconversions,renaming,andmostorganizationaltasks.

TheGoogle+Photosonlinephotospaceofferssharinganduploadingfeatures,aswellasanewstoriesfeature.Ifyouchoosetousetheseoptions,taketimetoreadtheprivacypoliciesandsettingstokeepyourimagesatthelevelofpersonalprivacyyouprefer.

AdobePhotoshopElements

Strictlyspeaking,AdobePhotoshopElementsisnotanondestructiveeditorlikeLightroomandPicasa.IfyouopenafileinPhotoshopElements,andthencrop,edit,andsaveit,thesavedfilewillrewritetheoriginalandyoucan’tgobacktotheoriginal.However,usinglayersintheeditingmode,youcanmakesuccessivechangesandreverttotheoriginalatanytime.Andifyouworkonaduplicatefile,youwillalsobesavingapristinearchivalcopy.

AdobePhotoshopElementsissometimesconsideredthe“littlebrother”ofAdobePhotoshopandAdobeLightroom.TheOrganizermodeinAdobePhotoshopElementsofferstags,keywords,andeasyorganizationsimilartofeaturesinLightroom.TheEditormodeoffersbasiceditingclosertothefullAdobePhotoshopversion.AdoberecognizesthatPhotoshopElementsusersmaywanttograduatetoamorefull-featuredproductastheybecomemoreexperiencedusersandoffersinstructionsformovingfromPhotoshopElementstoLightroom.

ManyphotographersuseLightroomforphotomanagementandbasicediting,butturntoPhotoshopElementsformorecomplexeditingtasksandworkinginlayers.PhotoshopElements’lowcostanduser-friendlytoolsmakeitanattractivechoiceforgenealogists

whoneedphotosoftwareforoccasionalphotorestorationworkanddon’tneedthefullversionofPhotoshop.

ApplePhotoManagement

TheAppleiPhoneandiPadareamongthemostpopularmobiledevicesworldwide.Theintegratedcamerascapturehigh-qualityimages,andthousandsofphotoappsbringcreativepossibilitiestoanyfamilyphotographer.Thechallenge,ofcourse,istomakethoseimagesaccessibleanywhere,onanydevice.Apple’slatestYosemiteoperatingsystemhaschangedthegameplanforphotoconnectivity.

TheformerCameraRollandPhotoStreamhavebeenreplacedbythenewAllPhotosalbumorganizedinonelibraryandstoredintheiCloudPhotoLibrary.Thisnewcloudlibrary,unlikePhotoStreamwiththeonethousandimageorthirty-daylimit,willstoreyourphotosaslongasyouhavespaceinyouriCloudstorageaccountandmaintainyouraccount.Allusersreceive5gigabytes(GB)offreestorage;monthlyandannualstorageplansofferadditionaliCloudstorage.

AppleaimstoprovideseamlessphotomanagementbetweenallyourmobiledevicesandyourWindowsorMaccomputerswiththeiCloudPhotoLibrary.Aswithanynewsoftware,keepcurrentwithiOSupdatesandmaintainyourownpersonalPhotoLibrarywithlocalcopiesofyouroriginalphotos.TheAppleiCloudmaybeagoodadditionalbackuptoyourphotocollection,butdon’tputallyourphotosinoneplaceandtrustthatitwillbe“goodenough.”

HerearesomeoftheexcitingnewfeaturesoftheiCloudecosystem.

Imageswillbeuploadedandstoredintheoriginalformat,includingJPG,RAW,PNG,GIF,TIFF,andMP4.Optimizedimageversionsarestoredonmobiledevicestosavedevicestoragespace.NewphotosandeditedversionsaresyncedacrossalldevicesandappearinMyPhotoStream,butoriginalversionsarealwaysavailableontheiCloud.Youcandirectlyupload,delete,ordownloadphotostoandfromtheiCloudPhotoLibrary.

ForthelatestinformationonApple’siCloudphoto-managementprogram,refertotheHelpsectionoftheAppleiCloudwebsite<www.icloud.com>.

HOWWILLYOUMANAGEYOURIMAGES?

IhopeI’veconvincedyoubynowofthemanybenefitsofusingdedicatedphoto-managementsoftwaresuchasPicasaorAdobeLightroom.Youwon’tgowrongwithanyoftheprogramsdiscussedinthischapter.IuseAdobeLightroomtomanagemyimagecollection,butIexportimagestoAdobePhotoshopElementstouseitsmanyeditingfeatures.

OrganizingyourPhotoLibraryisanongoingtask.Aslongasyouaddnewphotosandimages,you’llneedtoregularlyimport,tag,backup,andarchivethosefilestoyourphotocollection.Youcanresearchphoto-organizationmethodsforeverinsearchofa“perfect”system,butthebestsystemisundoubtedlytheoneyoucrafttosuityourownneedsandworkstyle.Don’tdelayorganizingyourphotosanylonger.Startsimply,goingforwardwithnewimages.I’llgiveyousometipsforbringinginyourolddigitalimagesinPart2.

WhenyoufirststartorganizingyourPhotoLibrary,yourworkflowwillfeelawkward,andsomeaspectswillneedtobetweaked.Don’tgiveup.Agooddigitalphotoworkflowgrowsandevolvesovertimeuntilonedayyourealize,“Hey,thisworksforme!”

Viewatextversionofthistable

Viewatextversionofthistable

4OnlinePhotoServices

Afewyearsago,modestbandwidthspeedsandpriceysubscriptionserviceslimitedonlinephoto-storageoptionsformostphotographers.Todaywehavethespeedweneed,andservicesareinhotcompetitionforourbusiness,butnewconcernsoversecurityandprivacymakemanypeoplehesitanttocommittheirpreciousphototreasurestothecloud.Alltoooftenourpersonaltug-of-warbetweenconvenienceandcautioncanfreezeusfrominvestigatingouroptionsandmovingforwardtoaddcloudstoragetoourphoto-organizationand-storagetoolkit.Meanwhile,photoscontinuetoaccumulateonourmobiledevicesandstoragecards,makingithardertotakecontrolofourphotoconfusion.

Technologyisconstantlychanging.It’safactthatwithinmonths,thenewest,fastestsmartphoneyoupurchasetodaywillbesupplantedquicklybyanewer,fastermodel.Photo-managementsolutionsfacesimilarchallenges.DoyourememberKodakGalleryorApple’sMobileMe?WhocouldhaveforeseenthatKodakwouldabandonitsgalleryandmoveuserstorivalShutterfly?OrthatApplewouldreplaceMobileMewithanonlinesystemcallediCloud?

Thischapterexplorestheessentialfeaturesoffourtypesofphotoservicesusefulforfamilyphotographersandgenealogists:photosharing,shopping,publishing,andstorageservices.You’llfindhelpfulscreenshotstogiveyouasnapshotoftheuserexperienceandstep-by-stepinstructionstoguideyourfirstentrytothesites.Attheendofthechapter,acomprehensivechartpullstogetherhighlightsofeachwebsite.Becausetechnologychangesrapidly,thefeaturesandservicesonthewebsitesmentionedherecanchangeovernight,andyoumayfindnewoptionswhenyouexplorethesites.

FREEORPAIDSERVICES?

Althoughmostphoto-sharingwebsitesoffersomelevelofphotostorage,theiroverallfocusoftenincludesabusinessfor-profitmodelasabackbone.ManyservicessuchasFlickrandGoogle+offerfreeonlinesharingandstoragewithanoptiontopayforextrastoragespaceoranad-freeuserexperience.

Subscriptionpricingisnotnecessarilyabadthing.Inexchangeforpayment,youoftenreceiveahigherlevelofserviceandcustomerconfidence.

Userswhobecomeheavilyinvestedinafreeservicealsoriskbeingheldhostageifthewebsiteshiftstoapaid-subscriptionmodel.Ifit’sdifficultorexpensivetoremoveyourcontent,youmayloseyearsofphotosandhoursoforganizingandtagging.Beforesigningupforanyfreeorpaidonlinesharingorstorageservice,alwaysaskyourselfhowacompanykeepsthelightsonandhowyouwillextractyourcontentiftermsofservicechange(orifthewebsitegoesoutofbusiness).

PHOTO-SHARINGSERVICES

Onlinephoto-sharingservicestypicallymakeiteasyforyoutouploadyourphotosinonecentralonlinelocation,butitcanbedifficulttoextractimagesifyouneedtorestorealostordamagedcollection.Youmaybeableonlytodownloadphotosindividually,byalbum,orbydate,andphotosmaynotbestoredattheoriginalfull-resolution.ButtheseservicesareadequateformanyfamilyphotographerswhoshootJPGimagesandwanttheeasiestphoto-managementtoolpossibletogathertheirimagesinonecentrallocation.

Somepopularphoto-sharingservices:

EyefiCloud<www.eyefi.com>Facebook<www.facebook.com>Flickr<www.flickr.com>Google+Photos<plus.google.com/photos>Instagram<www.instagram.com>Photobucket<www.photobucket.com>Pinterest<www.pinterest.com>SmugMug<www.smugmug.com>ThisLife<www.thislife.com>

LongtimefavoritesFlickrandGoogle+Photosoffergenerousstorageatnocost,reasonablypricedsubscriptionplansforadditionalstorage,andmanyfeatures.Somephoto-sharingservicessuchasThisLifebyShutterflyortheEyefiCloudcombinebackupsolutionswithfilesynchronization.SocialmediasitessuchasFacebook,Instagram,andPinterest,andpopularphotoportfoliositessuchasPhotobucketandSmugMugfallintothephoto-sharingcategoryaswell.

Onphoto-sharingwebsites,don’tassumeyourimageswillbestoredinfull-resolutionorthatyoucandownloadphotoalbumsandcollectionsineasybatchoperations.Thinkoftheseservicesasphotogalleriesoronlineexhibitspacesforyourphotos.Photo-sharingservicesemphasizefeaturesthatmakeiteasyforyoutoupload,organize,andshareyour

imagesacrossdevicesorwithotherusers.Let’stakeacloserlookateachofthepopularphoto-sharingservicesmentionedabove.

EyefiCloud

TheEyefiCloudphotoserviceincludessomeorganizingfeaturestomovephotosintoalbums,butnoeditingortaggingfeatures.Downloadingandsharingislimitedtoindividualphotosandbatchselectionbydate.Overall,theEyefiCloudisusefulforsharingimagesorforimagebackupwhiletraveling,butmaybecumbersomeforpracticaluseascloudstoragebecauseoflimiteddownloadingoptions.

Facebook

ManyFacebookusersuploadphotosfrequentlytothissocialmediasitewiththeideathatFacebookissafelystoringalloftheirimagesandthattheycanretrievetheimagesatanytime.Yes,thephotosarestoredonFacebook,buttheyaredownsizedtoalowerWeb-viewingresolution.Whendownloadedforprinting,youmaybesurprisedtodiscoverthatyourbeautifulhigh-resolutionphotosarenolongerprint-qualityforlargesizes.Inaddition,ifyouwanttodownloadyourimages,youmustdownloadthemindividually.

IfyouareaFacebookfan,youcanworkaroundtheselimitationsbyusingoneofthephoto-bookservicesthatoffersFacebookintegrationandFacebook-specificprinttemplates.Forexample,AdoramaPix,Blurb,Mixbook,andShutterflycanimportalbumsandphotosfromFacebookforprintinginasizeandstylesuitablefortheselower-resolutionimages.

FacebookIsNotaBackupService

That’sright.Facebook,aswellasInstagramandFlickr,arenotbackupservices.Theymayofferuniquewaystoshareandenjoyyourphotos,buttheywillnothelpyourecreateyourPhotoLibrarywhenyourharddrivecrashes.Andifyoufindalong-lostphotoonFacebookanddownloadtheimagetoyourcomputer,you’llfindthecrispfull-resolutionfilehasbeendownsizedtoamodestpixelcountbestusedon-screenormadeintoapocket-sizeprint.

Theoneessentialfeatureofanygoodbackupserviceisthatitmustbeaseasytogetyourphotosoutofthesystemasitistogetthemintoit.Mostphoto-sharing,shopping,andpublishingservicesarenotinthebusinessofsellingtwo-waystorage.

Flickr

Popularphoto-sharingsiteFlickrturnedtenyearsoldin2014andgifteduserswith1TBoffreestorage.Sowhywouldyoulookanywhereelseforfree,easy-to-use,sharablestorage?Ifyourphoto-storageneedsexceedthatgenerous1TB,thelow-costpaidsubscriptionplansstillmakeFlickrabargainforonlinephotosharing.

ProfessionalphotographersuseFlickrtoshowcasetheirworkandpromotesalesonothersites(Flickrdoesn’toffercommercialselling).PhotosfrompublicarchivessuchastheBritishLibraryandLibraryofCongresshighlightcollectionsinFlickr’sTheCommons<www.flickr.com/commons>.

ThefreeFlickrmobileappmakesiteasytoauto-syncallofyourphotosoruploadselectedimagesforbackingupandsharingviasocialmedia.

Flickrisarichsiteforphotoorganizationandsharing,butitdoesn’tofferbatchdownloadingofimages.Theonlywaytodownloadimagesatpresentisoneatatimewhenyouareviewingtheindividualphotoorwiththird-partysolutions.Inaddition,anyworkyoudoinorganizingandtaggingimagesexistsonlyinFlickr;youwillneedtorepeatthesametaskstocreatesimilaralbumsandcollectionsonyourdesktop.

Step-by-StepGuidetoFlickr

FlickrisownedbyYahoo!,soifyoualreadyhaveaYahoo!account,gettingstartedandregisteringwithFlickriseasy.

STEP1:LOGINTOFLICKR.LoginatFlickrusingyourYahoo!usernameandpassword,orcreateanewaccount,ifneeded.

STEP2:CUSTOMIZEYOURACCOUNTANDPRIVACYSETTINGS.Beforeyoustartuploadingphotos,it’simportanttoconfirmyourpersonalinformationandmakesurethatprivacyandsharingareappropriatelyset.Clickonyouraccountnameintheupperright-handcorner;selectSettings.TheAccountwindowoffersfourtabs:

PersonalInformation:Includesyourname,profilepicture,Yahoo!accountinformation,ande-mail.Privacy&Permissions:Manageglobalsettingsforwhocanview,edit,anddownloadyourimages;defaultsettingsfornewimages;andcontentfilters.Don’tworryifyou’reunsurehowtoadjustthesettingsforprivacy.TheoptionsareinplainEnglishwithaHelpbuttonnexttomanyitems.Youalsocansetsharingpermissionsindividually,byalbum,andbycollection.IliketosetglobalphotopermissionasprivateandthenextendviewingandsharingpermissionbyalbumusingtheBatchEditfeature.E-mails&Notifications:Setcontactinformationforuploadingcontentbye-mail.Sharing&Extending:ChooseoptionsforconnectingtoyourFacebook,Twitter,andothersocialmediaaccountsforautomaticorselectiveuploading.IliketokeepAutoUploadturnedoffandshareonlyselectedphotos.

STEP3:UPLOADPHOTOS.ClickonUploadintheFlickrmenubaratthetopofthepage.Anuploadwindowwillopen;dragphotosintotheuploaderandwaitforittofinish.

STEP4:ORGANIZEANDSHARE.FlickrletsyouorganizephotosinAlbumsandCollectionsandsharephotostopopularsocialmediasitessuchasFacebook,Twitter,andPinterest.

STEP5:BATCHEDIT.OpenanalbumandclicktheEditoptiontoaccesstheBatchEditfeature.Thisiswhereyoucanfixanincorrectdatecreatedbyyourcameraorquicklytagphotoswiththenamesofpeople,places,orevents.

STEP6:SETCREATIVECOMMONSCOPYRIGHTRESTRICTIONS(IFDESIRED).CreativeCommonslicensingprovidesawayforyoutograntorrestricttheuseofyourphotosbyothers,includingplacingyourimagesinthepublicdomainforeveryonetouse.LearnmoreaboutdifferentkindsofCreativeCommonslicensesat<www.creativecommons.org>.

Google+Photos

Google+hasabsorbedthefavoriteonlinephotositeformerlycalledPicasaWebAlbums.UsersofGoogle’ssuiteofservicesmaylikehavingtheirphotocollectionaccessiblewithGmailandotherGoogleapps.ChromebookuserscanaccesstheexclusiveGoogle+Photosappthatrunsofflineandmanagesallofyourphotos.TheGoogle+PhotosAutoBackupoptionalsocanautomaticallybackupphotosfromyourcomputerorAndroidoriOSmobilephoneortablet.

ThebestpartofGoogle+PhotosisallaboutPicasa.WhenteamedwiththefreedesktopphotoappPicasa,Google+Photosappearstobetheperfectphotosolution.Thebiggestcatchformanyusersisrelatedtosharingandpermissions.Forexample,toshareaphotobye-mailwithasinglefriend,youwillneedtodeselectthedefaultGoogle+tagstolimitwhoseesthatimage.Ifyou’reinahurry,youmayunintentionallyshareaphotoyou’dratherkeepprivate.

Ifyou’reaconfidentGoogle+user,you’llprobablyhavenotroubleworkingwithGoogle’staggingandlabelingsystem.JustkeepinmindthatGoogle+PhotospermissionswillreflectyourdefaultGoogle+settingsuntilremoved.

Google+PhotosisagreatoptionforsharingphotoswithGoogle+users,doingmobileuploadsandbackups,creatingvideo/photostories,andintegratingyouronlinephotoswiththedesktopversionofPicasa.KeywordsandtagsaddedinPicasaareembeddedinthephotoonexport.Google+Photos’maindrawbacksarethatitstrickypermissionlabelsmaycauseunintentionalphotosharing,andlimitedonlineeditingandorganizingmakesithardertomanagephotosawayfromhome.

Step-by-StepGuidetoGoogle+Photos

TomanageyourphotocollectionthroughGoogle+,followthesesteps.

STEP1:LOGINTOGOOGLE.SignintoyourGoogle+account,orcreateanewone,ifneeded.SelectPhotosfromthemenu.

STEP2:CUSTOMIZEPHOTOSETTINGS.UndertheGoogle+menu,selectSettingsandscrolldowntothePhotosandVideosoptions.Checkanyoptionsyouwouldlikeactivated,suchas

geolocationallowviewerstodownloadphotosandvideosfacialrecognitionandtaggingfullsize(turnonifyouwanttobackupyourphotos;youmayneedtobuymorestorage)showGoogleDrivephotosandvideosturnon/offAutoEnhanceturnon/offAutoAwesomeapprovephotostobeincludedinPhotosofYou

Google+PhotospermissionsislockedwithyourdefaultGoogle+permissions.WhenyouclickaSharebuttontoshareanindividualphotooralbum,thewindowwillbepopulatedwithyourcurrentdefaultchoicesforsharing.Ifyoudon’twanttosharethephotooralbumwiththesepeople,deselectthegrouporname.YoualsocansetprivacyandsharingfromwithinthePicasadesktopprogramusingtheoptionforTools(Windows)orPreferences(Mac).

STEP3:UPLOADPHOTOS.ClickonUploadPhotosinthePhotosmenubaratthetopofthepage.Anuploadwindowwillopen.Youcanchoosetoaddphotosfromyourcomputeroruseamobileapptoautomaticallytransferphotosfromyourphone.Toaddphotosfromyourcomputer,dragphotosintotheuploaderandwaitfortheuploadtofinish.

STEP4:CREATESTORIES.Google+PhotosoffersauniqueStoryoptionthatmeshesvideosandpicturesintoashareablephotostory.

STEP5:ORGANIZEANDEDIT.Google+PhotosallowsbasicorganizingintoAlbumsandface-tagging.OtherfunctionscanbeperformedinthedesktopPicasaapplication.

Instagram

SmartphonephotographersloveInstagramforfast,funphotosharing,butyoumayfindyourselfwithyourbestphotosonlineandnoeasywaytodownloadyourowncopies.ThesimplestwaytoretainsomecontrolofyourphotosistoactivateInstagram’ssettingto

SaveOriginalPhotostoyoursmartphonePhotoGalleryorCameraRoll.You’llfindthisoptionunderSettings.

IfyouwanttodownloadInstagramphotosdirectlytoyourcomputer,checkoutthird-partysolutionssuchasInstaport<www.instaport.me>.IfyouwanttoarchiveyourInstagramlifeinaphotobook,useimporttoolsonphoto-booksitessuchasAdoramaPix,Blurb,andShutterfly.

Photobucket

Bothamateurandprofessionalphotographersarefansofonlinephoto-sharingsitePhotobucket,whereuserscansellprintsandotherphotoproductsmadefromtheirwork.Photobucketofferseasycomputerandmobileuploads,full-sizestorageofimages,storageofvideos(lessthantenminutes),andeasyfull-resolutiondownloads.Youalsocandownloadimagesindividuallyordownloadallimagesinanalbum.Thisfeatureisavailableforyourownphotosandphotossharedpubliclybyotherusers.Ifyoudon’twantotherstodownloadyourphotos,markyouralbumsPrivatetorestrictthisoption.

Photobucketoffersalimitedamountoffreestoragespaceandlinkingtoblogsandwebsites.Paidsubscriptionaccountsaddunmeteredbandwidth,extrastorage,andad-freeuse.

Pinterest

HaveyoueverthoughtaboutusingthepopularimageandideasharingsitePinterestasasharingsiteforyourpersonalorgenealogyphotos?Youwon’tfindphoto-editingorextensiveorganizingfeatures,butPinterestcan’tbeignoredforaudienceexposure.

UsePinteresttolinkimagesonyourblogoryourotherphoto-sharingsites.UsestrategictagsanddescriptivetermstohelpotherPinterestusersfindyourunidentifiedSmithFamilycousins,andyoumayfindyourselfaddinganewname,oranewbranch,toyourfamilytree.

Pinterestworksbestwithshortdescriptionsandmeaningfulphototitles.Besuretoincludealinkbacktoyourblogorphotosite,andaddyourcontactinformationonyourPinterestprofilesopeoplecancontactyou.

SmugMug

BeautifulWebgalleries,onlinesales,editing,tagging,andfull-resolutionimagestoragecombinetomakeSmugMugafavoriteamongphotographers,bloggers,andvisualartists.

Thisphoto-sharingsiteoffersmobile-friendlyWebgallerytemplatesthatrivalmanyphotoportfoliositesanduniqueeditingfeaturesforeasy,funphotoadjustments.

YoucansendyourphototothePicMonkey<www.picmonkey.com>freeonlineeditorformoreeditingoptions,orselectandprintMoobusinesscards,Blurbbooks,andothermerchandisewithSmugMug’sshoppingoptions.Browsepublicgalleriespostedbyotherusers,andorderprints,cards,andproductsfeaturingfavoriteimages.

SmugMugoffersfoursubscriptionplansfromBasictoBusiness.Photosandalbumsareeasilymarkedforprivateorpublicviewing,andyoucanshareimagesonFacebook,Twitter,andGoogle+,viae-mail,andotherways.CheckoutSmugMug’sfreetrialtoseeiftheserviceworksforyourphotoneeds.

ThisLife

ThisLifebyShutterflyoffersasimplesolutiontocollectallyourphotosatoneonlinestoragesite.WhileShutterflyoffersunlimitedphotostoragetoo,ThisLifeallowsyoutoautomaticallyuploadimagesfrommobiledevices,cameras,andcomputers,andpullinimagesfromotherWebservicesincludingFacebook,Instagram,Flickr,andGoogle+Photos.BecauseThisLifeispartoftheShutterflyfamilyofphotoservices,youonlyneedoneaccounttologintobothservices.

ThisLife’sfreeplancurrentlyhoststhousandsofphotos,butnovideos;paidsubscriptionplansofferincreasedstoragespaceforphotosandvideos.Forthefamilythatshootsandsaves250JPGphotospermonth,ThisLife’scurrentlowest-costsubscriptionplanwouldholdabouteightyearsofphotos;addvideoandyou’llreachthestoragespacelimitmuchfaster.Youcanaddmorestorageatanadditionalcost.

ThisLifeisparticularlygoodforphotosharing,mobileuploads,collectingphotosfromsocialmediasites,andcreatingstories,books,andotherprojectswithShutterflyservices.Bestofall,yourphotosareneverheldhostagebyThisLife;theDesktopDownloaderaccessedthroughtheHelpmenuallowseasydownloadingoffull-sizeimages.

Step-by-StepGuidetoThisLife

STEP1:LOGINTOTHISLIFE.LogintoShutterflyandthenselectThisLife,orcreateanewaccountwithThisLife<www.thislife.com>andselectaFreeorPaidaccount.You’llseeanoptiontolinktosocialaccounts;skipthisfornow.

STEP2:CUSTOMIZEACCOUNTANDPRIVACYSETTINGS.ClicktheGeariconintheupperrightcornerandselectSettingstocustomizeyouraccountinformationandsharesettings.ThisLifeistotallyprivate;youneedtoactivelysharephotosandalbumsforotherstoviewyourphotos.

STEP3:UPLOADPHOTOS.TherearefourwaystoimportphotostoThisLife.ClicktheAddbuttoninthemenubartoopenthePhotoUploadwindow.

Touploadfromyourcomputer:ClickChooseFilestoaddphotosfromyourcomputer,andbrowsetoselectthefolderandfilestoimport.Touploadfromthedesktopuploader:ClicktheGetDesktopUploaderbuttonandinstalltheapplicationonyourcomputer.FollowthepromptstosetuptheDesktopInstallertoAutoImportphotosfromspecificfoldersonyourcomputer.Touploadfromsocialmediawebsites:NotetheimportbuttonsacrossthetopoftheuploaderwindowandselectFacebook,Shutterfly,Flickr,Picasa,Instagram,orSmugMug.Touploadfromyoursmartphoneortablet:ClicktheGetMobileAppbuttontosendalinktoyoursmartphonefordownloadingtheAndroidoriOSmobileapp.YoucansettheAutoUploadfeatureonyourmobiledevicestoimportanyphotosyoutakeonyoursmartphoneandcameradirectlytoThisLife.

TIPThisLifeHelp

Ifyouneedhelporwanttoknowmoreaboutaparticularbutton,clickthequestionmarkiconinthebottomrightcornertoviewtheHelpmenu.

STEP4:ORGANIZEANDEDITIMAGES.PhotosareorganizedbydateastheyareimportedtoThisLife.Viewphotosbyday,month,oryear.Selectandclickonaphototobringupthefulleditingmenu.Usethetoolsalongthebottomofthewindowtoaddratings,addtoastory,share,hide,playslideshow,add/removetags,add/play/deleteaudio,rotate,crop,download,anddelete.

STEP5:SHARE.Toshareimages,clickindividualphotosoratimelinedateandthenclickSharetoselectE-mail,Link,ShareSites,Facebook,Twitter,orTumblr.

STEP6:CREATE.SelectafewphotosandclickCreatetoopenthephotoprojectwindowforoptionstoturnyourphotosintophotobooks,cards,calendars,andotherShutterflyproducts.

PHOTO-SHOPPINGSERVICES

WebsitessuchasShutterflyandSnapfishhopetomeetyourphoto-storageneedsandcaptureyourphotobook,calendar,andcardbusiness.ManyretailersincludingWalgreens<www.walgreens.com>,Costco<www.costco.com>,andWalmart<www.walmart.com>havepartnershipswithphoto-sharingsitesandofferspecialpricing,in-storepickup,andotherfeaturestoattractyourbusiness.Anyphotosharingisusuallydonebehindaregistrationwalltohelpmaintainprivacyandpermissions,agoodfeatureforfamiliesandgroups.

Photouploadingandstorageisanecessarystepforcraftingcalendars,cards,mugs,books,andotherphotogifts.Shoppingservicesknowthatifyourpicturesareconvenientlystashedontheirservers,youaremorelikelytocreateandpurchaseitemswiththeirtools.Thedownsideisthatthesesitescanchangethetermsoftheirfreestorageatanytime,leavingyouwithalargecollectionofimagesstuckonthecompany’sWebspace(orintheworst-casescenario,deletedduetoinactivity).Thinkofthesewebsitesasphotoshoppingmallsofferingone-stopshoppingforallyourphotoneeds.It’sgreatiftheyofferwhatyouwant,butkeepshoppingifyouneedsomethingdifferent.

Afewpopularphoto-shoppingservices:

AdoramaPix<www.adoramapix.com>Shutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>Snapfish<www.snapfish.com>

AdoramaPix

AdoramaPixbooksareafavoritewithmanyscrapbookerswhoenjoythelargeselectionofbooklayouts,stickers,andphoto-editingfeatures.Threecoverstylesareoffered:hardcover,leatherlux,andleather.Allprintingisonarchival-qualitysilverhalidephotopaper.Lay-flatstylebooksareofferedinHudsonAlbumswithtrueflush-mountspreadsandthickpagesavailablewithgildededgesinportrait,square,andlandscapeorientation.

OtherstandoutproductsatAdoramaPixincludemetalprints,customizablecalendars,andcanvaswrapprints.AdoramaPixisuniqueinfeaturingcalendardesignsasstickersorembellishments,whichopensoptionsforcreatingcustomcalendarphotobooks,singleprints,orposters.

AdoramaPixisapartnersitewithAdoramacamerastore<www.adorama.com>,whichofferscameragearforsaleandphotographytutorials.IfyouliveneartheNewYorkCitystore,youmaywanttosaveshippingchargesbypickingupyourorderinthestore.

NewuserswillwanttocheckouttheAdoramaPixYouTubeChannel<www.youtube.com/user/adoramapix>forworkshopsandtutorials.TheAdoramaPixonlineHelpsectionofferslimitedhoursofassistanceandisnotaseasytouseassomeothersites,sothissitemightnotbethebestchoiceifyou’reanewuserandneedtodesignsomethingfast.

Overall,AdoramaPixisgoodfor

metal,canvas,andacrylicprints.archival-qualityphotobooks.spiral-boundcustomizablecalendars.panorama-sizebooks.monthlycalendarprojects.movablecalendarstickers.

GenealogistsoftenlikeAdoramaPixforcreatingfamilyheritagethemebooks,usingfull-pagephotosonprojects,andcreatingcustomizedcalendars.

Shutterfly

Foundedin1999,ShutterflyisalongtimefavoritephotositethathasexpandeditsbrandtoincludeTinyPrints,WeddingPaperDivas,ThisLife,andMyPublisher.YoucanfindalmostanyphotoproductimaginableatShutterflyoroneofitspartnersites.

I’mabigfanofShutterfly’sfreeprivateShareSites,acustomizableWebpagewherefamiliesandgroupscancreateasecureonlinespacetosharephotoalbums,news,andevents.

Shutterfly’sgenerousfree,unlimited,andsecurephotostoragepromiseto“neverdeleteyourphotos”makesthissitepopularwithbusyphotoloverslookingforaone-stopshopping,storage,andsharingsolution.Userswhowantmorestoragefeaturescan

subscribetoThisLife,whichsupportsfull-resolutionimages,facialrecognition,imageduplicationprevention,andaccountsharing.

Overall,Shutterflyisgoodfor

privatephotosharingwithfriends,family,andgroups.mobileuploadsandbackups.easyprojectcreationandprintordering.storingandusinghigh-resolutionimagesforpostersandbigprints.downloadingprint-qualityphotosindividually.orderingfull-resolutionimagesonanarchivalDVD.

GenealogistsoftenlikeShutterflyforitsprivatephotosharing,archivalDVDservice,affordablefamilyhistorybooks,andlocalpickupofprintsandprojects.

Snapfish

Snapfishisafull-featuredphoto-sharingandprojectcreationservicewithfreeunlimitedhigh-resolutionphotostorage(aslongasyoumakeatleastonepurchaseeveryyear),socialmediasharing,anddiscountpartnershipswithCostco,Walgreens,andWalmart.NowownedbyHewlett-Packard,Snapfishisalsooneofthefewservicestoofferprint-at-homefeaturesformanyprojects.Moreimportant,youruploadedphotosarenot“stuck”inSnapfishforever.Youcandownloaduptofiftyphotosatonetime,makingthissiteagoodbridgeforsharingimages.

Snapfishdoesagoodjobbalancingprivacy,easeofuse,andfeatures.ThewebsitemightlookabitdatedcomparedtoShutterflyorFlickr,butintuitivemenuoptionsandtutorialvideosthatguidenewusersthroughbasicfunctionstomakethesiteeasytouse.

Snapfishisagoodsitefor

privatephotosharingwithfriends,family,andgroups.mobileuploadsandbackups.easyprojectcreationandprintordering.storingandusinghigh-resolutionimagesforpostersandbigprints.downloadinguptofiftyphotosatonetime.

GenealogistsoftenlikeSnapfishforitsfamilyhistorythemephotoprojects,printableproducts,affordableproductpricing,anditslocalin-storepickupservices.Snapfishalsooffersstep-by-stepuserguides,whichisabonusifyouhaven’tusedanonlinephotoservicebefore.

Step-by-StepGuidetoSnapfish

STEP1:OPENANACCOUNT.SettingupaSnapfishaccountisrelativelyeasy.Thedefaultprivacysettingsarefineformostusers;youwon’tneedtochangeanythingunlessyouwanttosetupsharegroups.AccessyourphotosandalbumsintheWelcomemenuorcreateprojectsintheShopmenu.

STEP2:UPLOADPHOTOS.Touploadphotos,clicktheUploadbuttonintheWelcomemenuandselectUploadFromComputer,ImportFromFacebook,orImportFromFlickr.

STEP3:SHAREAFTERUPLOADING.Snapfishmakesiteasytoshareafteruploading.Checkyourcontactsandgroups,oraddnewe-mailstosharenewuploads.

STEP4:ORGANIZE,EDIT,ANDCREATE.Selectanalbumtoviewphotos;selectindividualphotostoShare,Print,orCreateProjects.ClicktheEditOptionsonthefarrighttoopen

theEditmenutorotate,addtags,rate,caption,copy/moveimages,delete,ordownload.

OtherOptionsforSpecialtyPhotoProducts

YoumaywanttocreatecustomphotoT-shirtsforafamilyreunionandinviterelativestopurchasetheirfavoritecolorandsizeonline.Zazzle<www.zazzle.com>andCafePress<www.cafepress.com>offersmall-quantityprintingandaffordablepricingforT-shirts,babyonesies,aprons,totes,hats,andotherproducts.Addyourcustomitemtoapersonalstore,andyourfamilycanbuyasmanyitemsastheywishandhavethemshippeddirectlytotheirhomeaddress.

ProfessionalphotographersturntoMyPhotoPipe<www.myphotopipe.com>forqualitycustomprintingofwrapcanvas,panoramicprints,andgallery-styleprints.Vistaprint<www.vistaprint.com>isanotheronlinecompanyworthcheckingoutforquantityprintprojects.Craftersanddesignersenjoycreatingcustom-designedfabricusingphotosandotherartworkwithSpoonflower<www.spoonflower.com>.

PHOTO-BOOKPUBLISHINGSERVICES

Photo-bookbuildingsitesfocusalmostexclusivelyonprovidingspecialtybooksandproductssuchasbooks,calendars,andcards.Thesearethesitestousewhenyou’relookingforuniquedesignthemesandpublishingfeatures,butyouwon’tfindfamilywebsites,freemassphotostorage,orpublicphotogalleries.Inmostcases,you’llwanttouploadfull-resolutionphotosforaspecificprojectinsteadofusingthewebsitetostoreyourgrowingpersonalphotocollection.Storagespaceonthesewebsitesisoftenlimitedtoactiveaccountsandprojects.

Popularphoto-bookpublishingservices:

Blurb<www.blurb.com>Lulu<www.lulu.com>

Mixbook<www.mixbook.com>MyPublisher<www.mypublisher.com>

Blurb

Blurbisaparadisefortotalphoto-bookcontrol.Ifyoufeelconstrainedbyclunkydesignsoftwareorlimiteddesignthemesandtemplates,youmightliketoexplorethedifferentbook-buildingoptionsofBlurb.

Bookifyofferseasyonlinebookbuildinginfivesizes,from7x7-inchto12x12-inchsquarebooks.It’sagoodfitforbooksmadewithphotosimportedfromFacebookorInstagram,orforquickphoto-bookprojects.BookSmartisfreedownloadablesoftwarethatallowsyoutoworkonyourbookonlineoroffline.Morefeaturesandtemplatesincludenotebooks,photobooks,text-onlybooks,andplanners.BookWrightistheperfecttoolforcreatingprintande-bookversionswithbuilt-indesignertemplates.Thesoftwaredownloadisfreeandletsyouworkonlineoroffline.

TIPPhotoEditingwithPicMonkey

Familyphotosshouldbefun.AndthePicMonkeyonlinephotoeditorisallabouteasy,funphotocreations.Thisfreeonlinetooloffersfilters,templates,fonts,editingtools,andprofessionallydesignedthemetemplatestomakeyourphotoslooktheirbest.

BloggersandPinterestfansusePicMonkeytomakequickimagebadgeswithtitlesandwebaddresses.Familyphotographerswillfindawideselectionofeasytoolstoadjustandtweakimagesforcards,photobooks,andotherprojects.

Togetstarted,gotoPicMonkeyandselectEdit,TouchUp,Design,orCollage.Adropdownmenuwillguideyouinselectingthephotoyouwanttoworkwith.Youcanuseanimagefromyourcomputer,Facebook,OneDrive,Dropbox,orFlickraccounts.IfyouwanttosaveimagestoPicMonkey,you’llneedtoregisterforanaccountandsignin.Afreeaccountgivesaccesstoplentyoffeaturesformostusers.Ifyouwantmore,considerpurchasingasubscription.

MoredesigncontrolisavailablewithBlurb’sAdobeInDesignplugin,amoduleforAdobeLightroom,anditsPDFtoBooktool.

Plus,ifyouwanttogomobile,BlurbofferstheBlurbiOSmobileappsoyoucancreate,share,andprintstoriesfromyouriPhoneoriPad.SamsungGalaxyuserscanaccessBlurb’sbooktoolsfromthebuilt-inStoryAlbumapp.

Blurbdoesn’tofferextensivephoto-editingtoolssuchasspecial-effectsfilters,stickers,orembellishments;nordoesBlurbstressphotostorageandsharing.Instead,Blurbfocusesoncustombookdesign.VolumepricingmakesBlurbagoodchoiceforprintinglargerquantities,andtheDirectSellprogramcanhandlesalesanddistributionforsellingyourbooksonline.

Overall,Blurbisgoodfor

customtextandphotobooks.volumepricing.onlineselling.havingawiderangeofsizesformanydifferentprojects.

GenealogistsoftenlikeBlurbforcreatingfamilyhistorybooks,volumepricing,andproducinge-bookeditions.Itsonlinesalesservicesaregoodfordistributingbookstofamilyandfriends.

Lulu

Authorswhowantmaximumcontrolovertheirprintedbook,fromdesigntosalesandmarketing,appreciatethehigh-qualityservicesofferedbyself-publisherLulu.Ifyou’reagenealogistwhowantstopublishalimited-editionfamilyhistorybook,Lulumayofferexactlythekindoffeaturesyouneed.

Helpfultutorialsanduserforumsofferideasandadviceforcreatingphotoandtraditionaltext-onlybooks,e-books,andcalendars.Afteryourbookiscomplete,Luluwillhelpyoumarketandsellyourbookthroughindividualonlineordersandgiveyouvolumediscountstosellatfamilyreunionsorgenealogicalsocietymeetings.

Mixbook

Mixbookspecializesindesigner-themephotobooks,cards,andcalendars.ItsmobilepartnerMosaic<www.heymosaic.com>createstwenty-pagebooksinminutesanddeliversthemtoyourhandsinfourdays.Onyourcomputer,Mixbook’sMontage<www.montagebook.com>serviceallowsyoutocreatealarger,lay-flatphotobookonline.

EverypageofeveryprojectiscompletelycustomizableatMixbook.Youcanmixandmatchdesignthemestocreateauniquebook.Youcanevenchangethenumberofphotosdisplayedonaholidaygreetingcard.Familyhistorianslovethebeautifulpedigreechartsandtributedesignsthatcanbeaddedtoanyphoto-bookstyle.GenealogistsalsolikeMixbookforitscollaborationtoolsanditsAutoFillfeature,whichhelpsspeedphotoimporting.

Overall,Mixbookisgoodfor

uploadingphotosfromsocialmediaandphoto-sharingsites.completecustomization.full-bleedandtwo-pagephotospreads.lay-flatbookoptions.collaboration.fun,fastmobilebookappMosaic.

Mixbookisnotaphoto-storagesite,soyouneedtouploadphotosasneededforaproject.

MyPublisher

NowasubsidiaryofShutterfly,MyPublisheroffersdownloadablebook-makingsoftwareforMacandWindowsplatforms,soyoucanworkonyourbookonyourcomputerwheneveryouwish—youdon’thavetobeonlinetocreateyourbook.Ifyouwanttocraftabookfromyourmobiledevice,MyPublisherofferstheKeepShotapp<www.keepshot.com>.

MyPublisherfocusesonuniquefinishingoptionssuchassuper-glossprinting,lay-flatpages,endpapers,slipcases,andbookboxestomakeyourphotobookatrulyspecialproduct.Booksizesstartatthe3.5x2.75-inchMiniBookandgouptothe15x11.5-inchDeluxeHardcover.Agalleryofinspirational“justpublished”booksispackedwithideasforyournextproject.

MyPublisherisespeciallygoodfor

designingbooksoffline.completecustomization.full-bleedandtwo-pagephotospreads.lay-flatbooks.uniquebooksizes.

GenealogistslikeMyPublisherforitspresentationboxes,slipcovers,anduniquecovers,aswellasforitscomputer-baseddesignsoftware.ThesitealsohasStorytellerandVintagedesignthemesforfamilyhistories.

PHOTO-STORAGESERVICES

Truecloudstorageservicesareinbusinesstosellonething:onlinestorage.Servicesmayalsoofferdifferentfeaturestosetthemapartfromthecompetitionandattractyourbusiness.Forexample,thefilestorageandsynchronizationserviceDropboxisdifferentfromanonlinebackupservicelikeBackblaze,althoughbothstoreacopyofyourdataonthecloud.

Storageandsynchronizationservicesmaykeepdeletedfilesforalimitedtimeonly,oftenthirtydays.Youmayhavedifficultyrestoringfileswhenthattimeexpires.Backupservicesfocusonlong-termpreservationoffilesandmaybeabetterchoiceforarchivingimages.

Popularstorageandsynchronizationservices:

AppleiCloud<www.apple.com/icloud>Dropbox<www.dropbox.com>GoogleDrive<www.drive.google.com>MicrosoftOneDrive<www.onedrive.live.com>ThisLife<www.thislife.com>

Popularonlinebackupservices:

AmazonCloudDrive<www.amazon.com/clouddrive>Backblaze<www.backblaze.com>Carbonite<www.carbonite.com>CrashPlan<www.crashplan.com>Mozy<www.mozy.com>

TheSync-and-StoreSolution

Cloudstorageisdesignedtoprovideasafehavenforyourdata.Youcanuploadfilesfromyourmobiledeviceorcomputertoanotherspace(orfileserver)wheretheycanbeaccessedbytheoriginaluploadingdeviceorbyothersynceddevices.Synchronizationkeepsfilesandimagesupdatedandaccessiblefrommultipledevices.Forexample,ifyoucropandenhanceaphotoonyourcomputerandsaveittoacloudstorageservice,theeditedversionwillappearwhenyouopenitonyouriPadorcomputer.Thisisarealassetifyouworkononecomputeratworkorschoolandanotherathome,orifyouneedtoaccessfilesfrommultiplemobiledevices.

Whetheryouneedtosafeguardlastweek’sfamilysmartphonesnapshotsorlastcentury’sheirloomphotos,thebestcloudstoragesolutionsshouldbeeasy,automatic,andaffordable.Acloudsync-and-storestrategycantemporarilysafeguardyourmobilephotosuntilyouhavetimetomovethemintoapermanentlocationinyourPhotoLibrary.Inaddition,somepeoplemaychoosetousecloudstorageastheiroff-sitebackupsolutionaspartofa3-2-1Backupstrategy(seeChapter1)fortheirentirephotocollection.

Iheldofffromaddingcloudsyncsoftwaretomyphotoorganizationandarchivingworkflowuntilmysistertoldmeaboutallthephotosshelostwhilemigratingfromoldstoragetonewermedia.She“thought”everythinghadtransferredanddidn’tdiscoverthatsomethinghadfaileduntilaftersheerasedtheoriginals.Nowthebestcopiesavailablearelower-resolutionfilespostedtoFacebookorInstagram,oronesshehade-mailedtofamily

andfriends.SheisthemostorganizedpersonIknow,soIfigureifshesignedupforcloudsync,itmustbeagoodthing.

Someofthemanyadvantagesofcloudstorageinclude

automaticuploadingfromalldevicestoonelocation.peaceofmindincaseofdisaster,theft,orcomputercrashthatyouhaveacopyofimagesfrommobiledevices.remoteaccessfromothercomputersanddevices.

Viewatextversionofthistable

Beginyoursearchforacloudstoragesolutioninyourowntechtoolbox.Lookcarefullyatanyserviceyouarealreadyusing,suchasAppleiCloud,Dropbox,GoogleDrive,orMicrosoftOneDrive.Ifyouwanttomanageandedityourphotosonline,you’llwantaservicethatoffersalbums,collections,andextensiveeditingtools,suchasApple’siCloudorGoogleDrive.Ifyouplantodomostphotoeditingandorganizingusingaphoto-managementprogramonyourcomputer,you’llhavemoreoptionsinselectingasync-and-storeservice.

Essentialfeaturestolookforincludecompatibilitywithyourmobiledevice,easeofuse,andpricing.Whilecloudstorageservicestypicallyoffersomeleveloffreestorage,youcanmostlikelyexpecttopayamonthlyorannualsubscriptionfeeasyourphoto-storageneedsgrow.Cloudstorageserviceswantyourbusinessandsettheirpricescompetitivelybasedontheamountofstorageyouneed.Ifyoualreadyusecloudstoragetoolsforotherdocuments,thecostofswitchingservicesandlearninganewsystemmaynotbeworthasmalldollarinsavings.UsetheCloudStorageServiceComparisonWorksheettocomparecloudstorageservices.

MovingPhotosFromCloudStoragetoYourPhotoLibrary

AsImentioned,cloudstorageservicescansafelystoreyourmobilephotosuntilyouhavetimetomovethemintoapermanentlocationinyourPhotoLibrary.Usingcloudstorageisabigstepinroundingupyourdigitalphotos.Butyouaren’tfinishedyet.TomovephotosfromthecloudstorageintoyourPhotoLibrary,you’llneedtomanuallydraganddroppicturesfromyourcloudstorageservice(suchasDropbox)totheappropriatefolders,creatingnewfoldersasneeded.ThisisthesameprocedureusedearliertomoveimagesfromamemorycardtoyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder.

Step-by-StepGuidetoDropboxCloudStorage

ManygenealogistsrelyonDropboxtosyncimagesanddocumentsbetweenmultipledevices,andforsharingfileswithothercomputerusers.AfteryouuploadimagestoDropbox,youcandeleteimagesfromyoursmartphoneknowingtheyhavebeensavedtoyourCameraUploadsfolderinDropbox.

LetmeshowyouhoweasyitistosetupDropboxforyourdigitalimages.(TheseinstructionsareforusingDropboxwithAppledevices.)

STEP1:DOWNLOADTHEDROPBOXAPPTOYOURSMARTPHONEANDCOMPUTER.ToturnontheDropboxCameraUploadfeature,you’llneedtodownloadandinstalltheDropboxapponyoursmartphoneortablet,aswellasonyourhomecomputer.

STEP2:LOGINANDADJUSTSETTINGS.Usingyoursmartphoneortablet,opentheDropboxappandlogin.ClicktheSettingsiconinthebottommenubar.TurnontheswitchforCameraUpload.DonotturnonUseCellularDataunlessyouwanttouseyourdataplanforphotouploads(thismayincurextracharges).TurnonBackgroundUploadingandclickEnabletocontinueuploadingafteryoustopusingyouriPad.

STEP3:VIEWPHOTOSONMOBILEDEVICE.DownloadandinstalltheCarouselapptoviewphotoswithintheapponyourmobiledevice.

STEP4:VIEWPHOTOSINDROPBOX.Alternatively,viewphotosonyourmobiledeviceordesktopintheCameraUploadsfolder(locatedinsideyourDropboxfolder).

STEP5:INITIATEAUTOMATICUPLOADING(OPTIONAL).Tosetupautomaticuploadingdirectlyfromyourcomputer,clicktheGeariconintheDropboxmenuandclickonthePreferencesoption.

STEP6:COMPLETEAUTOMATICUPLOADINGSETUP(OPTIONAL).IfyoucompletedStep5,you’llwanttocontinueyourautomaticuploadingsetupwiththisstep.Toenableuploadsfromacamera,mobiledevice,flashdrive,orSDcardconnectedtoyourcomputer,clickthephotoImporticon.MakeyourselectionstoimportphotosdirectlyfromiPhotoontheMacorenablecamerauploadsforphotosandvideosfromamobiledevice,camera,ormemorycardconnectedtoyourcomputer.

IfyouhavealargePhotoLibrary,especiallyonewithTIFFfiles,automaticallyuploadingimageswillquicklyfillupyouronlinestoragespace.However,it’saworkableoptionforsmallcollectionsortemporarystorage.Beawareofhowmuchonlinestoragespacewillberequiredtohouseyourphotocollection.

PrivacyandtheCloud

Unlessyouarehostingyourownprivatecloud,youaresubjecttothetermsandpoliciesofyourcloudhostingservice.Makesureyoutaketimetoreadandunderstandtheseterms,especiallythePrivacyPolicyandTermsandConditionsrelatedtophotocopyrightorintellectualrights.Herearetwoquestionstoaskaboutstoringyourimagesinthecloud.

1.Areyouthecopyrightowner?Bewareanyservicethatdoesnotacknowledgeyouasthecopyrightownerofyourownoriginalmaterial.Youneverwanttoforfeityourrighttoownandcontrolmaterialyoucreated.

2.Whatareyougivingaway?Asthesayinggoes,“there’snosuchthingasafreelunch.”Cloudservicesoftenofferinitialfreestorage,butbepreparedtopayforstorageasyourcollectiongrows.Usethetrialperiodorfreestoragetotryouttheservice,butplantopaytheregularmonthlyorannualsubscriptionpriceinthesamewayyoupayforhouseholdelectricservice.Ifyoucanceltheserviceorstoppaying,yoursubscriptionwilllapseandyoumayloseyourphotocollection.Inaddition,cloudservicestypicallycollectyourpersonalinformationandusethisfortargetedadcampaigns;yourinformationalsomaybesharedorsoldtothird-partycompanies.Yourpersonalinformationmayincludethenamesandaddressesofpeoplewithwhomyousharephotos.ReadtheTermsofServicecarefullytofullyunderstandwhatyouareexchangingforuseoftheservice.

Asdigitalstoragepriceshavedroppedandwirelessspeedsincreased,cloudstoragehasbecomethenewbuzzofdigitalphotomanagement.Buthowitbestfitsintoyourdigitalphoto-managementworkflowdependsonyourpersonalattitudetowardprivacyandsecurityandyourownleveloftechexpertise.Consumer-levelcloudservicesmayappeartobesimplyfreestorage,whentheserviceisactuallytiedinwithaphoto-sharingorproductservice.Forexample,youmaybeenticedbyunlimitedfreephotostorageandlaterdiscoverthatyourfileshavebeencompressedandarenolongeravailableasfull-resolutionfiles.Oryoumayfindthatyoucanonlydownloadarchivedimagesindividuallyorinsmallbatches.Ultimately,youneedtodecidewhattypeofphoto-storagesolution—on-siteorcloud-based—worksbestforyouandthenselectthespecifichardwareand/orservicethatsuitsyourbudgetandneeds.

ONLINEBACKUPSERVICESOLUTIONS

Anonlinebackupserviceisdifferentfromacloudstorage-and-synchronizationsolution.Howisitdifferent?Onlinebackupservicesfocusonlong-termarchivingandpreservationoforiginalfiles.Thegoalofabackupistosaveoriginalfilesinoriginalquality.

Preservationofphotosiskeyforfamilyhistorians.Wewantourheirloomfamilyphotosarchivedinafilethatwon’tbecorruptedordamagedbyrevision,accidentaloverwriting,ortime.Thisiswhyuncompressed,stablefileformatssuchasTIFFandPDFareoftenrecommendedforarchivingphotographsanddocuments.

Manygenealogistsusecloudstorageandsynchronization(DropboxorGoogleDrive)foreverydayworkingfilesandrelyonbackupservices(BackblazeorCarbonite)tostoreanoff-sitearchiveofheritageimagesthat’saccessiblewhentheyneedittobe.

Likecloudstorageservices,onlinebackupservicesstorefilesinthecloudandchargesubscriptionfees.Feesarebasedonsecurityfeatures,restorationpoints,thelevelofcustomerservice,andtheamountofstoragespaceyouneed.Backupservicesautomaticallyuploadyourimages,soyoudon’thavetoworryaboutrememberingtomanuallybackup,sync,ormigrateimages.BecauseyourPhotoArchiveisstoredonthebackupservice’sservers,whichprovideredundancy,yourfileswillbeprotectedfromtheft,disaster,orharddrivefailure.

5DigitalPhoto-ManagementWorkflow

Anyoneon“imageoverload”canlearnafewthingsfromprofessionalphotographersandgraphicartistswhoworkwithmillionsofimageseveryday.Asuccessfulweddingphotographer,forexample,mustworkquicklyandefficientlytoearnalivingwithhiscamera.Hewillcapturehundredsofimagesfortheeventandselectonlythebestshotstoshowthebrideandgroom.Favoriteswillbeeditedandassembledintothefinalproduct:theweddingalbum.Theentireprocessfromimagecapturetoselectiontoeditingandfinalproductiscalledthephotographer’sworkflow.Byrepeatingthestepsoverandover,thisroutinebecomessofamiliarthathecandoitalmostwithoutthinking.

Youprobablyhaveaworkflow,too,althoughitmightnotfeellikeaproductiveworkflowifyou’redrowningindigitalimages.Itmightbetimetostepbackandfigureoutwhatisandisn’tworkingsoyoucanbringordertoyourdigitalphotochaosandbecomethemasterofyourphotocollection.

Thebenefitsofdigitalphoto-managementandaworkflowroutinebecomeclearerasyouworkthrougheachstepofmanagingyourfiles.Inthischapter,I’llbreakdownstepbystephowtogetstartedmanagingyourphotosusingadigitalassetmanagementworkflowwithamanualsystemaswellaswithphoto-managementsoftware.

DIGITALASSETMANAGEMENT

Creatinganeffectiveworkflowisn’teasy.Professionalphotographersquicklylearnthattheyneedacomprehensivesystemtohelpwitheverystepoftheprocess—capturing,importing,renaming,editing,resizing,tagging,captioning,archiving,backingup,andexportingtheirfiles.Thiscomprehensivesystemformanagingdigitalimagesiscalleddigitalassetmanagement(orDAM,forshort).Professionalphotographersandothercreativesworldwidewhomanageallkindsofdigitalfilessuchasphotos,movies,audiofiles,anddocumentsuseDAM.ProstaketimetostudyandunderstandeachstepintheDAMprocesstodeveloptheirownefficientandpersonalizedworkflow.

FamilyphotographersandfamilyhistorianscanbenefitfromasimplifiedDAMsystemfocusingontheirmosttypicalassets—photosandvideofiles.Thisissometimescalleddigitalphotomanagement(DPM).ApersonalizedDAM/DPMsystemletsyouintegratetheworkflowintoyourowndigitalfile-handlingprocesssoitworksbestforyou

andmaintainingitiseasy.We’llusethetermDAMherebecauseitisthepreferredtermfordigitalphotomanagement.

HowDAMBenefitsYou

EffectiveDAMinvolvesmorethanatidyfilefoldersystemandlong,meaningfulfilenames,butthebenefitsaregreater,too.Atitscore,DAMharnessesthepowerofyourcomputerforbetteraccesswithlabelsandtags.Forthefamilyphotographerandhistorian,thegreatestvaluemaybetheabilitytoembedidentificationwithintheimagefile.AnefficientDAMsystemwill

allowyoutoorganizeyourimagesinawaythatmakessensetoyou.guideyouthroughallstepsfromimagecapturetoimagesharing.provideastructuretohelpmaintainconsistencywhenyouworkwithimagesinfrequently.expandasneededtoaccommodateyourgrowingdigitalcollection.offerdatasecuritywithbackupsandarchivalprotocol.makeiteasytomigratefromoldtonewequipment.offertoolsforcollaborationandfutureusers.

HowtoSetUpYourPersonalDAMWorkflow

Initssimplestform,DAMisallaboutcapturing,storing,andaccessingimages.Eachstepoftheworkflowrefinesthesetaskssoyoucaneasilylocateimagesforeditingandsharingtheendproduct,andbeconfidentthatyourphotocollectionissecure.ADAMworkflowtypicallyinvolvesseventasks.

IMAGECAPTURE:Imagecaptureincludeswhatevermethodyouusetoacquireanimage.Foraphotographer,imagesaretypicallycapturedwithacamera.AfamilyhistorianmightalsocaptureimageswithascannerorbydownloadingimagefilesfromtheInternet.Digitalimagesaretypicallycapturedtoharddrives,memorycards,flashdrives,oradevice’sinternalmemory.

IMPORTINGIMAGES:Thistaskreferstomovingtheimagesfromtheinitialcapturedeviceortemporarystoragelocationintolong-termstorage.SomeDAMworkflowscenariosalsousethetermdownloadingoringesting.YoumaybeabletoautomatesomeoftheimportingstepswithsoftwaresuchasAdobeLightroomorAdobePhotoshopElements.

RENAMING:It’simportanttorenameimagesfromcamera-generatedfilenamestosomethingmeaningfulanduseful.Photo-managementsoftwarecanmakethistaskeasierwithoptionstorenamefilesonimportorbatchnamefilesalreadyinyoursystem.Somefamilyhistoriansusefilenamesasaplacetoincludeinformationaboutthepeople,dates,places,andeventsdepictedinanimage.Inthedaysbeforemetadata(informationabouttheimageembeddedintheimagefile)waswidelyused,thiswasahelpfulwaytoorganizeandaccessimages.Evenlongfilenames,however,can’tincludetheextensivedataavailablethroughkeywordsandtags.

BACKINGUP:Oneofthemostimportantstepsinyourworkflowistobackupyourimagecollectionsecurelyandregularlyonanotherkindofmedia.Unfortunately,thisistheonestepmostlikelytobepostponedorignored.AsinglecopyisNOTabackup.AcopyonthesameharddriveisNOTabackup.AcopyonDropboxisNOTabackup.

Mostphotographersuseaseriesofexternalharddrivesaspartoftheirbackupprogram.Workingfilesarelocatedonacomputerorexternalharddrive.Anexternaldriveisusedfordailybackupsandstoredon-siteinafireproofsafe.AthirdcopyofthePhotoLibraryisstoredoff-site(suchasinasafedepositboxorinthecloud)forsecurity.

TAGGING:Addinglabels,keywords,andotherinformationiscrucialtoanyDAMworkflow.Thesetagsareknownasmetadataor“dataaboutdata.”Professionalphotographersusekeywordstosortandlabelimagessotheyareeasiertofindlater.Tagsandratingshelpevaluatephotostoselectthebestofthebest.Titles,captions,andlocationinformationaddcontexttoanimage.

Tags,labels,keywords,andratingswillhelpyoutakeadvantageofthefullbenefitsofworkingwithdigitalimages.Anyoneworkingwithfamilyphotographs,eithernewdigitalimagesorscansofoldphotos,shouldtakefulladvantageofthemagicofmetadatatorecordhistoricaldataaboutpeople,places,dates,andevents.

ARCHIVING:Regularbackupsareanessentialstepindailydigitalwork,butarchivingtakesbackupsastepfurthertogiveyouextraassurancethatyourdigitalimagecollectionissafeforthelongterm.AphotoarchiveoftenincludespreservingimagesonphysicalmediasuchasDVDsoranotherexternalharddrive.It’smigratedtonewmediaasneeded.Thephotoarchiveisnotaccessedonadailybasisandcanbeconfiguredwithbackupsoftwaretoupdateonlyeditedandnewfilestosavetime.

EDITING,EXPORTING,ANDSHARING:Allofyourimagesmightaswellbeinadarkshoeboxifyoudon’texportthemintoashareableformat.Thesefilesneeddifferent

handlingfromyourarchivalandworkingdigitalfiles.Manyimageswillbenefitfromediting,cropping,andadjustments.Mostwillneedtoberesizedfortheirintendeduse,suchase-mailingorcreatingaphotobookorotherphotoproject.

ATAGLANCE:YOURDIGITALASSETMANAGEMENTWORKFLOW

WhatAboutMyCurrentMess?

Whenyou’rereadytobeginmanagingyourphotocollectioninanorganizedDAMworkflow,startsmallwithyournewphotosandworkforward.Picka“DigitalPhotoBirthday,”thesametrickIrecommendwhenmigratingtoapaperlessoffice.DecidethatfromyourDigitalPhotoBirthdayforward,allimageswillbemanagedwithyournew

system.Selectadatethat’seasytoremembersuchasyourbirthday,anniversary,oramajorholiday.Gradually,asyouhavetime,moveoldphotosintoyournewsystem.Don’ttrytodoitallatonce.Itwillbeoverwhelming,andyou’lllosetheopportunitytorefineyourworkflowwhileworkingwithasmaller,moremanageablenumberofphotos.

USINGAMANUALWORKFLOWFORDIGITALPHOTOMANAGEMENT

Ifyouhaven’talreadydoneso,followthesestepstosetupyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder.RefertoChapter1formoredetails.

CHOOSEAMASTERSTORAGELOCATIONANDPURCHASEEQUIPMENT.YourmasterimagecollectionshouldbeconsolidatedandmanagedinonecentralMasterStorageLocation,preferablyonyourcomputerorexternalharddrive.IcallthiscollectionmyPhotoLibrary.Ifyouhavedecidedtostoreyourimagesonanexternalharddrive(ratherthanyourcomputerharddrive),purchaseandconnecttheexternaldrivetoyourcomputer.

CREATEYOURPHOTOLIBRARYFOLDERS.NavigatetoyourselectedphotoMasterStorageLocationandcreateafoldernamedPHOTOLIBRARY.Insidethisfolder,createthefollowingfolders,substitutingthecurrentyearandmonthfortheimagesyouarereadytoimport:

20152015_09_SEPT

Ifyouarereadytoimportimagesfromafewmonths,goaheadandmakethecorrespondingfolders,butremember,wearestartingsmallwithalimitednumberofimages.

SETUPYOURBACKUPANDARCHIVE.YouwillneedabackupplanforyourPhotoLibrary,preferablyanexternalharddrive,archivalDVDs,and/oracloudstorageservice.IcallthisbackupmyImageVault.IkeepmyImageVaultonanexternalharddrivestoredon-siteanduseittobackupfilesafteraphoto-editingortransferringsession.You’llalsoneedaPhotoArchive,whichisathirdbackupcopyofyourcollectionthatyoustoreoff-site.YourPhotoArchivemaybeonanexternalharddrive,archivalDVDs,and/oranonlinebackupservice.PurchaseandsetupyourImageVaultandPhotoArchivestoragedevicesorservices.

Step-by-StepManualDAMWorkflow

STEP1:CAPTURE.Createdigitalimagesusingyourdigitalcamera,smartphone,tablet,scanner,orotherdevice.

STEP2:IMPORT.First,disableyourcomputer’sautomaticdownloader.YourcomputerwantstohelpyoumanageyourimagesandmayautomaticallyopenanImportwindowwhenconnectedtoacameraorotherimage-storagedeviceusingImageCapture(Mac)orPhotoGalleryImport(Windows).Thedefaultdestinationfornewimagesmaynotbethelocationyouwantforeveryphotoupload,soIsuggestthatyoudisablethisautomatedutility.

Next,locatethecameraSDcard,smartphone,cloudfolder,orwhateverdeviceholdsyourlatestphotoimages.Ifyourphotosareonamemorycard,insertyourmemorycardanddraganddroptheimagesintotheappropriatefolders.Donotdeletetheimagesfromthecapturedeviceuntilyou’veworkedthroughtheentireworkflow.Ifyourphotosareonasmartphoneortablet,connectyourdevicetoyourcomputeranddraganddroptheimagesintotheappropriatefoldersinyourPhotoLibrary.Ifyourphotosareonacloudstoragesite,logintoyourcloudserviceanddraganddroptheimagesfromthecloudintotheappropriatefoldersinyourPhotoLibrary.Remember,thegoalistocollectallofyourdigitalimagesintooneMasterStorageLocation.

STEP3:RENAME.Useshort,unique,meaningfulfilenames.Donotusenamesthatwouldcauseconfusionifmovedfromacontainingfolder.Forexample,TomsBirthday.jpgmightbefoundin2010,2015,and2017.AbetternamewouldbeTomsBirthdayCake2015.jpg.Manyphotosfromthesameeventcanbenefitfromfile-sequencingnumbersaddedduringbatchscanningorimport,ifavailable.

Afamilyphotofilenameshouldhelpyouidentifytheimageifyouareskimmingasmallselectionofphotosforaphotobookandwanttopositionthebirthdaycakephotobeforethegiftphoto.Yourfilenamedoesnotneedtoincludeallimageinformationsuchasexactdate,time,fullname,location,andevent.(SeeChapter1formoreonfile-namingschemes.)

STEP4:BACKUP.BackupyourentirePhotoLibrarytoyourselectedbackupstoragelocation.Automatedsoftwarecanselectivelybackuponlyimagesthathavebeenmodifiedoraddedsincethelastbackup.Thissavesconsiderabletimewhenworkingwithlargephotocollections.

Youshouldnowhavetwocopiesofyourphotos:oneinyourPhotoLibraryandoneinyourImageVault.

STEP5:TAGANDADDKEYWORDS.Addingmetadatasuchaskeywords,tags,captions,andotherinformationisundoubtedlythemosttime-consumingstepinanyphotographer’spost-captureworkflow.Andit’sprobablytheonestepthatmostfamilyphotographerspersistentlyignore.Fortunately,themostimportantmetadata(thedate)isaddedautomaticallybyyourcameraorcapturedevice,soifyoudonothingmorethanimportcorrectlydatedimagestoyourcomputer,youcanstilltakeadvantageofthebenefitsofDAM.

Addtags,keywords,andcaptionsinProperties(PC)orGetInfo(Mac),orinyourphoto-managementsoftware.(SeeChapter1formoredetails.)

STEP6:ARCHIVE.YourPhotoArchivepreservesyourdigitalphotosforthefuture.UnlikeyourworkingPhotoLibraryorImageVaultonanexternalharddrive,thecloud,orDVDthat’savailableforaquickrestoreincaseoflossordamage,aPhotoArchivedoesn’tneedfrequentaccess.ArchivalDVDs,CDs,andBlu-raydiscsaregoodchoicesforarchivalmediaandcanbeaddedtowithouttheneedtorewriteorhandleoldermaterial.

Useautomatedbackupsoftwareoramanualdrag-and-droptechniquetoburnarchivaldiscsorcreateaPhotoArchiveonotherstoragemedia.Knowthelifespanofyourchosenarchivalstoragemediaandmigratefilesasneededtonewerstorage.Storethiscopyoff-siteandaccessitonlywhenallothercopiesaredamagedorlost,orwhenyoumigrateittonewerstoragemedia.

AnotheroptionforbackingupyourPhotoArchiveistouseanonlinebackupservice.SeetheAppendixforalistofbackupservicestoconsider.

STEP7:EDIT,EXPORT,ANDSHARE.Everydayfamilyphotosoftenbenefitfromcroppingandsomeeditingtoremovered-eye,adjustexposure,ortouchupblemishes.Ifyou’reworkinginastandardphotoeditorthatsaveschangesasitoverwritestheoriginalfile,alwayscreateacopyusingtheSaveAscommandwhenyoubeginaneditingsession.KeeptrackoftheseeditededitionswithversionfilenamesdiscussedinChapter1:2010_david_bday-edit.jpg.

Youalsomayneedtoconvertyourphotostospecialsizesorresolutionfordifferentuses,suchase-mailingorpostingtoyourblogorwebsite.DothisbycreatingacopywiththeSaveAscommandorExport.Thesefilesmightbenamedsomethinglike2010_david_bday-web.jpgor2010_david_bday-email.jpg.

Ifyouoftenreusethesameimage,keepacopyinyourfilesystem;otherwise,deletethedesktopcopyaftere-mailingitorpostingittoyourWebpage.

Toassemblephotosforaphotobookorotherproject,saveacopyinaseparatefoldereitheronyourdesktop(goodforcurrentprojects)orinyourPhotoLibrary,wherethefolderwillcontinuetobebackedupwithyourotherimagefiles.Thiscopyshouldbefull-resolutionorthesizerecommendedfortheproductbythephotoservice.

USINGSOFTWAREFORDIGITALPHOTOMANAGEMENT

Aswithamanualworkflow,whenusingphoto-managementsoftware,yourmasterimagecollectionshouldbeconsolidatedandmanagedinonelocation—preferablyonyourcomputerorexternalharddrive.Ifyouhavedecidedtostoreyourimagesonanexternalharddrive,youneedtopurchaseandconnectthedrivetoyourcomputer.Youwillalsoneedasecondharddriveasabackupdevice.

PURCHASEANDINSTALLYOURSOFTWARE.Downloadandinstallyourphoto-managementsoftware.Ifyouarenewtotheprogram,it’sagoodideatogothroughthetutorialsandlearnthebasicstepsforimportingimagesandworkingwithfiles.

CREATEYOURPHOTOLIBRARYFOLDER.NavigatetoyourMasterStorageLocation(onyourcomputeroranexternalharddrive)andcreateafoldernamedPHOTOLIBRARY.Insidethisfolder,createfoldersusingthecurrentyearandmonthfortheimagesyouarereadytoimport;forexample:

20152015_09_SEPT

Whenyouarereadytoimportimagescapturedoverafewmonths,goaheadandmakethecorrespondingfolders,butremembertostartsmallwithalimitednumberofimages.

Thisfoldersetupisexactlythesameasifyouweremanuallyorganizingyourphotos.Thisisintentionalsothatifyouwanttomovetoadifferentsystematanytime,thisstandardfolderandfilesystemwillbeeasytounderstandandrelocate.

SETUPYOURBACKUPANDARCHIVE.OnceagainyouwillneedabackupandarchivingplanforyourPhotoLibrary.CreateanImageVaulttobackupfilesafteraphoto-editingorimportingsessionandaPhotoArchivetostoreacopyofyourentirecollectionoff-site.YourImageVaultcouldbelocatedonanexternalharddrive,archivalDVDs,and/oracloudstorageservice.YourPhotoArchivemaybeonanexternalharddrive,archival

DVDs,and/oranonlinebackupservice.PurchaseandsetupyourImageVaultandPhotoArchivestoragedevicesorservices.

Step-by-StepDAMWorkflowUsingPhoto-ManagementSoftware

Forthisexample,I’llshowyouhowImanageimagesusingAdobeLightroom.ThiswillgiveyouanideaofthefeaturesyoucanexpectfromDAMsoftware.Whateverphoto-managementsoftwareyouuse,expecttospendtimelearningandmasteringtheimportselectionsandmanagementfeatures.

TomakefulluseofLightroom’sfeatures,Idisablemycomputer’sautomaticimagedownloader.Lightroomcanmove,copy,orindeximages.ThismeansyoucanuseLightroomto

physicallymoveanimagefromonefoldertoanother.copyanimageatitspresentlocationandplaceacopyintoyourdestinationfolder.leavetheimagewhereitisandcreateanindexorpointertothelocation.

MyphotosareallstoredinmyPhotoLibraryandbackeduptomyImageVault.IalsokeepaPhotoArchiveoff-site.

Lightroommanagesfileswithacatalog,savingalleditsandworkinthiscatalog,soit’simportanttobackupthecatalogaswellastheimagefiles.

STEP1:CAPTURE.Icreatedigitalimagesusingmydigitalcamera,smartphone,tablet,andscanner,andthenopenLightroomforimporting.

STEP2:IMPORT.IclicktheImportfunctiontoselectandmoveimagesfromthedeviceortemporaryharddrivefoldertomyPhotoLibrary.TheImportwindowallowsseveralactions(seearrowsfromlefttorightatthetopofthewindow):

Selecttheoriginationfoldertoviewimages;checkAllorselectphotostoimport.Selecthowtoimportthephotos:Copy,Move,orAddtoCatalog.

Selectthedestinationlocationandanyfileactions.ThepaneltotherightofthewindowallowsoptionssuchasFileRenaming,Presets,BatchMetadataandKeywords,andFoldercreation.

STEP3:RENAME.Anyfilesnotrenamedonimportcanberenamedindividuallyorusingbatchcommands.(SeeChapter1formoreonfilenaming.)

STEP4:BACKUP.IbackupmyPhotoLibraryandcatalog(whichisautomaticallycreatedbythephoto-managementsoftware)duringand/orafteraworksession.Inowhavetwocopiesofmyphotosandphotocatalog:oneinmyPhotoLibraryandoneinmyImageVault.Nondestructivephotoeditorssavetheeditinginstructionsforimagesinaseparatecatalog,soyoudon’tneedtomakeduplicatefilecopiesforediting.

STEP5:TAGANDADDKEYWORDS.Nowaddtags,keywords,copyrightinfo,location,andothermetadata.IsavefrequentlyusedsetsofinformationasaPreset.

STEP6:ARCHIVE.Icopyphotofilesandthecatalogtoarchival-qualitymediasuchasDVDs,CDs,orBlu-raydiscsusingLightroomExportPresetsforlong-termpreservation.IalsomigratefilesasneededtonewmediaandstorethePhotoArchiveoff-site.Alternately,youmaywanttouseanonlinebackupserviceforyourPhotoArchive.SeetheAppendixforalistofbackupservicestoconsider.

STEP7:EDIT,EXPORT,ANDSHARE.IusecustomizableexportcommandstostreamlinefrequenttaskssuchasconvertingfilesfromTIFFtoJPGformatoroptimizingimagesfortheWeb.ThePublishServices(leftpanel)allowseasysharingtosocialmediaandphoto-sharingwebsites.

TIPAlwaysWorkInsidetheSoftware

Photo-managementsoftwarecanonlymanageyourphotosifitcanfindthem.It’sessentialthatyoumakeallchangestofilenamesorfolderswithinthesoftwareitself.NeveruseWindowsExplorerortheMacFinderwindowtomoveorrenamefoldersorimages.Workinsidetheprogramtominimizeproblems.

PUTTINGITALLTOGETHERWITHSAMPLEWORKFLOWS

Managingdigitalfilesisallaboutworkflow.Workflowisjustanotherwayoftalkingaboutahabit,somethingyouhavelearnedtodothatnowcomeseffortlessly.Forexample,drivingacardoesn’tcomenaturallytomostofus;it’ssomethingwelearnedtodo.Welearnedwhenandhowhardtopressontheacceleratorpedal,whentomoveourfoottothebrakepedal,andhowtosteerthewheel.Atfirstitprobablyfeltawkward,butwithpracticewecouldmakethecarmoveforwardinastraightlineandchecktherearviewmirroroccasionally,too.Drivinginvolvesaworkflow.Turnthekey,releasetheparkingbrake,takethecaroutofPark,checkforothervehicles,steponthegas.Ifyou’vebeendrivingforawhile,youprobablydon’teventhinkaboutit,butifyoufailtoreleasetheparkingbrake,thecarrebelsandletsyouknowyou’veforgottenoneofthestepsinyourworkflow.

Youwantyourdigitalphotoworkflowtobeasseamlessasdrivingacar.Itwilltakepracticeandrepetition,buteventually,youwon’tevenhavetothinkaboutit.Let’shittheroad.

SampleWorkflowfortheFamilyShutterbug

Goodfor… familyphotographerswhotakephotosoffamilyandfriendswithmultipledigitalcamerasandsmartphonecameras

Difficultylevel

time-savingandeasyforcollectingimagesfrommultipledevices;ittakesalittlemoretimeformanagingthePhotoLibrary

Ifyourfamilyislikemine,everyoneissnappingpictureswithdifferentdevices.Youngparentsarebusyanddon’thavetimeforcomplicatedphoto-managementsystems,buttheydowanttoensurethattheirchildren’sphotosaresafelypreservedforthefuture.MyhusbanduseshisiPhonetotakejobphotosforhisconstructionclientsandneedstobackupandshareprogressimagesregularly.Young-adultniecesandnephewssharephotosonFacebookandcopyimagestoacomputerwhentheythinkaboutit.Andfamilyhistorians

usescanners,cameras,andsmartphonestocreatedigitalimagesofkeepsakephotosandlifeinthemoment.

Whateveryourdigitalworkflowmaybe,fromthesimplestmanualuploadtoamorecomplextransferstrategyinvolvingmanydifferentdevices,taketimetoexperimentwithdifferentroutinestodevelopaworkflowthatworksforyou.

Ifyouhavemultiplefamilyphotographers,youmaywantanoverallstrategythatmakesiteasytocollectimagesfrommultiplesmartphonesandcamerasintoonefamilycollection.DesignateonehomecomputertoholdthemasterPhotoLibraryandsetupeachfamilymember’ssmartphonetoauto-syncphotostoacloudserviceaccount.Savetimebyusingphoto-managementsoftwaresuchasApplePhotosforOSX,AdobeLightroom,orPicasa.

Workflow

STEP1:Useyourdigitalcameratocapturephotosonmemorycard.UsetheWi-Fi-enabledEyefiMobiSDcardstoautomaticallyuploadimagestoyourcomputer.Configureyoursmartphonetoauto-syncimagestoacloudservice.

STEP2:ImportimagesfrommemorycardsandcloudaccountstothefamilyPhotoLibrary.

STEP3:Renameindividualimages,andaddtagsandmetadatausingphoto-managementsoftware,orifyoudon’thaveit,byusingtheFinderwindow(Mac)orWindowsExplorer(Windows)folder.

STEP4:Backupfoldersandimagefilestoanexternalharddrive.

STEP5:BurnimagefolderstoarchivalDVDsandstoreoff-site.

STEP6:Sharephotos.

SampleWorkflowforTravel/VacationPhotos

Goodfor…

travelingphotographers,familyvacationers,andmobilegenealogistswhotakephotoswithdigitalcamerasandsmartphonecamerasatresearchlibraries,archives,andcemeteries

Difficultylevel

easyforuploading,butyou’llspendmoretimemanagingthePhotoLibrary

Enjoysharingphotoswithfamilyandfriendswhileyou’reonvacationorawayfromhome?Wanttohavepeaceofmindknowingyourphotosarebackedupincaseofaccidentorloss?PhotosynchronizationusingaWi-Fi-enabledEyefiMobiSDcardwilltransfer

imagesfromyourdigitalcameratoyoursmartphoneortabletandmakeiteasytosharethemviae-mailorsocialmediaaccounts.

Workflow

STEP1:Setupyourmobiledevicestosyncwithacloudstorageservice.SetupyourcamerawithanEyefiMobiSDcardtouploadimagestoyoursmartphoneortablet.SetupyoursmartphonetosyncphotoswithacloudstorageservicesuchasDropboxorGoogleDrive.

STEP2:ShareselectedimagesfromyourphoneorWi-Fi-enabledcameradirectlyviae-mailandsocialmedia.

STEP3:Whenyoureturnhome,transferyourimagesfromyourcloudaccountorfromanymemorycardstoyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder.

STEP4:Rename,tag,andaddmetadata.

STEP5:BackupimagestoyourImageVault.

STEP6:IncludeyournewphotosinyourregularPhotoArchiveroutine.

STEP7:Createatravelphotobookorslideshow.

SampleWorkflowfortheMobileGenealogist

Goodfor…

genealogistswhotakephotoswithdigitalcamerasandsmartphonecameras,usemobilescanningapps,andrecordimageswithscannersatresearchrepositories

Difficultylevel

easyforuploading,butyou’llspendmoretimemanagingthePhotoLibrary

On-siteresearchoftenresultsinhundredsofnewdigitalimagescapturedondigitalcameras,smartphones,tablets,mobilescanners,andresearchrepositoryequipment.Manyresearchersalsouseascanningapptocopydocumentswiththeirsmartphoneortablet.Syncingandbackingupwithacloudstorageservicecanmakeimagesavailablealmostinstantlyforremotesharingandsecurity.

Workflow

STEP1:SetupyoursmartphoneandtablettouploadphotosautomaticallytoacloudstorageservicesuchasDropboxorGoogleDrive.ConsiderusinganEyefiMobiSDcardinyourcameraandportablescanner.IfyouhaveachoicebetweenanSDcardoraflash

drivewhensavingimagesfromrepositoryequipment,useyourEyefiMobiSDcardtokeepimagesinyourautomaticuploadstrategy.

STEP2:ShareselectedimagesfromyourphoneorWi-Fi-enabledcameradirectlyviae-mailandsocialmedia.Viewdocumentsscannedonyoursmartphoneonthelargerscreenofyourtabletorcomputer.

STEP3:Whenyoureturnhome,transferimagesfromyourcloudaccounttoyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder.Transferimagesfromanynon-Wi-FimemorycardstoyourPhotoLibrary.

STEP4:Rename,tag,andaddmetadata.

STEP5:BackupimagestoyourImageVault.

STEP6:IncludeyourphotosinyourregularPhotoArchiveroutine.

SampleWorkflowforPhotoProjects

Goodfor… photo-bookloversoranyoneplanningaphotoproject

Difficultylevel easy

Yournextphotoprojectwillbeeasierifyouassembleallcopiesofselectedphotosinasinglefolderonyourcomputerdesktopsoyouarereadytocreateyournextmasterpiecewhenthephoto-bookcompanyannouncesasaleorspecialpricing.

Workflow

STEP1:SelectimagesandmakecopiesusingtheExportorSaveAsfunction.Saveasfull-resolutioncopiesandavoidcroppingoreditingextensivelybeforecopyingtheimage.ConvertfromTIFFtoJPGimagesifneeded.

STEP2:SavephotostoadesktopfolderorinsideyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolderwhereitwillbeincludedinyourbackuproutine.Namethefolderfortheprojectsuchas:HAWAIIPHOTOBOOKorDAVIDBIRTHDAY.Avoidmixingphotosfordifferentprojects.

STEP3:Investigateonlinephotoservicesforprojecttypesanddesignthemes.Selecttheserviceyoupreferanduploadimages.Filetransfermaytakeanhourormore,dependingonthenumberofimagesinyourfolder,theimagefilesizes,andthespeedofyourInternetconnection.

STEP4:Whenyouarereadytocreatethebook,yourphotoswillbeuploadedandreadyforyoutoplacethemintheproject.Addingindividualphotosissimpleandfast.

STEP5:Createyourproject.

STEP6:Backupyourphotoprojectfoldertothecloud.

STEP7:BurnanarchivalDVDoftheimagesusedinyourprojectandadhereitinanarchivalDVDenvelopetothebackinsidecoverofyourphotobook.

It’sOkaytoPlayFavorites

Whenitcomestocreatingafirst-ratephotocollection,it’sokaytoplayfavorites.Whetheryoumanageyourphotosindividually,manually,orusingphoto-managementsoftware,anyimagecollectionwillbenefitfromregularsortingandpurging.

Aprofessionalphotographerexaminesandsavesonlythebestshots,butthefamilyhistorianhasotherconsiderations,too.Anunderexposed,poorlyframedsnapshotofGreat-grandfatherJackmaybetheonlyphotographofhimatall.Ofcourse,it’sakeeper.Buthowdoyoudecidebetweenotherphotos:Whattosaveandwhattotoss?

UsearatingstrategypopularwithprophotographersthatflagseachimageasaPickorReject.Tosavetime(andenergy),quicklyviewanimageandlabelitaPickoraReject.Ifyoursoftwaredoesn’thaveflags,usethestarsystem:onestarforPickandtwoforReject.Here’showthisapproachwouldwork:

1. Placetwosimilarphotossidebyside;choosethebestofthetwoandrejecttheother.Ifyouhaveothersimilarimages,bringinanewphototocomparewiththe“winner”andchooseagain.

2. MakeanewalbumorcollectionsetanddragallthePicksintothisset.Labelthealbum,suchasReunionPicksorReunionKeepers.

3. Decideifyouwanttogetridofthebadphotos.Ifso,deletethem.Ifyoujustcan’tthrowthemaway,dragtheRejectsintoanewalbumlabeledReunionRejects.You’vesavedthem,butnoonehastolookatthemeveragain.

SampleWorkflowforPersonalPhotoandVideoSharingWithDropbox

Goodfor… anyonewhowantstosharephotosand/orvideos

Difficultylevel easy

Itcanbedifficulttosendphotosandvideosviae-mail.Largefilesizesarenotalwayspermittedbye-mailserversandcantakeagestoupload,onlytoberejectedas“toobig.”Youhavetwooptionswhenyouneedtoe-mailseveralphotosorvideos:downsize(whichisn’talwayspossible)oruseafile-sharingservicesuchasDropbox.

Workflow

STEP1:LogintoyourDropboxaccountoropentheDropboxfolderonyourcomputer.

STEP2:Createanewfolderandgiveitanamethatwillmakesensetotherecipient,suchasPHOTOSFORJOHNorDADSFISHINGPIX.

STEP3:Movecopiesofthephotosorvideosyouwanttoshareintothefolder.

STEP4:Right-clickonthefoldertorevealthemenuandselectShareThisFolder.

STEP5:WhentheSharewindowopens,enterthee-mailaddressofthepersonyouwanttoseeyourphotos.Addabriefmessage.Therecipientwillgetane-mailwithalinktothefolderwhereshecancopythephotosandvideosdirectlytoherowncomputer.

Sample“IDon’tHaveTimeforThis”Workflow

Goodfor…

youngsmartphonephotographers,busyoccasionalphotographers,olderrelativeswhoenjoytheirsmartphone,anyonewhoisjustplainbusy

Difficultylevel

easy,easy,easy

Somethingisbetterthannothing.Thisworkflowmightbeperfectforsomeoneyouknowwhotakespicturesexclusivelywithamobiledevicebutdoesn’twanttothinkaboutmanagingaphotocollection.Oneday,theymaythankyouforsavingtheircollege,vacation,orendlesssummermemories.

Workflow

STEP1:SetupacloudstorageaccountwithDropbox,GoogleDrive,orThisLife.

STEP2:Setupyoursmartphoneandtablettoauto-syncwiththecloudservice.

STEP3:Paytheannualsubscriptionfeeforthecloudstorageservice.

STEP4:RegularlyorderarchivalDVDsofyourPhotoLibrary,ifthisoptionisavailable.

PART2Digitize

Myexperiencewithphotographsmaybeabitlikeyours.I’vealwayshadacamera.FirstalittleBrownieboxcamera,andthenaseriesofInstamatics.IlovedusingaRolleiflexwhenIworkedforourlocalnewspaper,andeventuallyinvestedinaNikonSLR.Myphotoswereprintedandplacedinphotoalbumsandscrapbooksuntillifewithgrowingchildrentookoverandthe4x6snapshotsstartedstackingupinshoeboxes.

Aswemovedintoanewcentury,twoeventsinmypersonallifechangedmyroleandfocusasfamilyphotographerandhistorian:Iboughtmyfirstdigitalcamera,andIinheritedatrunkfilledwithmygrandmother’sphotosandkeepsakes.Mymomdecideditwasmyturntotakecareof“thestuff.”TheresponsibilitymademefeelmorelikeIwasbringinghomeanewbabythantakingonafewboxesofsnapshotsandvitalrecords.

Soontheshoeboxesofoldprintswerepushedtothebackofacloset,anddigitalimagesbeganaccumulatingonmycomputerharddrive,memorycards,andZIPdrives(rememberthose?).WhenIthoughttobackupanything,IburnedaCD-ROM.MydigitallibrarygrewevenlargerwhenIstartedscanningmygrandmother’soldphotosanddocuments.Iwasn’tquitesurehowtogoaboutarchival-qualityscanning,soIfollowedsomeone’sadviceto“usethehighestresolutionavailable.”SoonmyharddrivewasburstingwithhugeTIFFfiles.Adigitaldelugethreatenedtotakeovermyequipmentandengulfallmyfreetime.Iwasdrowningindigitalimages.

IlearnedhowtomanagemydigitalrichesasIresearchedmethodsfororganizinganddigitizingmygrandmother’streasuresanddiscoveredthatIneededaseamlesssystemforbothworlds—digitalandphysical.Ineededaphotographer’sworkflowtomanagethousandsofimages,andIneededanarchivist’spreservationandcatalogingtechniquestomanagemyphysicalphotos,documents,andmemorabilia.Andbothsystemshadtoworktogether.

Iwroteaboutmyjourneytofindpracticalsolutionsfororganizing,digitizing,andpreservingfamilytreasures,firstonmyblogTheFamilyCurator.comandtheninmybookHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes.Thebooksharesanoverallplanforworkingwithinheritedphotos,documents,andheirlooms,andintegratingourmoderndigitallegacywiththosesamefamilytreasures.IquicklydiscoveredIwasn’taloneinmychallengestocareforfamilykeepsakes.

BLESSINGORBURDEN?

We’relivinglonger,healthierlivesthaneverbefore,andmoreactiveadultsarebecomingheirstoafamilylegacyofdocuments,photos,andartifacts.Asfamilyhistorians,wewanttopreservethepast,butwealsoneedtoaddthestoriesofourownlives.Manyreadersofmyblogandbooksharedfeelingsbothofguiltandgratitudeabouttheresponsibilityoftheirlegacy.Isitablessingoraburden?Familyphotoscanbeemotionaltriggersformyriadmemoriesandfeelings.

Personalphotographsareamongthemostdifficultheirloomstodiscard,yetmanypeoplearequicktotossoutthesevisualtokensofthepast.AmongthereasonsI’veheard:

Idon’tneedtokeepitbecauseIhaveascannedcopy.It’saduplicate.Ihaveanegative.Ihaveaprint.Mymother/aunt/brotherhasaprint.Thatwasafirsthusband/wife.That’sarelative’sfirsthusband/wife.There’snocaption,andeveryonewhomightbeabletoidentifythesepeopleisdead.Thepictureisfaded/damaged/torn.Itmakesmesadtolookatthispicture.Ineverlikedhim.

SHOULDYOUKEEPEVERYPHOTO?

I’mnotgoingtosuggestyoukeepeveryphotoornegative.NoramIgoingtorecommendthatyoutossthoseduplicates,JaneDoesnapshots,and“sad”snapshotsinthetrash.Onlyyouandyourfamilycanweighgenealogical,financial,andsentimentalconsiderationstomakethesedecisions.ButIhopeyou’llthinkaboutalternativewaystopreserveyourfamilyphotoheritage.

InPart2,we’lllookatpracticaltipsfororganizinganddigitizingyourheirloomphotossoyoucanenjoythemalongwithyournewimages.Thisadvicefromtheproswillbehelpfulforanyoneworkingwithdigitalphotos,especiallythefamilyhistorianwhomaybedrowningindigitalfiles.We’llreviewoptionsfortheequipmentyou’llneedfordigitizingandorganizing.Andwe’llalsocoverthebasicsofmanagingB.D.(BeforeDigital)oldphotoswithnewdigitalfiles.Togaincontrolofyourowndigitalclutter,you

willneedtoadoptasystemandmakeityourown,butitshouldbewhateverworksbestforyou.

Ifyouhaven’tdonesoalready,reviewideasforscanning,filenaming,andfolderorganizationinChapter1.You’llhavealltheinformationyouneedinoneplaceandcangetstarteddigitizingandpreservingyourheirloomimagesrightaway.Ihopetheideasinthissectionwillinspireyoutostarttodaytodevelopaplanandmasteryourfamilyphotoarchiving.

6HeirloomPhotoCollections

ItmightbehardtorememberatimeB.D.(BeforeDigital)whenthecostoffilmandprocessingcompelledphotographersto“makeeverypicturecount.”Specialoccasionsandvacationsweremeasuredintwelve,twenty,andtwenty-fourpicturerollsoffilmthatrequiredatleastaweekfordevelopingandprinting.Ifyouinheritedyourfamilyphotolegacy,youmayhaveshoeboxes,envelopes,andalbumsfilledwithsnapshotsandnegativesdocumentingyourfamilyhistory,allwaitingtobeorganized“oneday.”

WHYDIGITIZE?

Inmyworkwithfamilycollections,I’velistenedtomanystoriesaboutfamilyphotoslosttodisinterestedrelativesortotheconfusionofsettlinganestate.There’snothingasdishearteningasviewingabeautifulfamilyalbumstrippedofphotostobesoldone-by-oneforthemaximumprofittoonlinebiddersorfindingalovelycollectionofweddingphotoscasuallytossedonatableataneighborhoodgaragesale.

Digitizingyourfamily’sphotoheritageincreasesthechancethatthoseimageswillsurviveinsomeform,evenifit’snottheoriginalprintornegative.Andit’snotjustphotosthatbenefitfromdigitizing.Slides,negatives,film,andvideosalsocanbedigitizedasawaytopreservedeterioratingoroutdatedmedia.Don’tloseyourfamilyphotos.Createadigitizingplan.Digitizingoffersmanybenefits.Ithelps

preserveheirloomphotographsbycreatingamastercopytoreplacelostordamagedoriginals.preservemoviesrecordedonoutdatedfilmorothermedia.provideduplicateimagesforeveryoneinthefamily.findcluesinoldphotostobreakthroughgenealogyresearchbrickwalls.createdigitalimagesofunidentifiedphotostosharewithrelativesforpossibleidentification.providepersonalanduniqueillustrationsforfamilyhistorybooks.createadigitalarchivewhereyoucanquicklylocateandaccessphotos.enablereprintsforframinganddisplaywithoutdamagingtheoriginal.

Inheritedkeepsakesalsomayincludeoriginaldocuments,letters,diaries,orjournals.Theseitemswillbenefitfromdigitizingwithhomescannersanddigitalcameras.You’ll

findmoreideasfordigitizingtheseitemsandotherheirloomartifactsinmybookHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes.

WHAT’SYOURROLE?

Ifyouinheritedahandfulofloosesnapshotsorboxesfilledwithalbumsandgenerationsofoldphotos,thesurvivalofyourfamily’sphotoheritagemaydependonyournextsteps.HowdoyouseeyourroleasKeeperoftheArchive?Areyouacurator,creator,caretaker,oracombinationoftheseroles?Ordoyouthinkofyourselfasthefamilyphotocollector?Keepreadingtolearnmoreabouttheseroles.

Collector:Manypeoplecollectthings:books,funnyfrogs,signedbaseballs,orsilverdollars.Acatloverwhoisgiftedwiththemedmugs,jewelry,figurines,andclothingsoonhastodealwithmoreclutterthancollection.Asavvyfamilyhistoriandoesmorethangatherfamilykeepsakestobuildacollectionofdocuments,photos,andartifactsthatwillonedaybetossedinthetrash.Butthat’sexactlywhatwillhappenifthosekeepsakesaren’tcaredforandtreatedlikeavaluablecollection.It’suptothecollectortodecidethepurposeofthecollectionandembracearoletomeetthatgoal.Curator:Apersoninthisrolewillstrivetogather,preserve,andselectivelymanageheirloomanddigitalfamilyphotostobuildameaningfulgalleryofimages.Creator:Thispersonusesdigitalversionsoffamilyphotosinmanyways,featuringthemineverythingfrombookstoWebpagestoartwork,andusingthemasrawsourcematerialforgenealogicalinformationonkinshipandfamilyidentity.Caretaker:Icallcaretakerstheheroesofallcollectors.Theymaynothavethetimeorinteresttomanageorcreatenewworkswithacollectionoffamilyphotos,buttheypreserveaphotoheritageforthenextgenerationbydigitizing,backingup,andarchivingimages.

Anyonewhomanagesanynumberoffamilyphotosneedstodecideiftheirphotocollectionwillbecomeclutterorafamilyheritage.Carefullyconsideryouroverallobjectivesascollector,curator,creator,orcaretaker.Whatexactlydoyouwantforyourinheritedphotolegacy?Whatchallengesstandbetweenyouandyourgoal?

Thistaskisrelativelysimpleforfamilyphotographersandthosewhoprimarilycapturenewimagesviasmartphonesanddigitalcameras.Butforfamilyhistorianswhooftencreatehundredsorthousandsofnewdigitalimageswhenscanningoldfamilyphotographsanddocuments,thesolutioncanseeminordinatelyconfusing.Ifyou’relike

me,youprobablyhavebothcontemporaryfamilyphotosandscannedimagesgatheredforpreservationandresearch.

Areyouconfusedaboutthebestwaytoscanoldphotos?YoumightbeconcernedaboutworkingwithJPGfiles,whichcarrythepossibilitythatimagequalitywillbereducedafterrepeatededitingandsaving.ShouldyouconvertJPGfilestoTIFFformat?Makemastercopies?Orjusthopeyourfileswillbereadableafteraneditingsession?Shouldyouuseafoldersystemormanageyourimagesinsoftware,suchasAdobePhotoshopElementsorPicasa?

Digitalphotomanagementdoesn’thavetobeacomplicatedanddreadedchore.Thischaptersharessimplestrategiesforgettingcontrolofyourhard-copyphotocollectionanddigitizingimagestopreservepixelsforthenextgeneration.

PLANBEFOREYOUSCAN

Gettoknowyourfamilyphotocollectionbeforeyoumakeyourfirstscan.Proceedwithpurposeandaimtobeefficientandeconomicalwithyourtimeandyourfunds.Threestrategiescanhelpyoumovefromphotochaosandcluttertophotocontrol:

1. Organize.2. Categorize.3. Prioritize.

Organize

Gatheryourimagestogetherandtakestockofthetotalcollection.Clearalargetableandcoveritwithanoldsheetortablecloth,thenbringouttheoldshoeboxes,filefolders,andphoto-processingenvelopes.Gathereverynegative,filmbox,andlooseprintyoucanfind.Rememberalbumstuckedawayonabookshelf;youmayneedtoworkwiththeminasecondsessionifyourtableisoverloaded.Washyourhandswithsoapandwater,orwearwhitecottonglovestoavoidleavingfingerprintsonthephotos.Thisislikelytobeadirtyjob,anditmaytakesometime,dependingonhowmanyphotosyouhavetoorganize.Also,handleprintsbytheedgesonly,andavoidworkinginbrightnaturalorartificiallight.

Maintainoriginalorderandgroupingsasmuchaspossibleforcluestounidentifiedsnapshots.Whenyoufindanenvelopestuffedwithsnapshots,askyourselfwhyyourancestormighthaveassembledtheseparticularprints:

Arethephotosallfromthesameevent?

Dotheyfeaturethesamepersonorfamily?Couldtheyhavebeensentbyadistantfamilymemberorfriend?Wastheselectionpromptedbyabigevent?

Remember,familiesoftenexchangedphotoprintsbymailinmuchthesamewayasweusee-mailtoday.Sometimestheprintsdidn’tfindtheirwaybacktotheoriginalsender.Inaddition,seeminglyrandompilesoftenhaveaninherentmeaning.Adeathinthefamilymightcallforphotostobebroughtoutofalbumsforacollageormemorialbook,andthatsamestackofphotosmightbetuckedawayasagroupratherthanreturnedtotheoriginallocation.

Arrangetheboxesandfoldersonthetablechronologicallyorbyfilmtype:alltheblack-and-whitesnapshotstogether,the1970sprintstogether,thePolaroidstogether.Youmayfindthatsimilarphototypeswillallbefromaboutthesameera.Scanningwillbefasterandmoreefficientifyouworkinbatchestodigitizesimilaritemsatthesametime.Duplicateprints,enlargements,andnegativeswithprintsshouldbegroupedtogethertohelplocatecluesinhandwrittencaptionsanddatedphoto-processingenvelopes.Avoidreshufflingthose“random”groupseveniftheenvelopecontainsamixofphotosizesandtypes.

Shouldyouthrowawayoldphotos?Thisisthemillion-dollarquestion.Somepeoplecan’twaittodigitizeandtosstheoriginals.Otherscarefullypreserveeverysinglephoto,nomatterhowout-of-focusorinsignificant.Myownstrategyistofindamiddleground.Ihaveinheritedtoomanylargecollectionstokeepeverything.Iwilleventuallydonatesomeitems,andothersIselectivelyscanandpreserve.Igivethefollowingtofamilymembersordiscardthem:

obviousout-of-focus,fuzzy,insignificantprintsduplicatetwentieth-centurysnapshotsanonymoussnapshotsofunidentifiedlandscapes

Dependingonthenumberofphotosyouwanttoscan,itcouldtakeseveraldaysorweekstoscanyourentirecollection.Inthemeantime,it’sbestifyourphotocollectionisn’tscatteredacrossthediningtablewhileyoumethodicallyscaneachstackofimages.Instead,placethenewlycreatedphotogroupsintemporaryarchivalstorage,andpulloutanenvelopeorboxtoworkwithoneatatime.Useacid-freearchivalboxeslargeenoughtoholdtheentirecollectionorasubsetofthecollection.Storeonefamilycollectionpercontainertoavoidmixingupfamilyidentifications.Afterscanning,movephotostopermanentarchivalstorage.

Categorize

ListthedifferentphotobatchesontheHeirloomPhotoInventory&DigitizingChecklist.Itwillbehelpfultohaveagoodoverviewofthecollectionwhenchoosingafile-namingschemeandfolderorganizationstructure,andselectingdigitizingequipment.Youcan’tdevelopadigitizingplanuntilyouknowwhatyouneedtodigitize.Andasafamilyhistorian,aren’tyoujustabitcuriousaboutyourancestor’sphotosandotherkeepsakes?Timespentgettingtoknowthepersonwhocollectedthephotosandthepeoplepicturedinthesnapshotswillhelpyoumakeconnectionsasyouworkwiththematerial.

UsetheblankHeirloomPhotoInventory&DigitizingChecklisttomakearoughtallyofthenumberandkindsofitemsyouwanttodigitize.Makenotesofphotocondition,especiallyfragileordamageditemsthatyouwillwanttodigitizesoonerratherthanlater.

Yourscanningsessionswillbemoreefficientifyouworkwithbatchesofsimilarphotos,ratherthanscanningastackofassortedprints.Workingwithsimilarphotosallowsyouto

setabasicfilenametospeedfilenaming,forexample:john-grad_01.jpg.Thesoftwarewilladdsequentialnumberingtocreateuniquefilenames.setthescannermodetotheReflectivefordigitizingallprintphotos;changethemodetoFilmanddigitizefilminaseparatebatch.choosetheappropriateresolutionforscanningtheentiregroupofphotos.scanseveralprintsofthesamesizeinonepassofthescanner.(Seestep-by-stepinstructionsinChapter9.)Batchscanningsavestimeandhelpskeepyourcollectionorganizedforarchivalstorage.

Prioritize

Ifyouhavealargephotocollection,it’sagoodideatodigitizetheoldestormostfragileitemsfirstbeforethephotosdeterioratefurther.Continuetoorganizephotosingroupsorbatchesforefficientscanning.Plantouseyourdigitalcameratodigitizeoversizeorespeciallyfragileitems.

Youmayfindsomephotosthatneedprofessionalattention.Whileit’scertainlypossibletoreframeoldphotosyourself,youmaywanttoconsultanarchivalframespecialistorphotoconservationexpertforhelpwithphotosstucktoglassororiginalprintsthathavewaterdamage.ContacttheAmericanInstituteforConservationofHistoricandArtisticWorks<www.conservation-us.org>forrecommendedexpertsinyourarea.

ReviewyourHeirloomPhotoInventory&DigitizingChecklistandgiveeachitemapriority.

1.ScanASAPforfragile,veryold,ordamagedphotos;deterioratingfilm;oritemsneededforanupcomingproject.

2.Scansoonforoldprintsingoodconditionandnegatives.

3.Scannextfortwentieth-centuryphotographs,film,slides,andnegatives.

Usetheinventorychecklisttoplanyourscanninghoursmostefficiently.Adapttheformtonoteitemsforanancestorbiographyorfamilyhistoryproject.Thesemaybeamongyourfirstscanningpriority.Astimeallows,scanotherphotossuchasaboxofvacationslidesorastackoftwentieth-centurysnapshots.

Whenyou’vefinisheddigitizingyourphotos,thisinventorychecklistwillhelpyoudecidewhatkindofarchivalstoragecontainersyou’llneedtopreserveyourheirloomoriginals.ReadmoreaboutpreservingoriginalphotosandfilminChapter10.

Viewatextversionofthistable

Viewatextversionofthistable

7DigitizationPreparation

I’mabigfanofmovingslowlywhenitcomestoworkingwithfamilyphotosandmemorabilia.Mygrandmother’scollectionwasmyfirstexperienceworkingwithphotosandkeepsakesbelongingtosomeoneIloved.Althoughthreedecadeshadpassedsincemygrandmotherdied,herfrailvoiceandsweetsmilewerewithmeasIgentlyturnedthepagesofoldalbumsandreadthecaptionshandwrittenonthebackofloosesnapshots.Iwaseagertopreserveherlegacyandenthusiasticallystartedscanningeverything.Whatamistake!

Afterdigitizingafewhundredphotos,IrealizedIwasrunningoutofstoragespaceonmycomputerandtheaccumulatedfileswerebecomingajumbledmessofinconsistentnamesandnumbers.EachscanningsessionIusedadifferent,yetmeaningful,file-namingsystem.OnetimeI’dbeginafilenamewiththedate,butweekslaterinmynextscanningsession,I’duseonlytheperson’ssurname.WhenIfoundduplicatephotos,Istartedusingnumbers.Tomakemattersworse,theadviceIhadreceivedto“scaneverythingatthehighestpossibleresolution”wascreatinghugefiles.IwasscanningintherecommendedarchivalTIFFformat,but2400-dots-per-inchfileswereenormous.Andafterscanning,itwasalltooeasytomixupscannedandunscannedoriginalphotos.Ineededapreservationsystemfortheheirloomoriginalsandadigitizationplan.Myintentionswerenoble,butclearly,Ineededtostop,stepback,andcomeupwithanew,morepracticalstrategy.

Afterafewmorefalsestarts,Ifinallycameupwithascanning-and-preservationworkflowthatwassimple,efficient,andmetmyneeds.Youmayneedmoreorfewersteps,ormaybeabletostreamlinesometasks,butIhopemyworkflowtipsinthischapterwillgiveyouabasicoutlineforworkingwithyourownfamilyphotocollection.

PREPAREYOURCOMPUTERANDCHOOSEASTORAGEDEVICE

Beforescanningyourfirstphoto,youneedtoknowhowyouwillorganizeyournewdigitalfiles:

1. Decidewhereyouwillstoreyourdigitalfiles,andpurchaseanynecessarystoragedevices.

2. Decideonafile-namingschemeandcreateafile-namingcheatsheetforreference.3. Decideonafolderstructureandsetupyourfolders.

ReviewChapter1forstrategiestosetupyourdigitalstorageandfoldersystem.

Tohelpyoudecidewhichstoragedevicemayworkbestforyourphotocollection,usetheDigitalStorageOptionschart.

UnsurewhatallthetermsontheDigitalStorageOptionschartmean?I’lldecodethem.

CD/DVD:OpticalstoragemediasuchasCDsandDVDstypicallyoffertheleastexpensivestorage;however,arelativelyshortdisclifespanmakesitnecessarytomigratefilesregularly.M-DISC:Developedforlong-termarchivalstorage,theM-DISCDVDhasbeentestedbytheU.S.DepartmentofDefenseNavalAirWarfareWeaponsDivisionfacilityatChinaLake,California,andisratedtolastonethousandyears.Discsareavailablewithtwodifferentstoragecapacities:4GBand25GBperdisc.Theycostabout$3and$5perdisc.SD(SecureDigital)mediacard:ThestandardSDcardusedindigitalcamerasandotherportabledeviceshasacapacityof128MBupto1TBofflashmemory.SDcardsareconfiguredasoriginalStandardCapacity(SD),High-Capacity(SDHC),andeXtended-Capacity(SDXC).Theyareavailableinfull-size,mini,andmicroformats.NotalldevicesacceptallkindsofSDcards.SomeSDcards,mostnotablythepopularEyeFiMobiSDcard,includeabuilt-inWi-Fitransmitterthatcanwirelesslymovefilesfromcardtocomputerorcardtomobiledevice.AlthoughtherearenomovingpartstostorefilesontheSDcard,thecardshouldalwaysbeproperlyejectedfromthedevice.USBflashdrive:SimilartoanSDmediacardinstoringfilesinflashmemory,aUSBflashdriveisasmallmemory“stick”withintegratedUSBconnection.Capacityvariesbymodelandmanufacturer,withthehighestterabytestoragecostingmorethanacomparableexternalharddrive.LikeSDcards,thelifespanofaflashdriveisratedinread/writecycles.ThefastwritespeedmakesUSBflashdrivesagoodoptionforportablestorageortransferringfilesbetweendevices.Externalharddrive:Rapidpricedropsindigitalstoragehavemadeexternalharddrivesapopularoptionforarchivinglargedigitalcollections.AUSB,FireWire,orThunderboltconnectionistypicallyrequiredtomovefilesfromcomputertoexternalharddrive.Mostmodelsareportable,inexpensive,andefficientsolutionsfordigitalstorage.

Cloudstorage:AsInternetconnectionsbecomefasterandmorewidelyavailable,cloudstorageisaviableoptionforfilebackupsandarchiving.Manyproductsofferfreelimitedstoragewithannualsubscriptionplanstohandlemorestoragewhenneeded.Pricesandplansvarywidely,soit’sworthinvestigatingseveralcompaniesbeforedecidingwheretocommityourfiles.

Viewatextversionofthistable

DigitalStorageTipsTodeterminethestoragecapacityneeded,considerhowmanyphotosyouplantodigitize,thenumberofdigitalimagesyoualreadyhave,andthenumberofdigitalphotosyoutakeeachyear.Includeanydigitalvideosyoucurrentlyhaveorplantotakeinyourestimatesforthedigitalstoragecapacityneeded.Consideryourpurposefordigitalstorage:Whatstorageoptiondoyouneedforitemsyouwanttoaccessregularlyvs.storeoff-siteforarchivalpurposes?Youmayneedtouseacombinationofstorageoptionsforeveryday,backup,andarchivaluse.Whenconsideringcloudstorage,readthetermsandconditionsandprivacypolicy.Bewareanyservicethattakesawayyourcopyrighttotheimages.Makesureyouknowhowtoremoveyourfilesincaseyoucancelyoursubscriptionorthebusinessceasesoperation.

HowMuchDigitalStorageDoYouNeed?

Isitpossibletohavetoomuchdigitalstorage?Possibly,yes.Noteveryoneneedsa1TBexternalharddriveforstoringdigitalphotos.Butwiththeever-decreasingcostofdigitalstorage,itmaynotbeefficientnoreconomicaltopurchaseonlywhatyouneedtoday.

Notlongago,consumerswereadvisedtousemathematicalcalculationsofprojecteddigitalstorageneedswhenselectingnewstoragehardware.Aseriesofquestionshelpeddeterminehowmanygigabytesorterabytestheyneededtostoreacollectionofdigitalmusic,photos,videos,anddocuments.Allofthosecalculationsbecameobsoletewhenpeoplediscoveredtheirsmartphonecameras.Iftheyweren’ttakingphotosandvideosofchildrenandgrandchildren,theyweresnappingpicturesofoldcarsorrestaurantmeals,orscanningreceipts.Moredigitalfilesdemandedmorestorage.

Wecanonlyanticipateourfuturestorageneeds,butiftherecentpastisaguide,whateverstoragewehavetodaywon’tbeenough.MyapproachhasbeentopurchasemorestoragethanIneedtoholdmycurrentdigitalcollection.Whenmigratingtonewexternalharddrives,flashdrives,orSDcards,Ipurchasethenextsizeupfrommypresentmodels.Sofar,Ihaven’trunoutofstorageroom.

Myfirstexternalharddriveboastedacapacityof256MB,anditseemedhugeatthetime.Thosefilesweremigratedtoan“enormous”500MBdriveafewyearslater,andarenowstoredonmynew1TBdrive.Duringthosesameyears,Iownedaseriesofdigitalcameraswithhigherandhigherresolutions,includingmyfirstiPhonewithanimprovedcamera,andIcontinuedscanningmyfamilyphotocollectionashigh-resolutionTIFFfiles.

Yourdigitalstorageneedsmaybedifferent,ofcourse,butwhenpurchasingnewhardware,begenerousinanticipatingfutureneeds.EvaluateyourpresentandfuturedigitalphotostoragewiththeDigitalPhoto&VideoStorageWorksheetinChapter1.Andremembertoincludedigitalmovie,video,ormusiccollectionsthatwillalsoneedstorageandbackupspace.

DEVELOPASCANNINGPLAN

Onceyou’vegotyourstoragedevicechosenandequipmentsetup,it’stimetoputaplaninplaceforhowyou’llorganizeyourfilesafteryoudigitizethem.YouwillwanttocreateaSCANSfolderwherethephotoswillgowhenyoufirstscanthem.YouwillneedtodecideifyouwanttokeeptheworkingcopiesofyourscannedimagesinthesamePhotoLibraryasyourcurrentfamilyphotosorifyouwanttomaintainaseparateGenealogyPhotoLibrary.(SeeChapter1fortipsonsettingupyourPhotoLibrarysystem.)After

you’redonescanningabatchofphotos,you’llwanttomovethescannedoriginalstoyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder(ortoyourGENEALOGYPHOTOSfolder).Asyoumoveeachitem,renameitwithameaningfulfilenameandaddtags,keywords,andothermetadataasneeded.You’llalsoneedanImageVaultfoldertoholdmastercopiesofyourscannedimages.

TIPKeepitSimple

KeepyourPhotoLibraryandImageVaultfolderstructuresfairlysimpleanddon’tnestthemtoodeeply.Useyourcomputer’sSearchfeaturetolocatefiles,ifnecessary.

FileNamesandMetadataforScannedImages

Scannedimagesarenodifferentfromphotossnappedatarecentbirthdaypartyorfamilyreunion.Undoubtedly,you’llwanttoincludeinformationwiththefileaboutwhoisinthepicture,whenitwastaken,andwhateventwascelebrated.Thesedetailsareeasilyincludedinthemetadata(describedinChapter1),buttheyalsocanbeincludedinanabbreviatedformwithinthefilenameitselfwhennamingfiles.

BECONSISTENT:Ifyoualreadyuseafile-namingstructure,continuewiththesamestructureforyournewscannedimagefiles.Usethesamefile-namingrulesforallimagesandmakeyourdigitallifeeasierby

usingaconsistentfile-namingsystem.avoidingspecialcharacterssuchas<>?{}|!@#$%^&*().usingunderscoresanddashesinsteadofperiods,spaces,andslashes.keepingfilenamesshort.addingkeywordtagsandmetadata.

USEMEANINGFULFILENAMES:Afterscanningyourphotos,you’llhaveafolderofdigitalimagestobeorganizedandrenamedwithmeaningfulfilenames.Thiswillmakeyourfileseasiertoaccessandfindagainlater.Thefilenamesetbythescannerordigitalcameramaybegoodforcreatinguniquefiles,butitcanmakefindingfilesdifficultandconfusing.Renameyourfileswithdescriptiveormeaningfulfilenamessuchas

104_3674.JPGtokinsel-arline_1890_baptism.jpg(babyinbaptismgownphoto).104_3675.JPGtokinsel-jacob_1872_house.jpg(familyhomephoto).104_3676.JPGtokinsel-jacob_1885-ks-census_ks-atchison-grasshopper.jpg(censusimage).104_3677.JPGtoAAK_P0076.tif(foranumericphotocatalog).

Youcansavetimeandeliminateconfusionbyusingbatchfile-namingshortcutsinyourscanning,photo-editing,orphoto-managementsoftware.ThesefeaturesaretypicallyavailableascustomizableoptionsintheImportmenusasimagesaremovedintothe

photo-managementsoftwareorafterimportingbyselectingseveralfilesandapplyingtheRenamecommand.

YourImageVaultforScannedImages

Whenpreparingtostartadigitizationproject,you’llwanttocreateanImageVaultonanexternalstoragedevicesuchasanexternalharddriveoracloudstorageservice.ThinkoftheImageVaultasyouroriginalbackup—theplacewherevaluablemasterfilesarestored.Unlikeabankvault,youcantakeoutasmanycopiesofyourfilesasyouwish,buttheoriginalmasterfilesshouldneverleavethevault.

YoumightnameyourexternalharddriveIMAGEVAULTandthencreatedigitalfilefoldersinsideasneededtoholdyourmastercopiesfromdifferentscanningprojects.Keepfilesfromspecificscanningprojectstogether,orgroupbykindofitemdigitizedorbyfamilysurname.Useanorganizationalsystemthatmakessensetoyouandfitswithwhateverfolder-organizingschemeyouuseforyourhard-copygenealogyfiles.Youcouldorganizebyanyofthesemethods:

scanningdatesurnamefamilylinekindsofphotosblack-and-whitesnapshotsrecordtype(suchasvitalrecords,militaryrecords,diaries,correspondence,newspapers)

WorkingWithScannedTIFFandJPGFiles

Sofar,I’vetalkedaboutscanningfilesinarchivalTIFFformat,butTIFFfilesareverylargeandaren’tpracticalfore-mailingoreverydayaccess.ConsiderTIFFfilestobeyourmastercopies,yourinsurance;youcanusethesemasterstomakeaverygoodreplacementcopyiftheoriginalislostordamaged.Foreverydayuse,you’llneedJPGcopiesthattakelessstoragespaceandarewidelyacceptedforphotoprinting,Webprojects,andsharingwithfamilyandfriends.

TIFFVS.JPGCOMPARISONCHARTTIFF JPG

large,uncompressedfilesbestforarchivingwillnotdegradewhensavedrepeatedly

smaller,compressedoruncompressedfilesbestforworkingfiles,e-mailing,andphotosharingwilldeterioratewhenopenedandsavedrepeatedly

ConvertingTIFFtoJPG

Youdon’tneedspecialsoftwaretoconvertTIFFfilestoJPGfiles.ThisisastandardoptionavailableonWindowsandMaccomputersandinphoto-editingprogramssuchasAdobePhotoshopElements.BydigitizingheirloomoriginalphotosasTIFFsforarchivingandthenconvertingthemtoJPGformatforprintingandsharing,youwillhavetheoptimalstrategyforlong-termpreservationandpracticaleverydayaccess.

Here’showtoconvertyourimagefilesonaMac,inWindows,orusingAdobePhotoshopElements.

MACPREVIEW:InthestandardMacOSPreview,clickExportAs(orExport)andthenselectJPGformatfromthedrop-downmenu.WINDOWSEXPLORER:InWindows8,clicktoopenthephotointheEditwindow,chooseSaveaCopy,andthensaveastype:JPG.PHOTOSHOPELEMENTS:ClickontheFilemenuandthenSaveAs.SelectJPGformatinthedrop-downmenu.

StoringJPGImages

ThinkofyournewlycompressedJPGimagesasyourworkingfiles.Usethemforediting,sharing(viae-mailorsocialmedia),creatingphotoprojects(likephotobooks),andtranscribing.YoucanstoreyournewJPGimagefilesinthesamelocationastheoriginalTIFFmasterimages.JPGimageswillalwaysbeidentifiedbythe.jpgfileextension.OryoumaychoosetokeepyourJPGimagesinaseparateJPGfilefolder.Chooseanorganizationalmethodthatworksbestforyou.DonotopenthemasterfileunlessyouneedtocreateanewworkingJPGcopy.

WhenYouOnlyHaveJPGOriginals

It’snotalwayspossibletocreateadigitalTIFFfile,especiallywhenworkingwithdigitalcamerasandscanningimageswithmobiledevices.SomescanningsoftwareordevicesdonotsupporttheTIFFarchivalformat.IfyourmasterfileisintheJPGformat,itisagood

ideatoduplicatethisoriginalfileandmoveittoyourImageVaultsoyoualwayshaveoneunchangedoriginalimage.ConsiderthisJPGyourmasterfile.

BackItUp

Wheneveryoucompleteascanningsession,taketimetobackupyourfiles.Thebestbackupstrategyisthe3-2-1rule:

3copies2differentmedia1copystoredoff-site

Manydifferentcombinationswillprovideagoodbackupsolution,butthekeytoagreatbackupsystemistospreadoutyourcopiesacrossdifferentmediaanddifferentstoragelocations.Whenhurricanesandtornadoeswipeoutahomeandfamilyphotocollection,it’sreassuringtoknowthatdigitalcopiesaresafeinthecloudorstashedatarelative’shomeinanotherstate.Don’twaitforadisastertosafeguardyourpreciousfamilymemories.Practicethe3-2-1Backupruleregularly,especiallyafteramajorscanningsession.

CloudstoragecangetexpensiveforlargeimagecollectionsofTIFFandMOVfiles.Lookforotherwaystoprovidecost-effectiveoff-sitestorageifneeded,suchasaduplicateexternalharddrivestoredatarelative’shomeoratyourplaceofbusinessorinasafe-depositbox.

EstablishaScanningWorkflowPlan

Nowthatyou’vegotyourstoragedeviceandaplanfororganizingandbackingupyourdigitalfiles,you’llwanttocreateaplanforhowyou’lldothedigitizing—yourscanningworkflow.Here’sanexample:

STEP1:CREATEASCANSFOLDER.CreateadesktopfoldernamedSCANStoholdallyournewlyscannedfiles.ScanyourfilesintotheSCANSfolder.

STEP2:MOVESCANNEDIMAGESTOTHEPHOTOLIBRARY.ImportscannedimagesfromtheSCANSfoldertoyourPHOTOLIBRARYfolder.(SeeChapter1fordetailsonhowtosetthisup.)Ifyouusephoto-managementsoftware,importandmovefileswithinthesoftware.Ifpossible,usethesoftwaretohelpyourenamethefilesastheyaremoved.Whenyou’vefinishedtransferringyourscannedimagestoyourPhotoLibrary,theSCANSfolderwillbeempty.

STEP3:RENAME,TAG,ANDADDKEYWORDS.Ifyoudidn’trenamefilesasyoumovedthem,renamethemnowusingaconsistentfile-namingstructure.Alsoaddmetadatatotheimage,includingtagsandkeywords.

STEP4:BACKITUP.BackupyourPhotoLibrarytoyourImageVault,whichcanbeoneitheranexternalharddrive,acloudstorageservice,aDVD,orothermedia.

STEP5:ARCHIVE.CreateaPhotoArchivebybackingupyourImageVaultofscannedimages.Storethiscopyoff-site.YouwillneedtoaccessitonlyifyourImageVaultisdamagedordestroyed,orifyouneedtotransferittonewerstoragemedia.ThePhotoArchivecouldbestoredonanexternalharddrive,onanarchivalDVD,orviaanonlinebackupservice.

SUCCESSFULSCANNINGSTRATEGIES

There’sstillonemorethingyou’llneedbeforeyoustartdigitizingyourfamilyheritagephotographs:ascanner,ofcourse.Inthenextchapter,I’llintroduceyoutoseveraloptionsforat-homeandmobilescanningandprovidetipstostreamlineyourscanningsessionsandachievethebestpossibleimageswithdifferentdevices.

8ScanningEquipment

Myflatbedscannerhasoutlivedallcomputers,printers,andharddrivesinmyhomeoffice,yetIuseitforlongdigitizingsessionsmanytimesaweek.Itwasdefinitelyagoodinvestmentthatdelivershigh-qualitydigitalimagesreadyforrestoration,archiving,andsharing.Myall-in-oneprinteroffersscanningtoo,butthelimitedoptionsandlongerscanningtimeskeepmegoingbacktomyEpsonflatbedscannerwheneverIneedtoscanasinglephotooraboxfilledwithsnapshots.

Almostanyscannercanperformwonderfuldigitaltricks,butyouneedtoknowthesecretwordtounlockthedoor.ThatsecretwordisProMode.You’llneedtodiscoverwhat’sbehindthepreprogrammedProModetomakefulluseofyourscanner’ssoftwaretricks.Onceyouknowaboutthesehiddenfeatures,you’llknowwhattolookforwhenexploringnewequipmentforyourhomeandtravel.

Inthischapter,I’llintroduceyoutoawideselectionofscannersandscanningtools—fromofficedesktopmodelstosmartphonescanningappstoportablescannerstouseonthego.I’llalsowalkyouthroughthescanningoptionsandfeaturesyou’llwanttolookforwhenselectingascannertoarchiveanddigitizeyourheirloomfamilyphotos.

DIGITALSCANNERTERMINOLOGY

Whenyoufirststartlookingforascanner,thescanningjargonmaysoundlikeaforeignlanguage.Herearesomekeyscanningtermsandfeaturesyoushouldknow.

Autofilenaming:Savetimebyusingyourscanner’sfile-namingfeatures.Thisisusuallyavailablethroughthescanner’sPreviewwindowasanoptionforyoutoenteracustomnameandastartingnumber.Itusesthecustomnameyouprovideandautomaticallyaddsuniquesequentialnumberstoeachimage.Batchscanning:Thisfeatureletsyouscanmultiplephotosinonepassofthescanner.Somescannerswillautomaticallydetecteachitem;otherscannersrequiremanualselection.Eachphotoissavedandnamedindividually.Thisfeaturesavestimewhenscanninglargecollections.Color:Scannerstypicallyoffer8-bitor16-bitgrayscale(akablack-and-white)or24-bitor48-bitcoloroptionsforscanning.Coloristhebestchoicefordigitizingall

photographs,whethertheoriginalsareblack-and-whiteorcolor.The24-bitcolorwillgiveyouafullrangeofphoto-realisticcoloronyourscannedimages.Colorrestoration:Thisfeaturerestoresfadedcolortooldsnapshots.Cropping:Croppingallowsyoutocutoutunwantedpartsofanimage.Somescannerswillallowyoutopreviewtheimageandcropthephotobeforeyouscanit,soyougetonlythephoto(notthescannerbackground)inyourscan.Portabledevicestypicallyscanthefullscanningbedwithoutacroppingoption.Descreening:Thiseliminatesthetinydotsusedintheprintingprocessandimprovesscansofnewspaperandmagazinephotographs.DigitalICE:Usedigitalimagecorrectionandenhancement(ICE)toremovedustandscratcheswhendustremovalisnotsufficient.DigitalICErequiresalongerscanningtimeandhighercomputerresources,butitgivesahigher-qualityresult.Resultsarenotvisiblewhenyoupreviewtheimage.DigitalICEmaynotbeavailableforalldocumenttypes.Dustremoval:Thisoptionautomaticallyremovesdustontheoriginalitem;theeffectsarenotvisiblewhenyoupreviewtheimage.Youmayneedtoselectthelevelofcorrection:low,medium,orhigh.DustremovalmaynotbeavailableifdigitalICEisselected,andscanningtimewillbelonger.Fileformat:Mostscannersscandocumentsandphotosinmanyfileformats.TIFFisthebestchoiceforarchivalimages,butitcreateslargeimagefiles.MostdigitalcamerasandportabledevicesofferonlyJPGimages,whichismoreefficientforfilessavedtoremovablestoragesuchasanSDcardorflashdrive.Maxscanningsize:Popularofficescannersaccommodateletterandlegalsizepaper;somemodelscanhandleitemsupto11x17inchesandlarger.Portabledevicesmaybelimitedinscanningimagesize.Camerascandigitizeitemsofanysizeandshape.Negatives/film/slides:Aspecialfilmcarrierforscanningfilmandnegativesallowsthescannerlighttopassthroughthetransparency.Softwarecanconvertthenegativeimagetoapositiveimagewithfargreaterdetailthanisavailablebyscanningaprintedimage.Notallscannershavethisfeature.Resolution:Resolutionismeasuredindotsperinch(dpi)orpixelsperinch(ppi).Toachievegoodprintquality,digitalimagesshouldbeaminimum200dpiatthesizeyouwantprinted.Becauseimagesareoftenenlargedormodified,it’ssafertoaimforaresolutionof600dpiforyourphotoscans.

KEYFEATURESTOCONSIDER

Whenpurchasinganynewscanner—whetherit’saflatbed,all-in-one,ormobiledevice—you’llwanttoconsiderthefollowingfeatures:

overalldimensionsofmaximumscanareaincludedscanningsoftware,cables,filmaccessories,memorycards,andOCRsoftwarescanningspeedflush-edgeandremovable(oradjustable)coverforscanningboundbooksandartifactsabilitytoscancolor,text,andblack-and-white,plusoptionsforphotos,documents,andfilmresolutionoptionsthatrangefrom75dpithrough2400dpiorhigherpreviewandcroppingabilityfileformatoptions(JPG,TIFF,PDF,PNG,GIF,BMP)file-savingoptions,suchasscanningtoafolderoranapplicationfordesktopdevices,orbuilt-inmemoryorremovableSDcardformobilescannersfile-namingoptions,includingabilitytoaddcustomnamesandconsecutivenumbersimageadjustmentoptionsforcolorrestoration,descreening,dustremoval,anddigitalICEbatch-scanningoptionseaseofuseoverallfootprintandsizemanualandhelpoptions

Onceyounarrowyouroptions,checkoutreviewsofscannersatCNET<www.cnet.com>,PCMagazine<www.pcmag.com>,andImagingResource<www.imaging-resource.com>.

TIPBenefitsofOCRSoftware

OpticalCharacterRecognition(OCR)softwareisbundledwithmanyscannerstoprovidesearchabletextfromadigitalimage.Thismeansthatifyouscanadocumentorimagethathastext,yourtextwillbecomesearchable.Accuracyofthesearchabletextvaries,dependingonthequalityoftheoriginalimageandscanningequipment.

Viewatextversionofthistable

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DESKTOPSCANNERS

Whenitcomestoscanningheirloomphotographs,yourdigitizingequipmentisonlyhalfofthesolution.Youalsoneeddigitizingsoftwarethatwillproducehigh-qualityscansquicklyandeasily.Alldesktopflatbedscannersandall-in-onedevicesofferavarietyofscanningresolutions,fileformats,andotheroptions.Thekeyistofindascannerandsoftwaretosuityourworkstyle,needs,andbudget.

Ifyouroutinelydigitizeheirloomphotosanddocumentsorplanalargedigitizingproject,youwillappreciatethespeedandfeaturesofadedicatedflatbedscanner.Ifyouonlyneedtoscanphotosoccasionally,youmayfindanall-in-onedeviceisadequateforyourneeds.Eitherdeviceisasafeoptionfordigitizingheirloomphotosanddocuments.

FlatbedScanners

Thebestdigitizingequipmentformostfamilyhistoriansissimple,affordable,andefficient:adedicatedflatbedscanner,whichusuallycostsunder$200.Lookforascannerwithuser-friendlysoftwareofferingbatchscanningandfilenaming,alongwithafilmcarrier,aplasticaccessoryusuallyincludedforscanningcolorandblack-and-whitenegatives,slides,andfilm.Theresultingdigitalimagefromscannedfilmissharperandmorepristinethanascannedpaperimageandwellworththeeffortforspecialimages.Evenifyouthinkyouwon’tbescanningfilmorslides,thefirsttimeyoudoneedtodigitizeanoldblack-and-whitenegativefoundtuckedinsideaphotoenvelope,you’llbegladyouhavetheoptiontoworkwithfilmonyourflatbedscanner.SeveralEpsonflatbedmodelshavethesefeatures.

Itcanbetemptingtotrycompactslidescanners,negativescanners,ordigitizinggadgetsthatpromise“fast,easyresults,”butI’vefoundthatadedicatedflatbedscannerwithfilmcarriereasilyhandlesmostofmydigitizingneeds.Irecommendchoosingaflatbedscannerwhenyouwanttodigitizeitemsthatwilleasilyfitontheglassofyourscannersuchasheirloomphotographs,snapshots,colororblack-and-whitenegatives,andslides.

FLATBEDPROS FLATBEDCONS

accommodatesmanykindofitemsaffordablefasterthanall-in-onedevicesconsistent,high-qualitydigitizedimagesincludedsoftwareoffersadvancedscanningoptionstime-savingfeaturesofbatchscanningandfilehandlingseparatefilmcarriercanscannegatives,film,andslides

limitedtosizeofscanningbedrequiresflat,stablesurface

All-in-OneDevices

Youmayalreadyuseanall-in-oneprinter,scanner,andcopierdeviceinyourhomeofficeandbereluctanttoaddanotherpieceofequipmentsuchasadedicatedflatbedscanner.Anall-in-onedeviceisagoodoptionforoccasionalscanning,especiallyifworkspaceislimited.Dependingonthemanufacturerandmodel,youmayhavethesamescanningsoftwareavailableondedicatedscanners;however,becausefilmscanningrequiresbothaspecialfilmcarrierandalightsourceabovethefilm,mostall-in-onedevicesareunabletodigitizenegativesandslides.Iwasdelightedtofindthatmynewlarge-formatEpsonall-in-oneincludedthesameEpsonscansoftwareIusedforyearswithmyEpsonV500flatbedscanner.TheonlyfeatureImissedwasthefilm-scanningcapabilityofmydedicatedscanner.

Besuretoalsoconsideranall-in-onedevice’sfeaturessuchasanoptionalsheet-feedmechanismanditsabilitytoscanboundbooks.Butkeepinmindthattherollerinasheet-feedmechanismcanmangleanddamagefragilepapersandphotos.Toavoidtheriskofruiningyourheirloomphotos,usetheall-in-onedevice’sflatbedportiontoscanyourimages.

ALL-IN-ONEPROS ALL-IN-ONECONS

savesdesktopspaceeconomical

slowerscanningspeedthanaflatbedscannerlimitedscanningformat,resolution,andfile-namingoptionsfewimageadjustmentsusuallycannotscannegatives,film,orslides

MOBILEDIGITIZINGEQUIPMENT

Youmayhaveheardtheoldadage,“Thebestcameraistheoneyouhavewithyou.”It’struefordigitizingequipmentlikescanners,too.Howmanytimeshaveyouwishedyouhadyourflatbedscannerhandytocopyastackoffamilyphotoscautiouslysharedbyanelderlyrelative?Youknowthismaybeyouronlyopportunitytoviewandcopythosesnapshots,andyouneedtogetthebestimagespossible.Theroomiswarmandpoorlylitbyonlyafewtablelamps.Yourgreat-auntisnoteagertoletthephotosleaveherhome.Youroptionsaresimple:asmartphonecamera,whichwillresultinfairlygood,butnotgreat,copies,ornothing.Butwait—there’sanotheroption:mobilescanners.Severalmodelsofportabledevicesofferyetanothermethodfordigitizingphotographsonthego.Thesedevicesfallintotwocategories:portableflatbedscannersandhandheldwandandmousescanners.

Full-SizePortableFlatbedScanners

TheCanoScanLiDEportablescanner<www.canon.com>ispopularwithresearcherswhowanttousetheirownscanningequipmentatlibrariesandarchives.TheCanoScanLiDEoffersafull-sizescanningflatbedpoweredbyaUSBcableattachedtoyourWindowsorMaclaptopcomputer.Thescannerisaboutthesizeofasmalllaptopcomputerandfitseasilyinsideacomputerbagwithalaptop.Ofcourse,thetrade-offforlightweightportabilityisthescanner’soverallplasticbuild,sobecarefultoprotectthedevicefromdamagebytransportingitinapaddedcomputerbagwiththelidclosedandsecuredwithapieceofplastictape.

TheCanoScanLiDEportablescannerdelivershigh-qualityletter-sizescansinavarietyofresolutionsandfileformats,includingTIFF,andthesoftwareincludedcan

stitchtogethermultiplescansofoversizeitems.YoucansaveimagestothelaptopharddriveordirectlytoanSDcardorUSBflashdriveforlatertransfertoyourphotocollection.

TheCanoScanLiDEcancapturean8.5x11-inchimageinonescanasanarchivalTIFF,andithastheabilitytoaddfilenamesasyouwork.ThesefeaturessaveconsiderabletimewhenyoureturnhomeandmoveyournewdigitalimagestoyourPhotoLibrary.Themaindrawbackofthisscanner,however,isthatitssoftwareislessuser-friendlythanotherscanners.Toworkaroundthisdisadvantage,installanduseHamrick’sVueScansoftwareonyourlaptopwiththeCanoScanLiDE.Atapricepointunder$100,thisisagoodportablescannerforresearchers.

CANOSCANLiDEPROS CANOSCANLiDECONS

portable,lightweight,fitsinalaptopbaginexpensivepermittedinmanyarchivesandlibrariesdoesn’tdamagedocumentsorphotosscansletter-sizesheetsinoneoperationscansinmultipleresolutionsandfileformats,includingarchivalTIFFoffersbatchscanningandfilenamingcropsimagesautomaticallyUSBpowered(noneedforbatteries)savesimagestocomputer/storagemediacoverhingeallowsforbookscanning

unintuitivescannersoftwaredoesn’thavefilmornegativecarrier

SmallPortableFlatbedScanners

TheFlip-Palportableflatbedscannerispopularwithmanyfamilyphotofansbecauseofitsunique“flip-and-scan”feature.Thisscannerwasdesignedbyfamilyhistorianstoeasilyscanphotosatfamilygatherings.TheFlip-Paloffershigh-qualityJPGscanningcomparabletoatraditionallargerscanner.Othermanufacturersarenowofferingsimilarproducts,aswell.

The4x6-inchscanningbedandlimitedresolution(300or600dpi)areadequateformostfamilysnapshotsandcreategood-qualityimagesforrestorationwork.Thescanner’ssmallsizeallowsittobeflippedupside-downtocopylargephotosoroversizedocumentsinmultipleimagesthatcanbe“stitched”togetherusingtheincludedEasyStitchsoftware.

TheFlip-PalispoweredbyfourAAbatteries;alkaline,photolithium,orrechargeablebatteriesmaybeused,butrechargeablebatterieswillscannearlythreetimesmorephotos

thanalkalinebatteries.Ifyou’regoingtodoalotofscanning,youwillsavemoneyinthelongtermbyinvestinginasetofqualityrechargeablebatteries,suchasthenewestgenerationnickel-metalhydride(NiMH)rechargeablebatteries,whichrechargefastandcanholdtheirchargeforuptoninemonths.Irecommendpurchasinganextrasetofrechargeablebatteries,too,soyouwillbesetforanyscanningthatcomesalong.

ImagesscannedwiththeFlip-PalmobilescanneraresavedtoastandardSDcard(includedwiththescanner)andcanbetransferredtoyourcomputerlikeanydigitalimage.ManyusersautomatetransferbyusingtheWi-Fi-enabledEyefiMobiSDcard(seeChapter2),whichcansendthescannedimagesdirectlyfromcardtocomputerasyouwork.

TheFlip-Palisnotreallyefficientforheavyofficedocumentscanningduetothesmallscanningbed,limitedfileformats,andbattery-onlyoperation,butthesesamefeaturesmakeitaterrificmobiledigitizingtool.

FLIP-PALPROS FLIP-PALCONS

funtouse,lightweight,portable,affordablegoodforvisitswithrelativesandon-siteresearchatlibrariesandarchivesEasyStitchsoftwareextendsscansizeoptionsquickscanningtimewithstandard(300dpi)andhigh(600dpi)resolutionhasaremovablecovertoscanartifactsandoversizeitemspermittedinmanyarchivesandlibrarieswillnotdamagedocumentsorphotosusesrechargeablebatteriesacceptsstandardSDcards;alsowillacceptwireless-enabledEyefiMobiSDcardeverythingisincluded:batteries,SDcard,software

limitedsizeofglassflatbedscanningarealimitedtoJPGformatlimitedtotwooptionsforresolutionlimitedimageenhancementsavailablenumberofscanslimitedbycardstoragebatterypowered,soyoumustcarryextrasdoesn’tscannegatives,film,orslides

ANoteAboutOlderScanners

Ifyouhaveanolderscannerthatnolongerworkswithyourcomputerorupgradedoperatingsystem,youmightbeabletouseitwiththird-partyscanningsoftwaresuchasVueScanfromHamrickSoftware<www.hamrick.com>orSilverFastbyLaserSoft<www.lasersoft.com>.I’veusedVueScansuccessfullywithseveralscanners,includinganHPAll-in-One,Epsonflatbed,andCanonCanoScanLiDEflatbed.

VueScanforWindows,MacOSX,andLinuxoffersfeaturessimilartotheEpsonscannersoftwareforbatchscanning,renaming,andediting,andit’scompatiblewithmorethan2,500scanners.SilverFastissoldinBeginnerandProfessionaleditions

forspecificscannermodels,includingmorethan350differentscannersforWindowsandMaccomputers.

WandandMouseScanners

Manygenealogistsregularlyuseaportablewandormousescannertodigitizeresearchmaterial,especiallypagesfrombooks,magazines,orotherdocuments.Thelowcostandportabilityofwandandmousescannersareattractivefeatures,andyoucanachievegood-qualityscanswithalittlepracticeandasteadyhand.LiketheFlip-Palmobilescanner,wandandmousescannerscaptureJPGimagesonly,buttheyoffercordless,batterypoweredmobilityinahandhelddevice.

Thescanningmechanisminwandandmousescannersislocatedinsidethedevicefacingtheopenunderside.Smallrollersontheundersideofthemouseorwandscannerhelpthedeviceglideoverthepaper,scanningtheimageasitpasses.Somearchivesandlibraries,includingtheNationalArchivesinWashington,D.C.,donotpermittheuseofscanningdeviceswithmovingpartssuchaswandormousescanners.Ifyouplantouseawandormousescannertocopyresearchon-site,it’sagoodideatocheckthelibraryorarchivescanningpolicybeforeyougo.

Whenconsideringawandormousescanner,you’llwanttobesuretolookatfourkeyfeatures:

lengthofthewand,becauseitdeterminesthewidthofmaterialthatcanbescannedpowersource,suchasbatterypowerorACadapternumberofscansperbatterychargenumberofscansstoredonthedeviceorSDcard

WandScanners

Sometimescalled“MagicWand”scanners,theseportablestick-typescannersrequiretheusertomovethewandovertheitem.Typicalscannersettingsvarybymodelandofferscanningresolutionfrom300dpiupto900dpi.FilesaresavedinJPGorPDFformattointernalmemoryortoamicroSDcard(thetinyversionofthestandardSDcard),dependingonthemodel.YoucantransfertheimagestoyourPhotoLibraryviaaUSBcable.WandscannersarebatterypoweredwithAAorrechargeablelithiumbatteries.

Wandscannersarepopularwithresearcherswhoneedtocopypagesfrombooksorotherprintedmaterial,butmostusersfindtheresultsarelesssatisfactorywith

photographsandimageswhereyoumaywantahigh-qualitydigitalfileforrestoration,reproduction,andarchiving.

MouseScanners

SmallhandheldmousescannersresembleacomputermousebutincludeamultidirectionalscanningmechanismthatcancopyadocumentorphotoinanydirectionwhentheScanfeatureisactivated.Thescanismadebysweepingthemousebackandforthovertheitemuntiltheentiresurfacehasbeencopied.Usersreportthatitworkswellforsmallreceiptsanddocuments,butphotosarebestdigitizedwithanothermethod.

WANDANDMOUSEPROS WANDANDMOUSECONS

affordablesmall,lightweight,portablegoodscansfortextandboundbooks

requiresaflat,stablesurfacemaybedifficulttoachievegoodresultsscansonlyflatitemsnumberofscansislimitedbydeviceorSDcardstoragelimitedfileformatsandresolutionoptionsnotpermittedinalllibrariesandarchivesbatterypowered,soyoumustcarryextrascan’tscannegatives,film,orslides

DIGITALCAMERASASSCANNERS

IfIcouldonlyhaveonedigitizingdevice,itwouldbehardtochoosebetweenaflatbedscannerandadigitalcamera.Thescannerisbetterforcapturinghigh-resolutiondetailandnuancesofcolorinheirloomphotographs,butit’shardtofitalargeantiqueprintonthestandard-sizeglassbedofascanner.That’swhenIbringoutmydigitalcamera,settheresolutiontomaximummegapixels,turnofftheflash,andsnapmultiplephotosfromdifferentangles.Whenpairedwithatripodandautomaticshutterrelease,adigitalcameracanbecomeado-it-yourselfcopystationthatspeedsupdigitizingscrapbooks,photoalbums,andoversizephotographs.

Lookforadigitalcamerawithaminimum5megapixel(MP)resolution.LearntoturnofftheAutoFlashsoyourimagesaren’truinedbyaflashburstoroverexposedwithtoomuchlight.Ifyouhaveachoicebetweenasmartphone,digitalpoint-and-shootcamera,digitalSingleLensReflex(SLR)camera,orMirrorlessFour-Thirds(M4/3)camera,alwaysselecttheonewiththelargestimagesensor.Thelargerthesensor,themorelightwillbeavailabletothecameralenstorecordtheimage,resultinginabetterpicture.LearnmoreaboutdigitalimagesensorsandfindtheimagesensorsizeofyourowngearatCameraImageSensor<cameraimagesensor.com>.

DIGITALCAMERAPROS DIGITALCAMERACONS

versatile,affordablegoodforalmostanyitembestdevicetodigitizeoversizeand3-DobjectsexpandablestoragewithremovableSDstoragecardsfastforcreatingdigitalimages

requiresgoodlightneedsatripodforbestresultsmostconsumercamerasofferJPG-onlyfileformatnumberofscansislimitedbydeviceorstoragecardbatterypowered,soyoumayneedextrascan’tscannegatives,film,orslides

DOCUMENTCAMERAS

Documentcamerasaren’twell-knownoutsideofschoolswheretheyhavelargelyreplacedtheoverheadprojectorofpastclassrooms.Newtechnologyhasmadethesecamerasaviablealternativeforfast,high-qualityscansofphotosanddocuments.ThetinycameraispositionedonanadjustablearmconnectedbyUSBcabletoacomputer.Softwareincludedwiththedevicecapturesanythingwithinviewofthecamerainphotosandvideosforscreendisplayorasadigitalfile.

HistorianscanusedocumentcamerastoquicklydigitizedocumentsandphotosinJPG,TIFF,orPDFformat.Becausetheitemrestsonthetableordesk,there’snoneedtomanipulateaboundbookorfragileoversizephotoontoascanningbed.Andtheweighteddocumentcameraarmactslikeatripodtoholdthecamerasteadyforashake-freeshot.Itmaybenecessarytoextendthecameraarmheighttodigitizelargeritems.Theintegratedlightaidsimagecaptureinlow-lightsituationscommontolibrariesandarchives.

DocumentcamerasarepoweredthroughaUSBcableconnectiontoyourWindowsorMaccomputer,andscannedimagescanbesavedtothecomputer,anSDcard,USBflashdrive,orotherstoragedevice.

Fast,high-qualityscansmakethemgoodportabledevicesfordigitizingmanyitemsquickly,especiallyforresearchdocumentsorphotoalbumpages.

Lookforthehighestresolutiondocumentcameras,suchasthenewSolo8modelsfromHoverCam<www.thehovercam.com>.

DOCUMENTCAMERAPROS DOCUMENTCAMERACONS

createsfastdigitalscanspermittedinmanyarchivesandlibrariesdoesn’tdamagedocumentsorphotoscompactandsturdyoffersmultipleresolutionsandfileformats,includingTIFFintegratedlightishelpfulindarklibrariesvideooptionsareusefulfordemonstrationsautomatedscanningfunctionsspeedlargescanningprojectsUSBpowered(noneedforbatteries)multiplefilestorageoptions

moreexpensivethanatypicalscannerordigitalcameraheavierandbulkierthanadigitalcameramayneedtoextendcameraheightforlargeitemsnooptionforscanningnegatives,film,orslides

SMARTPHONESASSCANNERS

Itdoesn’ttakeanyspecialskillorequipmenttocaptureacceptableimagesofarecipeorrestaurantreceiptusingyoursmartphonecamera.Mostmobilephonesincludeacameralensandbuilt-insoftwarethatrivaldedicatedpoint-and-shootcamerasforoutdoorshootinganddoagoodjobindoorswithadequatelight.

Smartphonecamerastaketerrificphotos,butcapturingagoodscannedimageisnotthesameassnappingavacationscene,sosmartphonesaren’talwaysthebestchoicefordigitizingphotographs.Thesmallimagesensorlimitstheamountoflightthatthecameralenscantakein,makingithardertocaptureasharpimageinlow-lightsituations.Becausegenealogiststypicallydigitizephotosanddocumentsindoors,thislimitationcanresultinfuzzyimages.

Enterscanningapps.Scanningappsaredesignedspecificallytoaddressthechallengesoflow-lightdocumentcapture.Scanningappsofferfeaturessuchascropping,deskewing,lightcorrection,andvariousfileformatoptions.Someofthemostpopularscanapps:

CamScanner(Android,iOS)<www.camscanner.com>DocScan(iOS)<ifunplay.com/docscanapp.html>GeniusScan(Android,iOS,WinPhone)<www.thegrizzlylabs.com>HandyScanner(Android)<www.halfmobile.net>Prizmo(Mac,iOS)<www.creaceed.com/prizmo>ScannerPro(iOS)<readdle.com>TurboScan(iOS,Android)<turboscanapp.com>

TaketimetoinvestigateappsavailableforyourAndroidoriOSdeviceandlearntousetheirfeatures.Ifyou’reconsideringusingyoursmartphoneasyourscanner,youmay

wanttogetsomeadditionalgear,includingascanningapp,acameragrip,andatripod.It’salsogoodtobemindfulofthelimitedbatterylifeandstorageoptionsformostsmartphones.SeetheAppendixforacompletelistofscanningresources.

SMARTPHONEPROS SMARTPHONECONS

convenient(youmayalreadyhaveone)smallandportablecandigitizeitemsofnearlyanysizeorformatsafeforfragileandolditemspermittedinmanyarchivesandlibraries

requiresgoodlightscansmaybebetterwithatripodJPG-onlyfileformatcanbeexpensivetopurchasenumberofscansislimitedbydeviceorstoragecardmaydrainyourdevice’sbatterycan’tscannegatives,film,orslides

ESSENTIALSCANNINGACCESSORIES

High-qualitydigitalimagesareeasiertoachievewithafewsimpleaccessories,suchas:

amicrofiberglasscleaningclothasoftartist’sorphotolensbrush

Helpfulaccessoriesforscanningwithadigitalcameraorsmartphone:

astandardrigid-legtripodaflexible-legtripod(suchastheJobyGorillaPod<www.joby.com>)amicrofiberlensclothwiredorwirelessshutterremoteascanningappforsmartphonescanningextrabatteriesandmemorycards

WHENTOCALLINTHEPROS

Althoughdigitizingiseasyandaffordableusinghomeequipment,therearetimeswhenitmakessensetouseaprofessionaldigitizingservice,especiallywhenyouneedtoscananykindoffilm.Becausenegatives,slides,andmoviefilmholdmoredetailthanprintedphotographs,eachframeneedstobescannedatahigherresolution,whichtakesmoretimeperscan.Forexample,afull-color600dpiscanofaprinted3x5.5-inchblack-and-whitesnapshottakesabouttwenty-fiveseconds.Incontrast,scanningthe2.5x4.5-inchBrownienegativeofthesameimageintherecommended2400dpiresolutiontakesabouttwominutes.Ifyouneedtoscanonehundrednegatives,thescanningtimealone—notincludingsetup—willrequirenearlythreeandahalfhours.Doyouhavethetimeavailableforthisproject?

Youmayhaveadifferentsituationandwanttodigitizeonlyafewslidesormovies,butlacktheproperequipment.Sendingyourworktoaprofessionalservicewillbemoreeconomicalandefficientthanpurchasingandlearningtooperateanewscannerforonlyoneproject.

Professionaldigitizingservicesvaryfromhigh-qualityprofessionalswhodoallworkon-sitetoautomatedscanningby“big-box”storeswhosendcrate-loadsofphotosoverseasforcheapturnaround.Don’tletthisscareyouawayfromseekingoutareputablecompanytohelpyoudigitizeyourfamilyphotos,negatives,slides,andmovies.Herearethekeyfeaturestolookfor.

Localbusiness,on-sitework:Callaheadandaskifyoucandeliveryourphotos.Takeasmallorderandthenaskforatour,orlookaroundandobservetheequipmentandprocess.Ifyouneedtoshipyourphotos,askwhattheintakeandtrackingprocedureinvolves.Equipment:Someautomatedequipmentisacceptableformodernphotos,butask:Howdoesthecompanyworkwithfragilephotos,negatives,andslides?Fileformats:Makesuretheydeliveryourscansbacktoyouinaformatyoucanuse,suchasJPGorTIFF.Imageadjustment:Isthisavailable?Canyourequestuntouchedimages?Filedelivery:SomecompaniesofferInternetdownloads,flashdrives,orexternalharddrives.Besureyouknowhowyourdigitalcopies(andthehardcopiesyoudropoff)willbereturnedtoyou.Cost:Becarefulaboutselectingaservicebasedonpricealone.Testanewfirmwithasmalljobbeforecommittingtoabiggerproject.Lookforonlineandlocaldiscountcoupons,andaskaboutdiscountsforreturncustomers.

9ScanningTactics

ThefirsttimeIscannedaphotographofmygrandmotherandzoomedintoviewthedigitalimageonmycomputerscreen,Ifeltashiftinattitudetowardmyphotoinheritance.Insteadoffeelinglikeafamilymemberviewinganoldsnapshot,Ibecamearesearchhistorian,scrutinizingthephotoforcluesinmygrandmother’sjewelry,clothing,andsurroundings.Thedigitalimageallowedmeacloseexaminationoftheimage,andwhenIlookedatmyscanofthephoto’sreverseside,Idiscoveredfainthandwriting.Withafewadjustmentsinmyphoto-editingsoftware,Iwasabletoreclaimthefadedhandwritingandreadthecaptionidentifyingthedateandplacethephotowastaken.AfterIfinishedworkingwithphotoclues,Itouchedupadigitalcopytouseinaphotobooktosharewithmysisterandextendedfamily.

Digitizingfamilyphotoswithascannerorcameradoesmuchmorethanpreserveimagecopies.Asingledigitalimagecanbeshared,restored,reprinted,andusedincountlesscreativefamilyhistoryprojects—allyouneedisascannerordigitalcamera.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

Beforeyoubeginanydigitizingproject,taketimetolearnaboutyourequipmentandhowtoaccessthefullrangeofitsavailablefeatures.Whenusingaflatbedscanner,turnonitsProModetoviewalloptionsforyourscanningproject.Thiswillallowyoutoaccessthefullrangeoffeaturesofferedbyyourscanneranditsscanningsoftware.You’lllikelyneedtoturnoffAutoModetoaccessthecustomorprofessionalfeatures.Whenusingadigitalcameraorsmartphonecamera,taketimetounderstandhowtoturntheflashonandoff,howtosetthecameraresolution,andhowtoconfirmthedateandtimearecorrect.

WorkingWithFileFormats

MostfamilyphotographersandgenealogistscaptureimagesinJPGformat.Thisisthedefaultfileformatforconsumerdigitalcameras,smartphones,andtablets.YoumayhaveheardthatJPGfileslosesomedataeverytimethefileisopened,edited,andsaved.ThisispartofthecompressionfeaturethatkeepsJPGfilessmallenoughtobeeffectivefore-mailingandonlineuse.EachtimeyoueditandsaveaJPG,aneweditedversionoverwritesandcompressestheoldversion.Afeweditsandsavesdon’tappreciablyalter

theimageformostofus,butmanyedits,tweaks,crops,andadjustmentscanleaveyouwithavirtuallyunusable,pixelatedimage.

Whenyouuseascannertocaptureimages,youhavemanymorefileformatoptionsincludingTIFF,alosslessuncompressedimageformat.TIFFfilesdonotusefilecompression,andyouroriginalfiledoesnotdegradeinqualitywitheacheditandsave.Ifyoucropandadjustthecolorofanoriginalandsaveyouredits,however,theoriginalfilewillbeoverwrittenbythechanges,andyouwillbeunabletoreverttotheoriginal.

Theopen-standardPortableDocumentFormat(PDF)isathirdcommonfileformatoftenusedbyfamilyhistorians.PDFisusefulforcreatingadocumenttoholdmultiplepagesofscannedresearchmaterials,buttheadjustmenttoolsarelimitedandmaynotgiveyouenoughoptionstoenhancecolorandadjustcontrastwhenyouneedtoreadandtranscribeolddocumentsandfadedhandwriting.It’sbettertostickwithTIFForJPGformatsforscannedphotosanddocumentsandthencombinethefilesintoaPDFdocumentforarchiving.Forphotographs,scanusingTIFFformatwhenpossible.

TIPJPGvs.TIFF

JPGisafileformatthatusescompressionwhensavingfilesandiscalledalossyfileformatbecauserepeatedopeningandsavingofJPGfilesdeterioratestheimagequalityovertime.TIFFisafileformatthatdoesnotusecompressionwhensavingfilesandisconsideredalosslessformatbecauseitmaintainsitsqualityovertime.

HOWTOSCANANHEIRLOOMPHOTO

Whenyou’rereadytostartdigitizingyourfamilyphotos,prepareasturdysurfacetoholdyourscannerandphotographs.Iliketoworkwithtwofoldersorsmallboxestoholdphotos,labeledToBeScannedandScanned.ThishelpsmeavoidlosingmyplaceifI’minterruptedduringthescanningsession.Usethischecklisttoguideyouthrougheachstepinpreparingyourequipment,yourphotos,andyourscannersettings.

Viewatextversionofthistable

ScanningTipsStarteachscanningsessionbycleaningthescannerglass.Washyourhandsbeforehandlingphotos.Handlephotosonedgesorwearwhitecottongloves.Removelightdustordirtfromphotographsbylightlyusingasoftartist’sbrush.

STEP1:WASHHANDSANDCLEANSCANNERGLASS.Starteachscanningsessionbycleaningtheglassbedofthescannerwithasoftmicrofiberclothlightlydampenedwithwaterorglasscleaner.Avoidsprayingdirectlyontheglass.Repeatthisstepfrequentlyduringlongscanningsessions.Oldphotosoftenleavedustandbitsofcrumblingpaperontheglassbedafterhandling.Cleantheglassoften.Also,washyourhandsorwearwhitecottonglovesbeforehandlingphotos.

STEP2:CLEANPHOTOS.Useasoftartist’sbrushtolightlydustoffanyloosedirtfromyourphotographprints.Donotuseanerasertoremovemarksorsmudges;instead,relyonphoto-editingsoftwaretotouchupandrestore.

STEP3:SETFORMATTYPE(REFLECTIVEORFILM).Photographsprintedonpaperare“reflective”documents;thatis,thelightemittedbythescannerisreflectedbackintothedevice.Negatives,slides,andmoviefilmaretransparentandallowthelighttogothroughtheitem.Choosetheappropriatesettingforyourphotoorfilm.

STEP4:SETRESOLUTION.Scannerresolutionissetindotsperinch(dpi),areferencetotheratioatwhichtheoriginalimageisconvertedfromprinteddotstodigitalpixels.WhenIstartedscanningmyphotocollection,Ifollowedadviceto“usethehighestresolutionpossible”andsoondiscoveredthattheresultingfileswereenormousandfarlargerthannecessary.Inowfollowaprotocoladoptedbymuseumsandarchivesthatneedtoprocessmaterialefficientlyandeffectively,andscanmostphotosat600dpi.

I’vefoundthata600dpiscanofa4x6-inchprintwillprovideagood-quality8x10-inchenlargementorexcellentsame-sizereproductionoftheoriginal.Whenmyoriginalisextremelysmall—forexample,asinglefaceinalargegroupphotooratinyschoolpicture—Isetthescannerresolutionto1200dpiandmakeanadditionalscanfocusingontheindividual.Film,slides,andnegativesholdmoreinformationthanprintedphotosandshouldbescannedatahigherresolutionaswell,typically2400to3200dpi.RefertotheScanningGuidelinescharttoseerecommendedsettingsforvariousphototypes.

STEP5:SETCOLORCHOICE.Select24-bitcolor.Asfamilyhistoriansandarchivists,ourgoalistopreservephotographsanddocumentsinanear-originalform.Youcaneasilyaccomplishrestorationandenhancementinphoto-editingsoftwareworkingfromafull-

colorimageoftheoriginalphotographordocument.Scaneverythinginfullcolor,includingblack-and-whitephotographsandhandwrittendocuments.

Yourscannermayhaveseveraldifferentcolorchoicesusedbygraphicartistsfordesignandprinting,alongwithoptionsfor8or16bits/channel.ItypicallyusethestandardsRGB(Red,Green,Blue)at8bits/channel(24bitstotal);thisallowslatermanipulationofthecolorchannelsinmyphoto-editingsoftware.

STEP6:TURNONADJUSTMENTOPTIONS,IFDESIRED.Ifyouwanttoapplyimageadjustmentstotheoriginalscanandsaveeditingtime,youcandosointhescanningsetup.Themostcommonadjustmentsincludecolorrestorationtoautomaticallyadjustforfadedcolorprintsanddustremoval,anddigitalICEtoremovedustandscratches.

STEP7:SETFILE-NAMINGANDFILE-SAVINGPREFERENCES.OnanEpsonscanner,theseoptionsarefoundinasecondwindowaccessedwiththeFolderbutton.Forarchive-qualitydigitalcopies,selectTIFFformatwheneverpossible.SavenewscanstoyourSCANSfolder.

STEP8:PREVIEWANDCROPIMAGE.PlaceyourphotoontheglassscanningbedandclickthePreviewbutton.Ifyoudon’tseethePreviewbutton,youmaybeoperatingintheautoscanningmode.ClicktheModedrop-downmenuandselectHome,Office,orProfessionalMode.IrecommendProfessionalModeforfullaccesstoallfeatures.Tocroptheimage,clicktheMarqueeselectionbuttonandnotethedottedline.Thisdefinestheareathatwillbescanned.Clickanddragthedottedlinetoselecttheentirephoto.Iliketoincludetheborder.

STEP9:SCANFRONTANDBACK.Alwaysscanthefrontandbackofthephototocaptureanyhandwrittenremarksorphotographer’sinformationthatcouldhelpidentifyanddatetheimage.UsethesamefilenamewiththesuffixRforRecto(rightside,orfront)andVforVerso(reverseside).Orusesequentialnumbersinbatchfilenamingwithoddnumbersindicatingtherightsideandevennumbersindicatingthereverse.

HEIRLOOMPHOTOSCANNINGCHECKLISTSTEP1:Washyourhands.Cleanthescannerglass.STEP2:Lightlydustthephoto.STEP3:SetformattoPHOTOGRAPH(orREFLECTIVE).STEP4:Setresolutionto600dpi.STEP5:Setcolorto24-bitcolor.STEP6:Setadjustments(optional):ColorRestoration,Descreening,etc.STEP7:Setfile-savingandfile-namingtoTIFF.SavetodesktopSCANSfolder.STEP8:Previewandcrop.STEP9:Scanthephoto’sfrontandback.

HOWTOSCANMULTIPLESNAPSHOTSATONETIME

Ifyouhavescannedslidesorastripofnegatives,youmayhavenoticedoptionstoscanmultipleimages.Youcansavetimebyscanningmultiplephotosordocumentsaswell.Forbestresultswhenscanningmorethanoneitematatime:

Leaveaclearlydefinedspacebetweentheimagestohelpthescanneridentifyeachitem.Groupitemsofthesametype:allblack-and-whitephotoswithgoodcontrast,allcolorportraits,allcolorsnapshots,etc.Groupitemsofthesamesize.Leaveroomattheedgeoftheglassdocumentbedsothescancapturestheedges.

ThefollowingstepsareforusinganEpsonflatbedscanner.Otherbrandsofscannersshouldhavesimilarsoftwareoptions.

STEP1:PLACEPHOTOS.Washyourhands(orwearwhitecottongloves)andcleanthescannerglass.Placeyourphotosordocumentsontheglassdocumentbedleavingaboutahalfinchbetweeneachphoto.

STEP2:CHOOSESCANNERSETTINGS.Forphotos,use600dpi,24-bitcolor.AlwaysscaninColorModetocapturethefullrangeofcolor.(SeetheScanningGuidelineschartfordetails.)

STEP3:SELECTFILENAMES,FILEFORMAT,ANDSCANFOLDER.Choosethelocationofthefoldertoholdyourscannedimages.(IuseadesktopfolderlabeledSCANS.)Enterthefilenameprefixfortheimagesandsetthestartnumberforyourindividualphotofiles;choosethefolderwhereyouwantthescanstogo.SelecttheTIFFfileformatandclickOK.

STEP4:PREVIEWTHESCAN.Inthemainscanningwindow,clickPreview.Youwillseeapreviewofalltheitemsonthedocumentbed.Youshouldseeaselectionmarquee(dotted-linerectangle)aroundoneitemoraroundtheentiregroup.Ifyoudonotseetheselection,clicktheMarqueetoolbutton(indicatedbythearrow).Usingyourmouse,grabanyofthedottedlinesandadjusttocompletelyenclosethephoto.It’sokaytohavewhiteedgesshowingoutsidetheborderofthephoto.Ifyouprefertohaveawiderorthinnerborderonyourphoto,makethemarqueelargerorsmaller.Everythingyouseeinsidethedottedlineswillbeincludedinthescan.

STEP5:SELECTIMAGESTOSCANANDDUPLICATESELECTIONMARQUEE.CopythefirstselectionrectangleanduseittoselectanotherimageonthedocumentbedbyclickingtheDuplicateMarqueetool.Thedottedlinearoundyourfirstimagewillbecomeasolidlineandanewdotted-linemarqueewillappear,andthenumberofimageswillchangefromonetotwo.

Useyourmouseandclickanywhereinsidethisdotted-linemarquee.Holddownthemousebuttonandthepointerwillturntoahand;dragthedotted-linemarqueetothenextphoto.Ifallthephotosarethesamesize,youshouldbeabletoenclosethenextimagewithoutadjustments.

STEP6:SELECTADDITIONALIMAGES.Repeatasmanytimesasneededtoselecteachindividualitemonthepage.ClicktheDuplicateMarqueebuttonanddragthenewdotted-linerectangletoselecteachimage.Noticethattheimagecountchangesasyoumakeadditionalselections.Theactivephotowillhavethedottedlines.

STEP7:COMPLETEIMAGESELECTION.ClicktheAllbuttontoindicateyouwanttoscanallselections.Eachimagewillbeenclosedbyadottedlineshowingthatitisselectedforscanning.

STEP8:SCANIMAGES.Inthemainscanningwindow,clicktheScanbutton.Whenfinished,yourfolderwillincludetheindividualscannedimagesautomaticallynamedandnumberedaccordingtoyoursettingsintheFileSavewindow.

HOWTOSCANAPORTIONOFAPHOTO

MostofthetimeIscananentirephoto,includinganybordersoredgingontheprint.Earlytwentieth-centurysnapshotswereoftenprintedwiththedateinthewhitemargin,andmyancestorsoftenaddedhandwrittencommentsinthemarginaswell.Whenphotosarepastedonanalbumpage,Iwanttokeepthecontextandanycommentswiththepictures,soIalwaysscanorphotographtheentirepageasareference.Thisinformationcanhelp

identifymysterypeople,locateancestralhomes,andprovidecluestofamilygroups.Buttoworkwithanindividualphotoforrestorationoranotherproject,Ineedahigh-resolutionfileofanindividualprint.

Aphotoscannedat300or600dpimaybeblockyandpixelatedwhenaportionisenlargedforaprintedpedigreechartorlargefamilytree.Butscanningalargephotooralbumpageatahigherresolutioncreatesahugeimagefileandrequiresmeasurablylongerscanningtime.Icanachievethebestresultwithasmallersizefilebyusingthescannertocroptheimageandscanonlytheselection.Thistechniqueisusefulwhenyouneedto

createindividualmugshotsforafamilytreechart.focusonanindividualinagroupphoto.scanindividualphotosdisplayedaspartofagrouponanalbumpage.deletedamagedareasofaphoto.eliminateunnecessaryanddistractingbackgrounds.

Inthisexample,Iamgoingtocropandenlargeindividualfacesforaprintedchart.Theoriginalsnapshotis3.5inchessquare.Atthestandardsettingof600dpi,theheadshotswillprintatabout1inchsquare.SettingtheTargetSizewillconfirmthefinalsize.

STEP1:PLACEPHOTO.Washyourhands(orwearwhitecottongloves)andcleanthescannerglass.Placeyourphotoontheglassdocumentbed.

STEP2:CHOOSEPORTIONTOSCAN.WiththephotoonthescannerandtheimagedisplayedinthePreviewwindow,adjusttheMarqueetooltoincludeonlytheselectedface.

STEP3:SELECTRESOLUTION.Adjustthescannersettingstoscanat600dpi.Createa1x1-inchsquaretargettemplate:InthemainscanningwindownexttoTargetSize(seeA),clickonthedrop-downmenuandselectCustomize(seeB).Enteranewuser-definedTargetSizeName:1x1andsetthewidthandheightat1.00inches(seeC).ClickSaveandOKwhenfinished(seeD).

STEP4:MAKEFINALCHANGES.ClickontheZoombuttonandadjustyourselection.Themarqueewillretainthe1x1shapesetasthetarget.Ifyouwanttochangeit,gobacktothemainscanningwindowtoselectadifferentTargetSize.

STEP5:SCANPHOTO.Whenyouarepleasedwiththeselection,pressScan.

HOWTOSCANNEGATIVESANDSLIDES

Ifyouarefortunatetoownoldslidesornegatives,youwillachievethebestresultsbyscanningthefilminsteadoftheprintedphotographforyourdigitalimagecopies.Clean,well-preservedfilmretainscrisp,sharpdetailthatisoftenlostinolderprints.

Toscannegativesorslides,youwillneeda“film/slidecarrier.”Thisisaplasticaccessorythatholdsthefilmabovetheglassscanningbed.Manyflatbedscannersarebundledwiththeseaccessories;all-in-oneprinting,scanning,andcopyingdevicestypicallydonotofferslideandfilmscanningorthesoftwaretosupporttheoption.

Negativesandslidesshouldbehandledmuchthesamewayasforscanning.Onlytouchthefilmontheedges;avoidtouchingthesurfaceoftheimage.Refertoyourscanner’suserguideforinstallationinstructionsforthefilmcarrierandrecommendedsettings.

Achievinggoodresultswithfilmscanningrequirespatienceandabitoftrialanderror.Bepreparedtoexperiment.Inaddition,scanningfilmrequiresahigherresolution,1800dpiormore,whichaddstimetothescanningprocess.

Ifyouaredigitizingmanyslidesornegatives,youmaywanttoconsiderusingascanningservice.Searchlocallytofindacompanywhereyoucandropoffyouritems;askforrecommendationsfromfriends.Avoidshippingnegatives,film,orslides,ifpossible,tominimizethechanceoflossordamage.

Toscanfilmstripsorslides,youwillneedtoremovethedocumentmatontheinsidecoverofthescannerlidtoallowthelighttopassthroughthetransparentfilm.Consultyouruserguideforinstructionsonremovingthedocumentmatandcorrectlyinstallingthefilmcarrier.

FollowthisprocessforscanningfilmwiththeEpsonV500orasimilarscanner.

STEP1:CONNECTCOVERCABLE.Confirmthatthecovercableisconnectedtothescanner.

STEP2:REMOVEDOCUMENTMAT.Removethedocumentmatontheundersideofthecover.

STEP3:CLEANSCANNINGWINDOW.Cleanthescannerfilmtransparencywindowbywipinggentlywithacleanmicrofibercloth.

STEP4:ATTACHFILMCARRIER.Placethefilmcarrierontheglassflatbedscanningsurface.

STEP5:INSERTSLIDESORFILM.Putslidesorfilmintothecarrierwiththeshinysidedown.Closescannercover.

STEP6:SELECTSCANNINGOPTIONS.Setthescanningselectionsinthesoftwarewindow:

DocumentType:FILMFilmType:selectColorPositiveFilm,ColorNegativeFilm,orB&WNegativeFilmResolution:2400dpi

Usethesameresolutionforblack-and-whiteorcolororiginals.Duetothehigh-resolutionandTIFFfileformat,scanningwilltakesometime.Bepatient.

STEP7:PREVIEWSCAN.Previewthescan;selecttheimageusingtheselectionMarqueetool.

STEP8:SCAN.Afterscanning,removefilmorslides.Replacethedocumentmatwhenfinishedwithyourfilm-scanningsession.

HOWTODIGITIZEWITHYOURCAMERA

Whenyouneedtodigitizefragileoroversizephotographsthatcouldbedamagedwhenmaneuveredontheglassscannerflatbed,useyourdigitalcameraasyourscanner.Adigitalcameramayalsobegoodtodigitize

photosinalbumsorscrapbooks.imagesinboundbooks.photosinbulkycardboardmats.framedphotographs.acollectedgroupofphotos.

PrepareYourCamera

Useyourcameratocapturetheoriginalphotographinitspresentcondition.Resisttheurgetoaddin-camerafiltersforblack-and-white,sepia,orothercreativeeffects.Youalwayscanmaketheseadjustmentslaterinphoto-editingsoftware.Whendigitizingforpreservationandpossiblefuturerestoration,it’sbesttocapturethefullphotoincolorinitspresentcondition.Checkthatyouhavethefollowingsettingsselectedonyourcamera:

Maximummegapixels(atleast5MP)Flash:OFFFilters:NONEFormat:JPGAutoWhiteBalance:ONDateandTimeStamp:OFFImageStabilization(ifavailable):ON

Ifyouaredigitizingmanyphotosawayfromhome,takealongextrabatteries,abatterycharger,andextramemorycards.

PrepareYourCameraGear

Successfuldigitizingwithadigitalcameradependsonawell-exposed,sharpimage.Youwillhavethebestsuccessshootinginnaturallightusingatripodtostabilizethecameraandaremoteshutterreleasetoeliminatecamerashakefrompressingtheshutterwithyourfinger.Helpfulgearfordigitizingphotographswithacamera:

asturdy,adjustabletripodasmallflexible-legtripod,suchastheJobyGorrillapod<www.joby.com>asmartphonegripandtripod(ifyoushootwithyourphone)aremoteshutterrelease(wiredorwireless)

HOWTODIGITIZEFRAMEDPHOTOS

Tophotographitemshangingonawall,placethecameraonasturdytripodwiththecameralensaimeddirectlyattheitem.Turnofftheflashandusetheself-timerorremoteshuttertosnapthephoto.Ifreflectionfromtheglasscausesdifficulty,tryaCircularPolarizingFilteravailablefromcamerashopstominimizetheglare.Alternatively,youcouldremovetheglassfromtheframe,ifpossible,tominimizeglare.

HOWTODIGITIZEOVERSIZEPHOTOSANDALBUMS

Tophotographoversizeitemssuchasindividuallargephotographsorphotoalbumpages,mountyourcameratohangupsidedownonthetripodwiththecameralensaimeddirectlydownattheitem.Turnofftheflashandusetheself-timerorremoteshuttertosnapthephoto.

Somecameratripodsfeatureareversiblecentermountpolethatcanbeusedtopositionyourcameradirectlyoverthesubject.Whenthisisn’tavailable,I’veusedasecond,smalltripodwithflexiblelegstoholdthecamerainplace.FlexibletripodsfromJobyGorrillaPodareavailableformostcamerasizesandmodels.

HOWTODIGITIZEUSINGAMOBILEDEVICESCANNINGAPP

Asmartphoneortabletcameraisagreatmobilescanningtool,especiallywhenusedwithascanningappsuchasTurboScan,GeniusScan,orDocScan.Thesespecialtydeviceapplicationslocatetheedgesofyourphototo“deskew”(straighten)anywarpedshapesandcropoutunwantedbackground.Inaddition,scanningappsallowyoutoaddafilenametoeachscanandadjustbrightness.

FollowthesestepstoseehowTurboScanmakessmartphonescanningevensmarter.

STEP1:OPENAPPANDSELECTCAMERA.Whenthecameraviewopens,positionyourdevicetoviewthephotoyouwanttoscanandpresstheshutterbuttontocapturethescan.

STEP2:PREVIEWANDADJUSTIMAGE.InthePreviewwindow,adjustbrightnesswiththegraybuttonsalongthebottomoftheimage.Rotateusingtheleftorrightarrows.Togglebetweenblack-and-whiteorcolorbytappingthePhoto-B/W-Coloroption.

STEP3:ADJUSTFRAME.TapFrametoadjusttheedgesofyourcapturedimage.Taponthecornersofyourimagetoadjusttheframe,ifneeded.TapDonewhenfinishedadjustingtheframeortomovetothenextwindow.

STEP4:ADDFILENAME,SHARE,ANDSAVESCAN.TapthePenicontoaddafilename.TapthePage+icontoaddasecondpagetoyourscan.TaptheShareicon(thebracketandarrow)toe-mail,print,orsavetoyourCameraRoll.TapClosewhenfinished.

10HeirloomPhotoStorage

Myfamilyphotocollectionincludesamotleyassortmentofbeautifulcaseddaguerreotypes,fadingcabinetcards,black-and-whitescalloped-edgesnapshots,andborderless4x6-inchprints.Whileallphotosshouldbestoredinarchivalcontainers,eachdifferentkindofprintrequiresaslightlydifferentpreservationmethod.Mostphotocollectorsfinditefficienttoorganizetheircollectionforlong-termarchivalpreservation;familyhistoriansalsowillwanttosavecluesthatmightrevealthestoriesbehindthephotographs.

Inthischapter,I’llsharepracticaltipsfororganizingyourphotooriginalsanddiscussbasicarchivaltechniquestohelpyouselectappropriatestoragecontainerstohouseyourcollection.

ORGANIZEYOURPHOTOSFORPRESERVATION

Whenyougatheryourfamilyphotos,film,andalbumsfordigitizing,maintaintheoriginalorderofanysmallerphotogroupingstoaidinlearningmoreaboutthephotos.Asmuchaspossible,organizeandstorephotosofthesamestyle,format,andsizetogetherinonecontainer.MakeacopyoftheHeirloomPhotoInventoryFormandstoreacopywitheachphotostoragecontainer.

Tomakethebestuseofstoragecontainersandavailablespace,I’veadoptedthisstrategyformyowncollection.Here’showIorganizemyheirloomimages:

Casedimages(daguerreotypes,ambrotypes,andtintypes)arewrappedindividuallyinfour-flapenclosuresandstoredverticallyinasmallarchivalboxwithacomputerprintoutinventoryoftheboxcontents.Oversizephotosarestoredinarchival-qualityplasticsleevesinsidealargeshallowarchivaldrop-frontbox.IattachanHeirloomPhotoInventoryFormtodescribetheboxcontents.Looseblack-and-whitesnapshotsaregroupedbyeventand/orsubjectinarchivalphotoenvelopeswithahandwrittenlabelidentifyingthecontents.Theseenvelopesarestoredverticallyinanarchival“shoebox”thatholdsallenvelopesfirmlyuprightwithoutslouching.

Negativesbenefitfromcoolerstoragetemperatures.Negativesareplacedinsidearchivalnegativeenvelopesandstoredinsideanarchivalbox.Thisboxisstoredinthecoolestareaofmyhome.OldPolaroidprintstendtosticktogetherwhenstacked;printsareinterleavedwitharchivaltissueandstoredverticallyinsideanarchivalbox.

TIPUseArchivalTissue

Interleavingtissueisalightweightarchivalpaperthatwillhelpprotectphotosfromscratches.

Ultimately,howyousortandorganizeyourphotocollectionwithineacharchivalstoragecontainerdependsonyourpersonalpreference.Somehistoriansliketoorganizebydate,whileothersorganizebysubject.Iorganizemyowntwentieth-centuryphotoschronologicallybyyearandevent,butIsortmyolderfamilyphotosbysubject.

TipsforHandlingPhotos

Whenyouhandleyourheirloomfamilyphotos,besureto

wearwhitecottonglovesorwashyourhandsbeforehandlingphotosorfilm.avoidtouchingthesurfaceofthephoto;handlebytheedges.avoidlightandheatnearphotosandfilm.workonaflat,stablesurface.Alargetablecoveredwithacleansheetorlargepieceofcleanpaperisagoodoption.useasoftartist’sbrushtogentlyremovedustordirt.avoidwritingdirectlyontheprint.Useonlyasoftleadpenciltojotdownnotesonthereverseside.

CHOOSINGARCHIVALSTORAGECONTAINERS

Yourstorageneedswillvarydependingonthequantityandformatofyourphotos.Thevarietyofarchivalphoto-storageoptionscansometimesbeconfusing.Manufacturersusethetermarchivaltoindicateanykindofstoragecontainer,whetherornotitistrue“archivalquality”bymuseumstandards.Lookforcontainersthatareacid-freeandlignin-free.Theseproductshavebeenmanufacturedspecificallytoprolongthelifeofpaper-baseditemsbyavoidingacidicwood-pulpmaterials.

Viewatextversionofthistable

Ifyou’veeverseenanewspaperthatturnedyellowbecauseitwasleftinthesuntoolong,youcanrecognizethedamageofacidicpaper.Yourphotoscansufferpermanentstainsifstoredinsideoradjacenttonewsprintornewsclippings.Photosstoredinsideatypicalhigh-acidcontentcardboardshoeboxwilldeterioratefasterthanphotosstoredinatruearchivalcontainer.

TheArchivalStorageGuidechartinthischaptergivesspecificideasforstoringdifferentkindsofphotographs.

TheProblemWithPlastic

Plasticcontainersofferingwaterprooforwater-resistantstoragemaybeappealingforphotopreservation,buttheyarenotrecommended.Moisturecaneasilybecometrappedinsidethecontainer,allowingmoldandmildewtotakehold.Museum-qualityarchivalboxesareabetterchoice.Theheavycoatedcardboardisa“breathable”naturalmaterialthatallowssmallamountsofaccumulatedmoisturetoevaporate.

Notallplasticisnecessarilyabadchoice,however.Ifyouwanttoshareheirloomphotosatareunionorwithotherfamilymembers,youmaywanttoplaceindividualimagesinsideaprotectiveplasticsleeveorenclosure.LookforarchivalplasticthathaspassedthePhotographicActivityTest(PAT),alaboratorytestthatmeasureshowwellthestorageenclosureinteractswithphotosandfilm.

Checkoutarchivalstoragecontainersfromthesecompanies:

AaronBrothers<www.aaronbrothers.com>Brodart<www.shopbrodart.com>Gaylord<www.gaylord.com>HollingerMetalEdge<www.hollingermetaledge.com>

Alwaysusearchivalsleeves,folders,andboxesthathavepassedthePATtesttostorephotosandfilm,andkeeptheminacool,drylocation.Storemostprintsvertically,ratherthanstackedhorizontallywherepressurecancauseabrasionandscratches.

LayeredStorageSolutions

TheancientEgyptiansweremastersofarchivalstorage.Theycreatedlayersofstoragethatsurvivedcenturiesbyplacingtreasuresinsideroomswithinroomswithinrooms.Inhandlingourhomearchives,wecanborrowafewlessonsfromthepastbyusinglayerstoprotectourfamilyphotosandkeepsakes.

ArchivalLayer1:Enclosure.Thefirstenclosureforanyitemshouldbearchivalquality.Thisisthefirstlineofdefenseagainstlight,acid,andotherenvironmentalhazards.Forphotographs,albums,andfilm,chooseacid-free,lignin-freepaperorPAT-approvedplasticenvelopesorsleeves.ArchivalLayer2:Container.Organizeandsupporttheseenclosuresbyplacingtheminsidealargerarchivalboxorbinder.Labeltheboxclearlyontheoutsidewiththecollectionnameandcontents.

Viewatextversionofthistable

1. ArchivalLayer3:Homearchive.Storetheboxesandbinderstogetherinasuitablehomearchivelocatedinsideyourhome.Avoidstoringimagesinbasements,attics,garages,orshedswherefluctuatingtemperatureandhumiditycanhastendeterioration.

TheArchivalStorageGuidelistsrecommendedbestpracticesforsafelystoringyourphotos,albums,film,andslides.Formoreinformationonorganizingandpreservingphotos,consultHowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes.

Viewatextversionofthistable

PART3Create

DoyourememberUncleJoe’svacationslideshows?Endlessphotosofdesertlong-shotsandfolkswhowerealmost,butnotquite,inthepicture.Familyphotocollectionsaremeanttobeshared,butsittingaroundacomputerlookingatdisorganized,uneditedphotoscanbeunbearable.

Genealogistsspendalotoftimewalkingthroughcemeteriesandstudyingdeathrecords.Butsometimeswe’reworkingsodiligentlytobreakthroughabrickwallproblemorcompleteabranchofthefamilytreethatweputoffsharingandpublishingourfamilyhistoryuntilthedaythatthestoryis“finished.”

Insteadofreachingforthefinishline,thinkofyourfamilytreeasaliving,breathingorganismthatcontinuestogrowwitheachpassingseason.Selectasinglebranchtoshapewithwell-craftedstories,orhandpicktheperfectancestortofeatureinaspecialtribute,andthensharethosestoriesandphotosinabookordigitalpublication.

Inthissection,you’lldiscoverhowtotakeyourphotoprojects(andyourgenealogyresearch)fromfrumpytofabulouswithstep-by-stepinstructionsandideas.Ourtwenty-fiveprojectsfeatureprintandonlinephotocreationstomakeonyourcomputeroryoursmartphoneortablet.

Althoughyoucanreadandusetheindividualprojectsinanyorder,thecardandcollageprojectspresentfundamentalskillsthatwillbeusefulformore-complexcreations.Inaddition,Chapter11introducesyoutocoreprojectskillsforlimitlessdigitalphotocreations.Projectboardstohelpyouplanyourcalendarandphoto-bookprojectsarealsoincluded.

Beforeyoustartanyphotoproject,you’llwantto

1. selectprojectphotosandplacecopiesinadesktopfolderforeasyuploading.Usefull-resolutioncopiesorrefertophotoservicewebsitesforrecommendedimageresolution.

2. readthestep-by-stepinstructionsandplanyourprojectusingtheprojectboardsprovided.

Allprojectsareratedbasedonthetimetocomplete(notincludingtimespentselectingandpreparingphotosandworkingwiththeprojectboard):

lessthananhour(quickie)lessthanthreehours(goodforaweeknight)threetosixhours(completeoveraweekend)

Allowmoretimeforbigprojectswhereyouneedtowritetextorcompilefamilytreeinformation.

ProjectTimeRatings

<1hour

<3hours

3–6hours

YoucanvieweachprojectinfullcolorandfindadditionalideasandinspirationontheHowtoArchiveFamilyPhotoswebsite<www.thefamilycurator.com/archivephotos>.ThefollowingisalistofprojectsinPart3ofthisbook.

Card,Collage,andScrapbookingProjects

PhotoThank-YouCardwithShutterfly

CreativeEffectsCollageMousePadwithShutterfly

HolidayGreetingCardCollagewithSnapfish

AncestorCollageWithPicMonkey

FacebookCoverPhotoCollagewithPicMonkey

DigitalScrapbookingTributePagewithSnapfish

CalendarProjects

WallCalendarwithMixbook

PerpetualCelebrationCalendarwithAdoramaPix

It’saParty!Calendar

AYearintheLifeCalendar

KitchenDutyCalendar

SmartphoneandTabletProjects

PhotoLabelingwithMoldivCollagePhotoEditorApp

TombstoneEnhancementwithSnapseedApp

PhotoBookwithMosaicMobileApp

FamilyHistoryTimelinewithTreelines

AudioPhotoBookwithShutterflyPhotoStoryApp

FabricandHomeDécorCraftProjects

VintageHolidayPhotoPillowwithSpoonflower&PicMonkey

PhotoQuiltBlock

Photo-BookProjects

CustomPhotoBookwithSnapfish

Auto-FillBirthdayBookwithMixbook

FamilyYearbook

HeirloomReproductionBook

PhotoBookforBusyPeople

GrandparentandGrandchildMemoryBook

RememberingandCelebratingBook

11CorePhoto-ProjectSkills

Successfulphotoprojectsbeginwithaplanandadvancepreparation.IlearnedthehardwaythathomeworkpaysoffwhenIcouldn’tfindthefull-bleedoptionforthephotocalendarpageIwasdesigning.Ididn’tknowthisoptionwasunavailableonthewebsiteIwasusing.I’dalreadyuploadedandadjustedmyimages,buttheonlysolutionwastostartoverwithadifferentservicethatdidofferfull-bleedphototemplates.YoucanbesureIdouble-checkedtheotherfeaturesIwantedformynextproject.

Inthischapter,I’llintroduceyoutousingaprojectboardaswellastosomekeytermsyou’llneedtoknowinordertoplanandexecuteyourphotoprojects.Plus,I’llgiveyoutipsforfeaturestoconsiderwhenselectinganonlinephotoserviceforyourproject.

LEARNTHELINGO

Whenworkingwithdigitalphotosandonlinephotoservices,therearelotsoffeaturesandjargontolearn.Beforestartingaphotobook,calendar,orotherproject,orworkingwithyourdigitalfamilyphotos,learntheseessentialphototerms.Sometermsrefertothephysicalphotoproject,whileothersrefertodesignfeaturesandspecifications.

aspectratio:referstotheshapeoftheimageandwhetheritishorizontalorverticalinorientation;apicturethatis2x2inchesisasquare;4x6inchesishorizontal;aspectalsocanbeexpressedinpixels,suchas4000:6000(4,000pixelsby6,000pixels)autoadjust/colorcorrect:atooltocorrectbasiccontrast,balance,andexposureinanimagebackground:thecolor,texture,ordesignoftheoverallprojectpageoritembinding:howcalendarandbookpagesareboundtogether,eitherbyglue(perfectbinding),stitching,staples,spiral,orcombbindingbleed:describesapagelayoutwheretheimagerunsofftheedgeofthepage;afullbleedcoverstheentirepageextendingtoallfouredgesofthepagewithoutanyborderorbackgroundshowingborders:thedesignelementthatframesyourphoto;itcanbeanythingfromasimplelinetoafancygraphicframecollage:amulti-photolayoutcover:theoutsidejacketenclosingthebookpages;includesfront,back,andspine

crop:cuttingoutunwantedelementsinanimagetofocusonthesubject;somephotoservicesinstructuserstouploaduncroppedimagesandcropwithintheprojecttoallowforbordersandlayoutdesigndigitalscrapbooking:usingacomputer,software,anddigitalimagestocreateadigitalpagelayoutofbackgrounddesigns,photos,text,andembellishmentsthatcanbeprintedonahomeprinteroracommercialsitedpi(alsoppi):dotsperinch(orpixelsperinch)isameasureoftheimageresolution;high-resolutionimagesareusually300dpiorhigher;low-resolutionimages(suchasforWebuse)maybe72dpiembellishment:thistermisborrowedfromscrapbookerswhooftenaddcharms,ribbons,andephemeratopagedesigns;digitalphoto-bookandscrapbookembellishmentsmaylookthree-dimensional,buttheywillprintlikeclipartonthepagefillflash:aphoto-editingfeatureusedtoimprovedark,underexposedareasinanimagewithoutaffectingtheotherpartsofthephotofilter/effect:allowsyoutochangeanimage’scolorimagetoblackandwhiteorsepia,oranynumberofothercolors;cangiveyourphotosanartistic,creativeflairwithfiltersandcreativeeffectsflip:turningoveraphotoorpagelayoutasifitwereapagesothateverythingonthepageorimageisreversed;sometimescalledmirrorJPG:acompresseddigitalfileformatwidelyacceptedfordigitalphotoprojectslandscape:horizontalorientationforyourimagesandprojectpage;popularformostprojectslayout:theindividualpagedesignortemplatethatincludesthepagebackground,images,text,clipart,andembellishmentsmattefinishpaper:slightlytexturedmattefinishproducesasofterimagepaperweight:expressedinpounds(suchas80#or100#),thisindicatesthequalityorthicknessofthepaper;premiumpaperisheavierthanstandardpaperportrait:verticalorientationforyourimagesandprojectpagesred-eyeremoval:atoolthateliminatesthered-eyeappearancecausedbyacameraflashreflectinginasubject’seyesresolution:ameasurementofimagequalityexpressedindpiorppi;checkyourphotoserviceforrecommendedphotoresolutionforyourproject;thedreaded“resolutiontoolow”warningindicatesyourimagewillnotprintwell(seedpiformoredetails)

rotate:turninganimageclockwiseorcounterclockwisesatinfinishpaper:smoothsemiglosspaperthatproducesasharp,colorfulimagesize:theoveralldimensionsofthephotobook,card,calendar,orotherprojectspine:theedgethatcoverstheglueorotherbindingandattachesthepagestothecoverofabook;thespineusuallyshowsthetitleandauthorofabooksquare:allfoursidesofyourimageorprojectareequal;apopularoptionforInstagramorbookscreatedwithmobileappstextbox:theplacewhereyoutypeyourtexttheme:theoveralldesignorstyleofyourphotoprojectTIFF:anuncompressedimageformatgoodforarchival-qualitypreservationimages;TIFFfilesaregenerallylargeandnotacceptedbymostonlinephotoservices

USINGAPHOTO-PROJECTBOARD

Aprojectboardhelpstoorganizeyourideasandremindyouofspecificfeaturesofferedbydifferentservices.Aprojectboardisalsousefulifyouareplanningaheadandneedmorephotosforaproject.Pinacopyoftheprojectboardtoyourbulletinboardnotingtheimagesneeded.

Whenyou’vecompletedtheproject,theprojectboardsheetcanhelpyourememberwhatonlineserviceyouusedandhowmuchyoupaidifyouwanttoordermorecopies.Scanandsavethesheetstoyourcomputerorfilethehardcopiesforlaterreference.

Projectboardsareavailablefortwospecificprojecttypes:calendars(seeChapter13)andphotobooks(seeChapter16).Eachprojectboardincludesthreesections:

ProjectSnapshotwithnotesonoveralldesign,size,andstyleProjectServiceswithnotesonwebsitefeaturesandcostProjectLayout/Designwithyourideasforpage-by-pagelayouts,designsketches,orothernotes

Usetheprojectboardplanningsheetsinwhateverwayworksbestforyou.Hereareafewsuggestionsforusingthem.

Ifyouhaveaclearideaforyourprojectbutaren’tsurewhatservicetouse,startwiththeLayout/DesignorSnapshotsectionsanduseyournotestoevaluatewebsites.Ifyouarelookingforinspiration,browsephotoservicesforideas,notingthemesorstylesyoulike.Ifyouaren’tsureyouhaveenoughphotosforyourproject,usetheLayout/Designsectiontooutlinetheproject.Identifygapsandlistnewphotosyou

mightneedtolocateorshoot.Ifyoudon’thaveenoughpicturesforaphotobook,considermakingacalendarorcollage.Ifyouhavefoundaprojectyou’dliketocustomize,listthespecificfeaturesorelementsyouneedintheLayout/DesignandSnapshotsectionsandcompareservicestofindonethatoffersmostofthesefeatures.

SelectingPhotos

Whenitcomestofamilyphotoprojects,it’sokaytoplayfavorites.Chooseonlythebestphotographsforyourproject.Ifaless-than-bestimageistheonlyphotoavailable,useadjustmentsandspecialeffectstomakeitworkseamlesslywiththeotherphotosinyourproject.Trytochooseimagesthatworkwelltogether.PlaywithcroppingandAutoAdjustfeaturesofferedonmostonlinephoto-projectwebsitestoseeyourphotosimproveinstantly.

Whenselectingimagesforyourphotoprojects,lookforimagesthat

areinfocusandhavegoodcontrastandlighting.havegoodcomposition,suchastightcroppingorframingthateliminatesdistractingbackgroundsandextrapeople.workwelltogetherintermsofstyle(suchassimilarclothing,color,setting,ortheme).

SelectinganOverallTheme

Whetheryouaredesigningaphotobook,acalendar,oraholidaycardcollage,mostprojectswillbenefitfromaunifyingthemethatsetstheoveralltoneandmood.Athemealsocanhelppulltogetherimagesthatdon’tquiteseemtogotogether.Forexample,ahodgepodgeofsnapshotsworksbettertogetherundertheheading“FamilyMilestones”thaninarandomdisplay.

PHOTOSERVICEFEATURES

Youdon’tneedtobeagraphicartisttomakeagreatphotobook,butithelpstounderstandsomeoftheoptionsandfeaturesyou’llfindonphoto-projectwebsites.Comebacktothissectionforarefresheratanytimeandlookforprojectshighlightingfeaturesyou’dliketoexplore.(Foracompletelistofphotoservices,seetheAppendix.)

ProjectStyles,Sizes,andMaterials

Anonlinephotoserviceisonlyasgoodastheprojectsitoffers.Wanttoprintatinyphotobookmeasuring3.5x2.75inches?TheonlyoptionisMyPublisher<www.mypublisher.com>.Lookingforamedium-size8-inch-squarebook?Takeyourpickfromseveralbookpublishers.Someservicesofferpremiumpapers,matteorglossyprinting,slipcases,dustjackets,andcutoutcovers.Alloftheseoptionscanbeconfusingifyoujustwanttomakeasimplephotobook.

Onewaytohelpnarrowyourchoiceswhengettingstartedistolistanyspecialrequirementsonyourprojectboard.Notallservicesofferpremiumpaper,leathercovers,lay-flatbinding,orotherdeluxeoptions,solookforthesefeatureswhenexploringoptions.Photositesaddnewproductsfrequently,soit’sagoodideatorevisitsiteswhenstartinganewproject.

DesignThemesandStyles

Inphotocreationjargon,thetheme(alsoknownas“style”or“design”onsomesites)istheoveralldesignforyourproject.Adesignthemeappliestotheentireproject,includingcover,pages,fonts,andcolors.Featuredprojectswilloftenshowathemenamesuchas“KidsQuotes”or“SummerParty.”Theprojectwillincludeacoordinatedsetofdesignedbackgroundpages,fonts,stickers,orotherclipartandphototemplates.Thismakesiteasytoquicklycreateaprofessionallydesignedbookorotherprojectbysimplydroppinginyourownphotosandcaptions.Mostsitesoffertheoptiontocustomizesomeorallofthethemeelements.

Someservicesallowyoutochangethethemeafteryouhavealreadystartedaproject;withothersyoumayhavetostartover.It’sagoodideatocheckthisfeaturebeforeyouspendtoomuchtimeworkingonyourproject,becauseitcanbefrustratingtofindoutyoucan’tswitchtoadifferentdesignwhensomethingisn’tworkingout.

Photoservicesusedifferenttermsforthesamefeature:

Bookstyle:MyPublisherDesign:MixbookTheme:Blurb,SnapfishStyle:Blurb,Bookify,ShutterflyTemplate:Blurb,Bookify

TIPTestFirst

It’sgoodtoplayaroundwithatestprojectbeforecommittingtoomuchtimewithanyoneservice.Youwanttomakesurethatyouwillbeabletochangepagebackgrounds,deletephotoframes,andaddtextblocksifthesefeaturesareessentialtoyourproject.

LayoutOptions

Allservicesusethetermlayouttorefertotheindividualdesignforbookpages,cards,prints,posters,andgifts.Thelayouthelpsconveytheoveralltoneandmoodforyourproject:

Full-pageimages,alsocalledfull-bleed,presentaclean,modernlook.Framedorborderedphotosaretraditionalorclassic.Tiltedimagesconveyafunandwhimsicalmood.Captionsandtextoverlayappearmodern.Largeblocksoftextlendabookfeeltoyourproject.

Whenyouchangeapagelayout,youmayneedtoadjustphotoplacementorre-cropsomeimages.Chooselayoutswithimageblocksinthesameaspectratioasyourphotographs:Averticalportraitneedsaverticalphotolayout.Takeadvantageofspecialfeaturesofferedbysomeservicessuchasusingatwo-pagespreadtoshowoffagreathorizontalphotograph.

AutoCreate

Photobookscanbetime-consumingprojects,sotosavetime,mostservicesofferatoolthat“automagically”placesphotosintoyourbookdesign.Youcanthengobackandcustomizetextandpagelayouts.Youmaynotwanttousethisfeatureifyou’dliketomaintaincompletecontrol,butifyou’reinahurryorhavealargepoolofimages,autocreatecansavetime.Eachservicehasitsownversionoftheauto-createfeature:

Autofill:SnapfishAutoFill:MixbookAutoflow:Blurb,BookSmartSimplePath:ShutterflySimplePublisher:MyPublisher

BordersandBackgrounds

Borders,frames,andpagebackgroundsgoalongwayinsettingthetone,mood,andstyleforyourproject.Useafaintfull-pageimageasthepagebackgroundforamodernlook,andoverlayacroppedcolorversionofthesameimagetocreateastunningdesignelement.Experimentwithdifferentphotoborderstofindlinewidths,shapes,andcolorsthatenhanceyourproject’stheme.

Tochangeanimageborder,clickontheimagetoselectitandthenapplythechange.Somesiteswillhavetheframepresetaspartofthepagelayout,butyoumaybeabletoselecttheframeanddeleteitifyou’dliketotrysomethingdifferent.

Text

Howandwhereyoucanaddandmodifytextisimportantifyouwantyourphotoprojectstoincludelongcaptionsorjournaling,orformattedtextblockslikeacookbook.Mostphotoservicesofferlayoutoptionswithassortedtextblocks,butyoumayneedmorecustomizationthanthesimpledesignsofferedforphoto-intensiveprojects.Instead,ifyou’recreatingaphotobook,youmaywanttoexplorepublishingsitesfavoredbyauthorsandprofessionalphotographerssuchasBlurb<www.blurb.com>andmyPhotoPipe<www.myphotopipe.com>.

Stickers,ClipArt,andEmbellishments

Scrapbookerswillfindawealthoftheme“stickers,”clipart,andotherembellishmentstouseinpagedesign.Snapfish<www.snapfish.com>andMixbook<www.mixbook.com>arefavoritesfordesigningembellishedpages.Tousestickers,draganddropfromthedesignwindowtoyourpage.Rotateandresizeasyouwouldanyphoto.

Collaboration

Somephotoservicesmakeiteasytoinvitecontributionstoyourphotoproject.Thisishelpfulifyouarecoordinatingaschoolororganizationyearbookthatwillincludemembers’photosandsnapshotsofactivitiesfromthroughouttheyear.Specialyearbookthemescanguideyourdesignandmakeiteasytocreateanattractivebookforyourorganization.Collaborationfeaturesarealsoimportantifyou’reworkingwithotherfamilymembersonaphotoproject.

SELECTINGAPHOTO-PROJECTSERVICE

Tomanageyourphotoservicechoices,useonemainserviceforphotouploads,sharing,andprintorders.Thisallowsyoutoconsolidateyourimagesinonelocation.Uploadphotosasneededforspecificprojectsatsecondarysites.Tochoosewhichsiteisbestformanagingyourphotosorforcreatingthephotoprojectsyouwant,usetheOnlinePhotoServiceComparisonWorksheet.

Tips

Onlinephotositeschangeeveryday.Tokeepupwithnewfeatures,templates,andspecials,subscribetothesite’se-newsletters.Savemoneybyplanningahead.Don’twaittocheckoutseveralphotoservicesuntilyouneedaquickphotobookforareunionorwanttoprintyourholidaycollagecard.Spendafewhoursplayingaroundwithatestprojectondifferentphoto-projectsites.Whenyouregisterasauser,thesiteswillsendyoue-mailswithspecialdiscountoffersthatcansaveyoualotofcash.

Viewatextversionofthistable

12Card,Collage,andScrapbookingProjects

Notecards,holidaycards,invitations,andannouncementsareamongthemostpopularfirst-timeprojectsformanyphotolovers.Photowebsitesmakeiteasytocreategreatpersonalstationeryforanyoccasion,andcreativeeffectsletyoushowcaseoneimagebymakingyourownpop-artcollage.

Thephoto-cardprojectsinthischapterareagoodplacetobeginifyou’renewtousingonlinephotoservicesorifyou’dliketocreateapersonalizedgreetingcard.You’lllearnwhattolookforwhenselectingasuitableimageandhowtouploadyourdigitalfiles.Plus,step-by-stepinstructionswillguideyouincustomizingyourprojectforprintingandsharing.

Thecollageprojectswillintroduceyoutousingfreeonlineeditingtoolsusefulforallkindsofphototasks.Adigitalcollageisanartist’scanvasjustwaitingtoshowcaseyourfavoritephotosinunusualandartisticways.Lookbeyondtheold-schoolcollagetechniquethatassemblesmanydifferentphotosononecanvas.Tryusingvariationsofonephototocreateapop-art-stylecollage.Includecolorandtextblockstoaddinterestandfocusastorylinetoyourproject.

Youcancreateacollageforalmostanyphotoproject—prints,notecards,mousepads,pillows,ortabletcases.Generally,you’llwanttochooseaprojectthatshowsoffmediumtolargephotos.Acollageoftwelveimagessizedfora3x5notecardwillhavetinypictures.

Exploreyourfavoriteprojectwebsitesbeforeyouuploadyourimages.

Inaddition,ifyoulovescrapbookingwithpaperandstickers,youmightbesurprisedtodiscoverhowfastandfunitcanbetocreatedigitalscrapbooklayoutsusinganonlinephotoservice.Youcanselectascrapbook-stylethemeandadddigitalstickers,ribbons,andotherembellishments.Experimentwithcolor,texture,andfonts.Andifyoudon’tlikesomething,theUndobuttonmakesiteasytostartoveragain.

Digitalscrapbooking,alsoknownas“digiscrapping”oronlinescrapbooking,ispopularwithphotocrafterswhowanttousecomputergraphicstocreatepagelayoutswithdigitalphotographs.Scrapbookersusestand-alonesoftwaresuchasAdobePhotoshopElements<www.adobe.com>andMyMemoriesSuite<www.mymemories.com>toworkoffline

designingbooks,layouts,andotherprojects.Photo-bookservicessuchasAdoramaPix<www.adoramapix.com>,Shutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>,andSnapfish<www.snapfish.com>haveadaptedthistechniquetotheirfeaturedlayouts.

TIPCollageUses

Usethetechniquesinthesecollageprojectsforanycreationfeaturingmultiplephotographs.Mostphotoservicesoffercollage-styleprintsandposters,aswellascollagepagetemplatesforphotobooksandcalendars.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

Forallphotoprojects,placeacopyofyourJPGimagesinadesktopfolderlabeledPHOTOPROJECTS.Here,theywillbeeasytolocateanduploadtothephotoservice,andyou’llavoidaccidentallychangingtheoriginals.Foraphotogreetingcardorcollage,chooseanimagethathasalltheelementsofagreatphotographandthatconveystheoveralltoneofyourproject.

Forgreetingcards:Lookfora300-dpiimagethat’sthesamesizeorlargerthanyourintendedcard.Forinstance,anyfull-sizephotoshotwithyourdigitalcamerashouldbefine,butavoidusingasmall,croppedportionoftheimage.Ifyouscanaphotoforthisproject,settheTargetSizeatthesamesizeorslightlylargerthanyourintendedgreetingcard.Mostscannedprintshaveacceptableresolution,butagain,avoidusingasmall,croppedportionoftheimage.Forcollages:Useathemeordesignideatotietogetherthedifferentphotos.Throughouttheyear,collectgoodphotosoffamilymembersyoumaywanttouse.Lookforsimilaritiesintheimagesyouchoose—likeclothing,color,setting,theme,orcreativefilter.Remember,eachphotoispartofthelargeroverallcollagedesign.Whenitcomestoacollage,lessismore.Usethefewestphotosneededtotellyourstoryinthelargestsizeavailableforthedesign.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

PHOTOTHANK-YOUCARDWITHSHUTTERFLYTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

1photo

Goodfor… yourselforagift

Designideas incorporateasocialmediaprofilepicture,afavoritephoto,pet,landscape,orhobby

ProjectOverview

Creatingacustomnotecardisagoodintroductiontoonlinephotocreations.Mostwebsitesuseasimilarcard-creationprocess,socheckoutseveraldifferentservicesbeforedecidingwhichonetouseforthisproject.Considerthesequestions:

Whereareyourdigitalimagesstored?IftheyarealreadyhostedonawebsitesuchasShutterflyorSnapfish,itmightbeeasiesttousethesamesiteforyourproject.Whatcarddesignsareavailable?Stylesandtemplatesvarywidely.Youmayfindexactlywhatyouwantonadifferentservicethanyouusuallyuse.What’sthecost?Frequentspecialoffersforheftydiscountsorfreeshippingmakeitworthwhiletocomparepricing.

Forthisproject,I’mdesigningathank-younotecardtousewithmyblog,TheFamilyCurator<www.thefamilycurator.com>.

Instructions

STEP1:SELECTCARDDESIGN.LogintoShutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>andselectCards&Stationery,LinenSnapshotThankYoucard.ClicktheorangePersonalizebuttontocustomizethecard.Whenyouselectacard,besureithasthesameaspectasyourimage,orbepreparedtocropoutsignificantpartsofthephoto.Somecardsareofferedeitherinverticalorhorizontalformat,andyoucanchangetheaspectafterselectingthedesign.Youcanresizeandcropinthedesignphaseofyouronlineproject.I’veselectedahorizontalflatcard.

STEP2:IMPORTPHOTO.ClicktheGetPhotosbuttontoimportaJPGimagefromyourcomputerorShutterflyaccount.

STEP3:EDIT,CROP,ANDADDTEXT.Clickthephototoeditandadjustcropping.Adjustthecolor;ifyouwish,addadifferentspecialeffecttoeachphoto.ClickDonetosaveyourchanges.Clickonthetextboxtotypeanytextandadjustlineplacement,font,orfontsize.

STEP4:PREVIEWANDORDER.ClickthePreviewbuttontoreviewyourwork.ClickAddtoCart,orclickSaveandgiveitanamesoyoucanorderlater.Whenyoupurchasecards,youwillbeabletoselectcardstockandotherspecialfeatures.Somesitesofferpremiumlinedenvelopesorspecialtypapersthatcanbefunforaspecialoccasion.

TIPSaveMoney

Photo-projectwebsitesrunfrequentsales,especiallyaroundholidays.Lookaroundfordiscountsonshippinganddifferentprojecttypesbeforestartingyourproject.Signuptoreceivee-mailsanddownloadaphotoservice’smobileapp(ifavailable)tolearnaboutadditionaldeals.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

CREATIVEEFFECTSCOLLAGEMOUSEPADWITHSHUTTERFLYTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

1photowithgoodcontrast

Goodfor… giftsforgrandparents,executives,computerusers

Designideas useimagesofachild,pet,oranythingelseimportanttotherecipient

ProjectOverview

Acollageprojectdoesn’thavetouseseveraldifferentimages.It’salsoagreatwaytoshowcaseasinglephotobyapplyingspecialfiltersandadjustments.Mostphoto-projectsitesofferthesecreativefiltersasphoto-editingoptions,oryoucanapplyfiltersinyourownphoto-editingsoftware.

Special-effectsadjustmentsworkbestwithahigh-contrastimage.Somethingwithasimplesubjectandunclutteredbackgroundwillworkwell,althoughinterestingtexturesanddesignscanwork,too.Tryseveralphotostofindonethatwillgiveyouthelookyouprefer.Don’tworryaboutcroppingtheimagefornow;you’llseewhyasweworkthroughtheproject.

Thisprojectshowsyouhowtomakeafunandunusualcreativecollagemousepad.Youcanadaptthesametechniquesforalmostanyprojectthatoffersacollagetemplate,includingholidaycards,greetingcards,photobooks,prints,orposters.

Forthisproject,Iselectedaphotowithsharpcontrastandacrispgeometricimage.It’sfuntoplaywithrotatingtheimagesothebabyappearstobelookingathimself.Whenyouchooseanimageforyourproject

lookforanimageinyourcollectionwithastrongfocalsubject,likeaclose-upportraitoraninterestingobject.avoidbusy,clutteredimageswithtoomuchdetail.

considerimageswithstripes,boldtextures,orstronglines—theyaddinteresttothedesign.disregardcolor,butlookforstrongcontrast.Viewpotentialimagesthroughdifferentfilterstoseepossibleadjustments.importthefull-sizeimageandcropasneededintheonlineprogramsoyoucanadjustforthecollageborderandshape.

Instructions

STEP1:SELECTMOUSEPADDESIGN.SignintoShutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>andselecttheMousePadoptionundertheProductmenu.SelecttheGalleryofNinethemeandclickthePersonalizebutton.ClicktheLayouttabtoseedifferentoptions.Choosetheeightphotoslayout.

STEP2:IMPORTANDPLACEPHOTO.ClicktheGetPhotobuttonandfollowthepromptstoimportaphotofromyourcomputerphotoprojectfolderorotherlocation.Thegreencheckmarkconfirmsyourselection.Placetheimageinthelayoutbyclickingonthephotointhephototrayanddraggingittotheappropriatesquare.Repeattoplacetheimageinalleightphotoblocks.

STEP3:CROP,EDIT,ANDAPPLYEFFECTS.OpentheEditwindowbyclickingonceontheimageafterit’splacedonthetemplate.Themousepad’scurvededgescausesomeofthephototobecutoff,socroptheimagetofitthespace.Chooseadifferentcreativeeffectforeachimage:B&W,ColorTone,SoftFocus,Saturate.Usetheslidertoolstomakeeachimagelookdifferent.Trydifferentcolors,blur,andintensity.Rotatethephotoforvariety.Experimentandhavefun.

STEP4:ADDTEXT.ClickthecentertextblockbelowtheLayoutstabinthesidepaneltoopentheTextEditwindow.TypeyourdesiredtextusingtheReturn(orEnter)keytoforceanewline.ChangethebackgroundcolorofthecentertextsquarebyclickingontheBackgroundstab.

STEP5:PREVIEWANDORDER.ClickonthePreviewbuttontopreviewyourproject.SaveyourdesignforlaterorordertheproductnowbyplacingitinyourShoppingCart.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

HOLIDAYGREETINGCARDCOLLAGEWITHSNAPFISHTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

assortedfamilyphotos

Goodfor… familieswithcollegestudentsordistantfamilymembers

Designideas chooseaunifyingthemeforyourphotos:clothing,season,oractivity

ProjectOverview

Wedon’talwayshavetheluxuryofselectingoneperfectphotoforourfamilyholidaygreetingcards.Sometimesyouhavetoworkwithwhateverimagesyoumanagetobeg,borrow,orstealfrombusyorreluctantfamilymembers.Whatcanyoudowhenyouhavenocontroloverthephotoshootoreventhephotoselection?Howcanyoudesignagreatholidaycardthatincludesseparatefamilygroupsorchildrenwheneveryonelivesfarapart?

Thisprojectacceptstheannualchallengeofcreatingaholidaygreetingcardwhenthefamilymemberscan’tallbeinthesamepicture.Itshowshowyoucanadjustfiveverydifferentimagestocreateaunifiedlook.Carefulcroppingandconvertingtoblack-and-white,plusafewothercreativetechniques,cantransformaholidaycollagecardfromdulltodynamite.

Instructions

STEP1:SELECTCARDDESIGN.LogintoSnapfish<www.snapfish.com>andchooseacollage-styleholidaycardforfourormoreimages.Ihavesixphotostoworkwithforthisproject.Assembleyourphotoimagesinafolderonyourcomputerdesktop.

STEP2:IMPORTANDPLACEPHOTOS.Importthephotosanddragthemintosuitableplaceholdersinthetemplate.

STEP3:EDIT,CROP,ANDCHANGECOLOR.Clickoneachphototocrop.Eliminatedistractingdetails.Changephotosfromcolortoblackandwhitetogiveaunifyingappearance.

STEP4:ADDTEXT.Addtextinthegreetingbox.

STEP5:PREVIEWANDORDER.Previewthecardandthenorderorsaveuntillater.

MoreHolidayPhotoCollageIdeas

Holidaycollagecardsaren’tjustforsharingnewbabiesandchildren.Therearemanydifferentoptionsforcreatingcollagesforuseonholidaycards.Hereareafewideas:

Youryearinreview:Usephotosofyourpersonalhobbiesorprojects,orselectyourfavoriteimagesfromtravelsnapshots.Thenandnow:Usephotosfromyourownchildhoodholidays.Vacation:Summervacationsnapshotscanbeagoodchoiceforaholidaycollagecard.Familymilestones:Sometimestheonlyphotosavailablearethoseyou’vecollectedthroughouttheyearatvariousfamilygatherings.Youmayhavephotosofgraduates,newbrides,andayoungfamilyinfrontoftheirfirsthome.Singletheme:Chooseasubjectthatmostfamilymembersenjoyandtellyourfamilyphotographersthatyou’recollectinghigh-resolutiondigitalimagesfortheannualcard.Noformalphotoshootrequired.ParentslovetoshowoffkidsinsoccerandLittleLeagueuniforms.Teamfanscansendsnapshotsfromaballparkorwearingafavoritejersey.Grandkidscansendaselfiefromtheirsmartphone.

TheBradyBunchstyle:UseindividualportraitstocreateacollagesimilartotheoneintheopeningcreditsofTheBradyBunch.Ifclothingcolorsaretoodistracting,useimageadjustmentstocreateblack-and-whiteimagesoraddaretroimagetone.Outtakes:Moviebloopers,orouttakes,havealwaysbeenafunsurpriseattheendofafeaturefilm.Familyphotoshootsoftenendupwithasimilarsetofimages.Afteralongandboringphotosession,youmayfindyouhaveonesoncrossinghiseyes,anotherknucklinghisbrother,someonestickingouthertongue,andabsolutelynotonesinglegoodshotofeveryoneinthegroup.Don’tfightit.Pickatemplateformultipleimagesandchooseafewtoshowcasethespunkandspiritofyourgroup.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

ANCESTORCOLLAGEWITHPICMONKEYTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

assortedancestralportraits(clearwithgoodcontrast)digitizedinJPGformat

Goodfor…

greetingcards,posters,bookcovers,timelines,familyhistorybooks

Designideas

showcasephotosofdifferentancestorsinthesameoriginalformat,orseveralphotosofoneancestor

ProjectOverview

Showcaseafamilylineorpivotaleventsinyourancestralhistorywithaneasy-to-makephotocollageusingscannedimages.ThefreeonlinephotoeditorPicMonkey<www.picmonkey.com>willdothebasiceditingchores;allyouhavetodoisgatheranassortmentofphotosinJPGformat.Youcansavetheresultingcollagetoyourdesktopforprintinglateroruseitonagreetingcard,smallposter,orbookcover.

Instructions

STEP1:UPLOADPHOTOSTOPICMONKEY.GotoPicMonkey.HoverovertheCollageiconatthetopofthescreenandchooseUploadFromComputer.Navigatetoyourphotos,select,andupload.Yourphotoswilldisplayinthephotoselectiontray.

STEP2:SELECTLAYOUTANDPLACEIMAGES.ClickontheLayoutsicon.Selectalayoutwithasuitablenumberofimages(youcanchangethislater).Draganddropimagesintothelayout.

STEP3:EDITANDCROP.ClicktheEditicontofine-tuneimagecroppingandplacement.

STEP4:SAVE.Whenyou’refinished,clickSave,andyouwillbepromptedforfilesizeandformat.Iwanttousemycollageforabookcover,soIamsavingitatthehighestsetting(PicMonkeycallsthis“Sean”).

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

FACEBOOKCOVERPHOTOCOLLAGEWITHPICMONKEYTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

2to5photos

Goodfor… updatingFacebooktimelinecover/header

Designideas featureaseasonaldesign,specialoccasion,oryourfavoritephotos

ProjectOverview

Digitalimagesandonlinephotoservicesmakeiteasytocreatecustomheadersforyoursocialmediapagesandprofilepictures.YoucancreatecustomprofilepicturesandheadersforTwitter<www.twitter.com>,Pinterest<www.pinterest.com>,Facebook<www.facebook.com>,andothersites.

Bloggers,Pinterestpinners,andsocialmediafansusePicMonkey<www.picmonkey.com>todesignthesecreations.PicMonkeymakesiteasytocustomizeimageswithtext,addspecialeffects,cropphotos,andaddseasonalembellishments.Basicfeaturesarefreeandofferenoughvarietyformostusers.TheRoyalesubscriptionoffersad-freedesigningandmoredesignoptions.

Instructions

STEP1:GOTOTHEPICMONKEYWEBSITE.Notethatyoudon’tneedtoregisterorlogintousethebasicdesignfeatures,butyoucan’tsaveyourdesigntoPicMonkeywithoutregisteringforanaccount.

STEP2:CHOOSECOLLAGEOPTION.HoverthecursorovertheCollageicon;selectFacebook.

STEP3:CONNECTTOFACEBOOKACCOUNT.ClicktheConnecttoFacebookbutton.WhentheFacebookConnectwindowpopsup,clickOkay.Whenyouseeasecondwindowwiththemessage“PicMonkeywouldliketoposttoFacebookforyou,”clickOkaytopermitPicMonkeytopostyournewtimelinecover.

STEP4:SELECTPHOTOS.YouwillseeawindowofphotospostedtoyourFacebookaccount.Clicktoselectindividualphotos;acheckmarkwillappearonthephoto.ClickOpentoopenthephotosinPicMonkey.

STEP5:ADDMOREPHOTOS(IFDESIRED).ThephotosyouselectedinFacebookwillappearinthePicMonkeywindow.Toaddmorephotosfromyourcomputerorotherlocation,clickOpenPhotosandthennavigatetoyourcomputerfilesandchoosethephotosyouwant.

STEP6:PLACEPHOTOSINCOLLAGELAYOUT.ClicktheLayoutsiconandchooseFBCover.ClickonthePhotoicon(topicon)tomakethephotosvisibleagainanddragphotosintothecollagelayout.

STEP7:ADJUSTBORDERSANDBACKGROUND.ClickontheBackgroundtab(Paletteicon)toadjusttheborderwidth.ClickontheSwatchestab(Tagicon)toadjustbackgroundpattern.

STEP8:ADDTEXTANDEDIT.SelectafontandclicktheAddTextboxtobringupthetextbox.Typeyourtext,andthenselectcolorandalignment.Dragthetextboxandplaceitinyourdesign.Dragtheedgestoadjustfontsize.

STEP9:SAVEANDSHARE.ClickSavetobringupthePicMonkeySavewindow.SelectthemiddlePiercesizeoptioninJPGformat.Saveittoyourcomputer.ClicktheSharebuttontosharetoFacebookorothersocialmediasites.

STEP10:SAVEASFACEBOOKTIMELINECOVER.TosetyourcollageasyourFacebookcover,clickthecoverimagetoChangeCoverandnavigatetothenewimage.Dragintopositionandsave.

TIPShutterflyAppForFacebook

Shutterfly’s<www.shutterfly.com>FacebookappisanotheralternativeforchangingandcustomizingyourFacebookheader(akacoverphoto).Tousetheapp,simplysignintoFacebookandtypeShutterflyCoverPhotointheFacebookSearchbox.ClicktheGetStartedbox.Then,addphotosfromyourFacebookPhotosoryourcomputer.Draganddropeachphototothedesign.Clickonceonthephototocropandposition.SaveyourcoverphototoyourFacebooktimelinebyclickingthebuttontoSetCover.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

DIGITALSCRAPBOOKINGTRIBUTEPAGEWITHSNAPFISHTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

2(ormore)photos

Goodfor…

asinglecustomizedpageforatributebookorspecialoccasion

Designideas

shareaspecialmemory,tellajokeorhumorousstory,uselettersoftheperson’snametodescribehis/herpersonality

ProjectOverview

Milestoneeventssuchasbirthdays,anniversaries,andretirementstypicallygeneraterequestsforcards,photos,andsharingmemories.Ifyouhaveafewgreatimagesinyourphotocollection,youcancreateabeautifultributepageinunderanhourusinganonlinedigitalscrapbooktool.Someonlinephotoservicesalsooffertheoptiontoprintindividualpagesonyourhomeprinter.Beforeyoubeginyourdigitalscrapbookproject,you’llwanttodecidewhetheryouwillprintathomeusingSnapfish<www.snapfish.com>oroptforprofessionalprintingwithShutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>orMixbook<www.mixbook.com>.

Forthisproject,IusedSnapfishsoIcouldprinttheprojectonmyhomeprinter.Notallphotoservicecompaniesofferdigitalscrapbookingortheoptiontoprintpagesathome(Snapfishisoneofthefewonlineservicesthatoffersaprint-at-homeoption),sobesuretheserviceyouusehasthefeaturesyouneedbeforeyoubeginyourproject.Tofinddigitalscrapbookingoptionsonphoto-projectwebsites,tryusingtheSearchboxtosearchforscrapbookorlookunderoptionsforprintsorprint-at-homeprojects.

Ifyouareapaperordigitalscrapbookerinterestedinexploringtheworldofonlinedigitalscrapbooking,taketimetolookforaservicethatoffersyourfavoritefeatures,including

theavailabilityoftraditionalscrapbooksizepages,especially12x12-inch.theavailabilityandvarietyofembellishments.scrapbook-styletitles,quotations,andheaders.layered-lookframes.

customizablebackgroundpagesandtextures.3-Dlookingembellishments.templatesdesignedbyprofessionalscrapbookers.theoptiontoprintindividualpagesonahomeprinter.theoptiontoorderprofessionallyprintedindividualpages.

Somephotoservicesoffertheoptiontoprintyourlayoutathomeororderindividualprofessionalprintsoffull8x8-inchor12x12-inchpages.Thisisagreatoptionifyouwanttobuildascrapbookafewpagesatatimeorcontributeaspeciallayouttoagroupproject.Ifyoualreadyusedigitalscrapbookingsoftwareonyourcomputer,youcanuploadcompletedlayoutstoonlineserviceswithoutusingtheirdesignprogram.

Asyou’reworkingonyourdigitalscrapbookingproject,youmaywantto

createyourownlayeredframesforphotosbyaddingcolorblocksandusingthelayerbuttontoSendBackorSendForward.createspecialquotesorheadersinAdobePhotoshopElementsusingyourowncomputerfonts.SelectandsaveasaJPGimage.Importthetextandplaceinyourlayout.useimagesasbackgroundtocreateyourownuniquebackgroundpaper.purchasedownloadabledigitalscrapbookpapersandembellishmentsfromdigitalscrapbookingsitestouseinyourowncreationsinPhotoshopElementsordigitalscrapbookingsoftware.

Instructions

STEP1:SELECTPAGEDESIGN.Signintoyourselectedphotoserviceandnavigatetothedigitalscrapbookcreationpage.OnSnapfish,thisisProjects>PrintatHome>8.5x11-inchPhotoBook.

STEP2:UPLOADPHOTOS.Uploadyourimagesanddragtheselectedphotostotheselectionbox.

STEP3:SELECTATHEME.ChooseLandscapeorPortraitorientationforyourpage.Selectatheme.I’musingtheFamily:Storytellingtheme.(Thisthemeisalsoavailableforafullphotobook,butyouwillbepresentedwithasinglepageforyourdigitalscrapbookpage.)

STEP4:PLACEPHOTOSANDEDITTEXT.SelectthePageLayouttabandchoosetwophotoswithtext.Draganddropthelayoutontothepage.Draganddropyourphotosintotheimageboxes.Clickinthetextboxestoedittext.

STEP5:REVIEWANDPRINTPAGE.ClicktheReviewbuttontomovetothenextstep.Youmayseeawarningthatsomephoto-bookpagesareempty.Don’tworry.ThefinalstepshouldgiveyoutheoptiontoPrintorSaveyourpage.Loadcoverstockorphotopaperinyourhomeprinterandprint.

13CalendarProjects

Formanyyears,mysister-in-lawpresentedeachfamilywithawallcalendarshowcasingthebestphotosofthepreviousyear.Itwasalwaysgreatfuntoseehowmuchthecousinshadgrownandhoweveryone’shairstylesandhairlineshadchanged.Nowthatmydaughter-in-lawhascontinuedthisannualtradition,she’saddedmyfavoritefeature—birthdatesandanniversariesprintedrightonthecalendargridsowenevermissadate.

We’veallseenfamilyphotocalendarsthataremore“fun”thanfabulous.YouknowthecalendarsI’mtalkingabout:lotsofpictures,somegood,somenot-so-good,andsomethatleaveyouwondering,“Whatweretheythinking?”Whyspendyourtimeandmoneycreatingacalendarthat’sjustho-humwhenyoucanmakeaphotocalendarsogreatthateveryonehatestoturnoverthelastpage?Customphotocalendarsareagreatprojecttostretchyourphoto-projectskillsandcreateuniquemementosthateveryoneinthefamilycanenjoy.Thebestpartaboutacustomcalendaristhatit’sself-limiting—youhaveacoverandtwelvepagestotellyourstory.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

Thecalendarprojectsinthischapterwillgiveyouideastoshowcaseyourfamilyandtheirfavoriteevents,hobbies,orplacesinamonthlycalendarthatbeginswithanymonthandisassimpleorcomplexasyouwish.Youcanuseonephotopermonthorten.Someofthemosteffectivephotocalendarsuseasinglestandoutphotopermonth,eachselectedtoportrayathemeorspecialsubject.Ifyouwanttocreateamonthlycollageordisplaymultipleimagesononepage,checkoutthephotoselectiontipsinChapter12forsuggestionsonhowtohelpimagesplaywelltogether.Andifyoudon’thavequiteenoughphotosforallthecalendarpages,plantoshootnewimagestofillinthegaps.

Theestimatedtimelistedforeachprojectinthischapterdoesn’tincludethetimespentplanningyourideaswiththeCalendarProjectBoardandselectingphotos.DoallplanningwiththeCalendarProjectBoardandphotopreparationbeforeyoustartyourproject.

UsingtheCalendarProjectBoard

CreatingafabulousphotocalendarwillbefasterandeasierifyoutaketimetoplanaheadusingtheCalendarProjectBoard.Togetstarted,printacopyoftheCalendarProject

Boardandworkthroughthevariousoptions,thinkingaboutthetheme,colors,andphotosyou’dliketouse.Youmaychangeyourmindlater,buttimespentorganizingyourideaswiththeCalendarProjectBoardwillmakeitmuchfasterandeasiertocreatetheactualcalendar.

SNAPSHOT:Startbywritingdownaworkingtitleforyourcalendar,andthenmakenotesofthefonts,colors,andotherdesignelementsthatwillhelpconveythisidea.Notethatifyouwanttoincludespecialeventsonthecalendargridorusefull-bleedimages,you’llwanttoselectaphotoservicethatoffersthesefeatures.Ifyou’reincludingspecialdatesorholidays,createaseparatelistofthosedatessoyouhaveitreadywhenyoubegintheproject.

SERVICE:Explorephotowebsitestoselectaservicewiththefeaturesyoulike.Youmayhaveafavoritephoto-projectwebsite,butIencourageyoutoexploreothersitesforuniquefeaturesandinspiration.UsetheCalendarProjectBoardtomakenotescomparingdesignandprintingoptions,prices,andshippingtimesthatworkbestforthisparticularproject,yourbudget,andtimeframe.

Dependingonyourvisionforyourcalendarproject,you’llwanttoknow:

Canyouincludefull-bleedimages?What’sthemaximumnumberofphotosforcalendarlayouts?Canyouaddcustomevents,suchasbirthdaysandanniversaries,tothecalendargrid?Canyouaddphotostothecalendargrid?Canyouaddanddeletebackgroundimages,clipart,andembellishments?

LAYOUT:Sketchindividualpagelayoutsandmakealistofthephotosneededforeachpage.ThiswillhelpyoudiscoverifyouneedtoselectaCollageorMulti-PhotoLayoutforthepage.

SelectingaCalendarTheme

Aneffectivephotocalendarneedsmorethangoodorevengreatphotos.Asuccessfulphotocalendarislikeaphotobook:Itshouldtellastoryinphotos.Butunlikeaphotobookthatcanhavemanypages,yourcalendarislimitedtotwelvepagesplusacover.Thinkofitasashortstoryorvignetteinsteadofanovel.

SelectingCalendarPhotos

Afterdecidingonathemeandoverallstyleforyourcalendar,it’stimetomakeyourfinalimageselections.Prepareanyprintimagesyouplantousebyscanningthemataminimumof300dpiinfullcolor.Gatherallyourimagesinafolderonyourcomputerdesktop,includingafewextraimagesjustincaseyoudon’tlikesomephotoswhentheyareplacedintotheprojecttemplate.

Selectonlyphotoswithsharpfocusandgoodcontrast.Avoidgrainy,blurry,poorlyexposedimages.Usedifferentphotostylessuchasportraits,groupshots,andscenestoaddinterestandavoidrepetition.Chooseafewclose-upsofpeople,pets,andthemeitemslikebirthdaycakeorChristmastreeornaments.Selectlongviewsthatsetthescene:alush,greenbackyardoraroomfilledwithpartydecorations.Includephotossnappedatdifferenttimesofday:earlymorning,twilight,andnight,aswellasduringtheday.Considerthecolorsofclothing,furnishings,andfood.Balancebrightswithdarkertonestoavoidacluttered,hodgepodgelook.ThinkaboutthephotosinyourcollectionandcheckoutcalendarprojectsonShutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>,Mixbook<www.mixbook.com>,Snapfish<www.snapfish.com>,andotherpopularphoto-projectwebsites.FindmoreinspirationonPinterest<www.pinterest.com>boardsbysearchingforphotocalendar.

PreparingCalendarPhotos

Createadesktopfolderforyourcurrentproject,andaddcopiesofyourselectedimages,text,clipart,orothergraphics.AllphotosshouldbeinJPGformatatfullresolution.Checkthephoto-projectserviceforrecommendedphotosizestoensureyourphotosaren’ttoolargeortoosmall.

Shouldyoucrop,edit,andenhanceyourphotosbeforeimportingtoyourcalendarproject?There’snorightanswertothequestion.Someservicesmakeiteasytocropandenhancephotosasyouarebuildingeachpage.Otherservicessuggestuploadingcamera-readyimages.Igenerallytryoneortwoimagesbeforeuploadingmyentireprojectimagefileandplacingthemonthepagetoseeiftheywillneedfurtheradjusting.Sometimestheservicerecommendscroppingafterplacement.

CALENDARPROJECTBOARDHOWTOUSETHISPROJECTBOARD1. Thinkaboutwhatyouwanttoincludeinyourcalendarandwhatyouwantittolooklike.Jotdownyourideas

intheSnapshotsection.2. Explorephoto-servicewebsitestofindonethathasthefeaturesyouwant.Makenotesonwhatyoufindinthe

Servicesectiontocompareyouroptions.3. Sketchindividualpagelayoutideas(photosandtext)intheLayoutsection.

SNAPSHOT

Calendartheme/workingtitle

Style(monthly,weekly,appointment)

Size

Tone(classic,lively,modern)

Colors

Photostyle(framed,full-bleed)

Fonts(script,fun,traditional)

Includespecialdates

Includeholidays

Quantitytoprint

SERVICE

PossibleWebsites DesignandCost

1

2.

3.

CALENDARPROJECTBOARDLAYOUT:IMAGESANDDESIGNIDEAS

Cover January February

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

March April May

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

June July August

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

September October November

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

December

________________________________________________________________________

Whatstorywillyoutell?

Yourcalendar’sstorycanbeassimpleas“FamilyBirthdays”or“AYearintheGarden.”Beginwithanoverallcalendarthemeandthengathertogethersuitableimagesorstartwithphotographsthatshouttheperfectmessage.IfinditeasiestifIactuallygivemycalendaraworkingtitlethatsetsathemeandhelpsmemaintaintheoverallfocusthroughoutthetwelve-monthdesign.Withalittletweaking,myworkingtitleoftenbecomesthecoverheadline.Aworkingtitleof“FamilyBirthdays”mightbecome“MillerFamilyCelebrations”or“TheMillersCelebrate.”

SAMPLECALENDARPROJECTBOARDSNAPSHOT

Calendartheme/workingtitle

AYearattheLake(WallCalendar)

Style(monthly,weekly,appointment)

monthly,full-bleedandlargeimagecollage,narrowwhiteborderbetweenphotos

Size wallcalendarwithsquares

Tone(classic,lively,modern) simple,modern

Colors colorimages,black/whitetext

Photostyle(framed,full-bleed)

full-bleed

Fonts(script,fun,traditional) bold,modernfont

Includespecialdates familybirthdaysandanniversaries

Includeholidays yes

Quantitytoprint 4

SERVICE

PossibleWebsites DesignandCost

1.Shutterfly.com 8x11-inchor12x12-inchoptions,PhotoGallerystyle,startsat$21.99for8x11size

2.Snapfish.com SimplyElegant,photoframedonblack,nofull-bleeddesigns,$19.99

3.Mixbook.com 11x8.5-inchcalendar,ClassicPhotos,LandscapeCalendaroption,startsat$19.99

SAMPLECALENDARPROJECTBOARDLAYOUT:IMAGESANDDESIGNIDEAS

Cover January February

full-bleedimage:viewofhousesign

SNOW! collage:indoorcabinfun

March April May

latewinter Easterparty summercabindecorations

June July August

collage:lakeviews quiltandflag;July4party onthelake:sailboats,canoes

September October November

beforeandafter:remodeling collage:birdfeedersandbirds Thanksgivingonthedeck

December

cozypictures

CalendarProjectTipsLetyourcalendartellastory—thestoryofyourfamily’sannualcelebrations,familyandancestorbirthdays,oranotherthemeimportanttoyouortherecipientofthecalendar.Chooseimagesthatcomplementoneanotherandvarychoices—fromclose-upsofindividualstogroupshotstomorecasualorformalimages.Scananyimagesyouplantouseinyourcalendarataminimumof300-dpiresolution.(Thiswaythey’llprintnicelyandwon’tbeblurry.)

Beforeyoubegin,gatherallyourimagesandplacetheminafolderonyourcomputerdesktopforeasyaccessanduploading.SomeonlinephotoservicesacceptonlyJPGimages,soconvertyourimagestoJPGformatifneeded.Considercroppingimagesafteryouuploadthemsoyoucanseehowtheyfitfirst.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

WALLCALENDARWITHMIXBOOKTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

12photosormore

Goodfor… families,singles,couples,clubs,groups,anyone

Designideas highlighttheyearinreview,celebrations,recipes,orseasonalandholidayfavorites

ProjectOverview

Thisstep-by-stepguidewillwalkyouthroughcreatingatwelve-monthphotowallcalendarusingMixbook<www.mixbook.com>.Thisprojectwilldemonstratesomeoftheuniquefeaturesofferedbythisservice,includingfull-bleedimagesandcustomizedcalendarnotationstomarkbirthdaysandanniversaries.

Instructions

Afteryou’veorganizedyourideasontheCalendarProjectBoard(refertothesampleprojectboardtoseehowthisisdone)andplacedcopiesofyourimagesinadesktopprojectfolder,you’rereadytostartcreatingyourcalendar.

STEP1:SELECTACALENDARDESIGN.SignintoMixbookandselecttheCalendaroption.ClickontheClassicPhotosimagetoselectthistheme.OntheOrderingOptionspage,usethedrop-downmenustoselecttheformat,size,andstartmonth.IhaveselectedtheLandscapeCalendar,11x8.5inches,StartingJanuary2016.ClicktheStartCalendarbuttontobegincustomizingyourcalendar.

STEP2:ADDEVENTSANDHOLIDAYS.TheMixbookEditorwillopeninafull-pagemodeanddisplaytheEventCalendar.Youcanenterpersonalbirthdaysoranniversariesnoworlater.ClickontheAddNewEventbuttontoaddbirthdaysandanniversaries.ClickontheHolidaystabtoselecttheholidaysyouwouldlikedisplayedonthecalendargrid.ClosetheEvent.ClicktheUpdateCalendarbutton.

STEP3:UPLOADPHOTOS.ClicktheAddPhotosbuttonanduploadyourpicturesfromyourcomputerorfromInstagram,Facebook,oranotherwebsite.Thumbnailimagesofyourphotoswillappearinthephototray.TheMixbookEditorautomaticallysavesyourworkeveryfewminutesandwhenyouexittheEditor.

STEP4:PLACEANDEDITPHOTOS.Toplaceaphotointothelayout,draganddropitontothepage,orusetheAddPhotosbutton.AdjustthephotousingthePhotoEditingToolbar.Toeasilyfilltheentirepagewiththephoto,clicktheFillBackgroundWithImageiconontheToolbar.Toeditthetitle,double-clickthetextblockandreplacesample/placeholdertitlewithyourowntitleandyear(inthisexample,WelcometotheCabin).Navigatetothenextmonth’spagebyclickingthepageiconsatthebottomoftheDesignwindow.

STEP5:CUSTOMIZETHEDESIGN.ClicktheLayoutstabtofindalternatelayoutstofitthenumberofphotosandtextblocksoneachindividualpage,andaddphotosforeachpage.UsetheBackgroundstabtochangepaperbackgroundcolorsandtexturesifdesired.ClicktheStickerstabtoadddecorativeimagesortextblocks.ClicktheManageEventsbuttontocustomizethedateblockswithbirthdays,anniversaries,andholidays.

STEP6:PREVIEWANDORDER.ClicktheOrderbuttontopreviewandorderyourcalendar;yourcalendarwillopenintheMixbookwebsitewindow.Previewthecompletedcalendar,checkingcarefullytobesureyouhavenotyposorerrors.UsetheEditoptiontogobackandmakeanychanges.Whenyou’reready,clicktheAddtoCartbuttontopurchasethecalendar.YourcalendardesignwillbeavailableintheMyProjectssectionofMixbook.

TIPUsingtheToolbar

ClicktwiceontheimagetoopentheToolbarifit’snotvisible.Hoveryourmouseovereachicontoseeadescriptionofthetool.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

PERPETUALCELEBRATIONCALENDARWITHADORAMAPIXTime 3to6hours,dependingonthenumberofcustomeventsentered

Youwillneed…

12photosormore

Goodfor… holiday,wedding,shower,orbirthdaygift

Designideas

useyourbestphotostobeenjoyedformanyyears;highlightfavoritepeopleandplaces

ProjectOverview

Ifyou’dliketotrycreatingacalendarwithouttheexpectationforanencore,considermakingacalendarthatnevergoesoutofdate.Thisperpetualcalendarisahandyreminderofannualcelebrationssuchasbirthdaysandanniversaries,andprovidesaplacetoaddnotesfornewbabiesandnewlyweds.Insteadofthetypicalcalendargridwithyearandmonth,aPerpetualCelebrationCalendarincludesdatesandspacetomarkbirthdays,anniversaries,andotherannualevents,anditremainscurrentyearafteryear.

Althoughseveralphoto-projectservicesoffercustomphotocalendars,thedatedcalendargriditselfisusuallyanintegralpartoftheoveralldesignthatcan’tbeeditedordeleted.AtAdoramaPix,however,thecalendarisamoveableelementyoucanedit,delete,ormove.Followthestep-by-stepinstructionstocreateyourownperpetualcelebrationcalendar.

TIPOrderingOneCopytoTest

Ifyouplantoorderseveralcalendarsforgiftsandiftimeallows,it’sagoodideatoorderonecopyfirst.Thisallowsyoutomakeanycorrectionsorchangesbeforeplacingalargeorder.

Instructions

OrganizeyourideasandphotosusingtheCalendarProjectBoard.You’llwanttofeatureyourverybestimagesbecauseit’slikelythiscalendarwillbedisplayedformanyyears.Makealist,bymonth,ofthebirthdays,anniversaries,andeventsyou’dliketoincludeonyourcalendar.

STEP1:SELECTACALENDARDESIGN.LogintoAdoramaPix<www.adoramapix.com>andnavigatetotheCalendarprojects.Nameyourcalendar,selectyourpreferredsize,andchoosethetwelve-monthstyle.Selectyourpaper.SelecttheBasicCalendarTheme(youcanchangethislater).ClicktheStartEditingbutton.

STEP2:UPLOADPHOTOS.AdoramaPixcanuploadimagesfromyourcomputerorfromyourphoto-managementsoftware.Followthepromptsprovidedforuploading.ClickOKtoexittheUploadwindow.

STEP3:PLACEPHOTOS.TheEditwindowwillshowyourimagesontheleftwithyourprojectinthemainpanel.ThetabsalongtheleftsideofthewindowallowyoutochangeoptionsforImages,Backdrops,Frames,Text,Stickers,Layouts,Cover,andSettings.Thescrollingwindowattherightindicatestheprojectpages.Click1-2toeditthefirstspread.YoushouldseethespreadforJanuary.SelectanddragaphotofromyourphototraytotheJanuaryspread.

STEP4:REPLACETHECALENDARGRIDWITHTEXT.Deletethecalendargridbyclickingonceonthecalendar.Thegridwillbehighlightedinorange,andaselectionboxwillappeararoundthecalendarwithafloatingtoolbox.ClickDeleteontheToolbox.Addatextboxforthenameofthemonth.ClicktheTexttab.Dragittothetopofthecalendarpage.TypeJanuaryCelebrationsintheboxandselectyourfont,size,andcolor.

Tocreatethemonthlydates,clicktheTexttabanddragatextboxtothepage.Selectaplainfont,about10-pointsizeinadarkgraycolor.Typeaspaceandthennumbersfor1through16.Addunderscoresaftereachnumber.Afterthefirstline,usecopy/pastetoaddthelinesaftertheremainingnumbers.

UsetheLineSpacingbuttontoexpandthespacingbetweeneachlinetoabout185.Pullthehandlesofthetextboxclosetotherowofnumbers,andwiththeboxselected,clicktheCopybuttonintheToolbox.ClicknexttothefirstcolumnofnumbersandclickthePastebutton.Changethenumbersto17through31.Adjusttheboxestoalign.

STEP5:REPLACEMONTHGRIDSWITHTEXT.Nextwe’lltakeashortcuttocompletingtherestofthecalendarpages.Whenyou’vefinishededitingthedateboxes,clickthemonthheader.ThenclicktheAddItemiconatthebottomofthewindowandselectthefirstcolumnofnumbers.ClicktheAddItemiconagainandselectthesecondcolumn.Withallthreeelementsselected,clicktheCopySpreadbuttonontheToolbox.Thethreetextboxesshouldbehighlightedinred.

Navigatetothenextmonthlyspreadbyclickingthearrowsatthebottomofthewindow.ClickthePasteSpreadbuttonintheToolbox.Themonthnameanddateswillbepastedtothenewpagespread.Clickinthetextboxestoeditthemonthlytitlesandthedatesasneededandaddnamesforbirthdaysandanniversaries.

STEP6:PLACEMONTHLYPHOTOS.PlacephotosoneachcalendarspreadbydragginganddroppinganewphotofromtheImagestabtothepage.Toadjusttheimageplacement,clicktwiceforthephotoedittoolbarandmovetheimagewithintheframe.

STEP7:SELECTACOVERIMAGE.Selectyourfavoriteimageforthecoverandeditthetextforyourtitle.

STEP8:PREVIEWANDORDER.Previewyourcalendarandorder.

TIPDaysPerMonth

28 February

30 April,June,September,November

31 January,March,May,July,August,October,December

PROJECTIDEA

IT’SAPARTY!CALENDARTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

12photosormore

Goodfor… families,grandparents,clubs,teams,groups

Designideas useamoderndesignforfull-bleedpagetemplates;selectatemplatewithframes

ProjectOverview

Celebratefamilybirthdaysorspecialoccasionswithatwelve-monthcalendarthatmakeseachbirthdaypersonthestarofthemonth.Beginbylistingallthefamilymemberswiththeirbirthdatesorspecialeventsandsortthelistbymonth.UsingtheCalendarProjectBoard,listthenamesoreventsnexttoeachmonth.Sketchpossiblepagetemplateideasforeachmonth,andmakenotesaboutthefonts,colors,andotherdesignelementsyouwouldliketouse.

TipsandTechniques

Findphotosfrompastbirthdaycelebrationstofeatureonthebirthdayperson’sspecialmonth.Fillinwithmorephotosforamontageorcollageeffect,orjustpickonefabulousimageandrunitfromedgetoedge.Featurethebirthdaypersonwithasnapshotfromhisschooldays,sportsevents,orhobbies.Thecalendarcoversetsthethemeandtoneforyourentireproject.Picktheonebestphotoandrunitfull-bleed,fromedgetoedge.Overlayaheadlineannouncingtheyearandtheme,suchas2016Celebrations.Ifyouhaveamonththat’sshortonfamilybirthdays,looktoyourfamilypets,ancestors,orspecialoccasionsfordatesandphotostoinclude.Lookbeyondyourcurrentphotocollectionifyouhavemonthswithoutfamilybirthdays.ScanMom’srecipeofeveryone’sfavoritebirthdaycake.Bakethecake,

takeaphoto,andincludeitonthepage.Fillthegapsofano-celebrationmonthwithbirthdaybloopersorpost-partyphotos.Ifyouhavetoomanyphotos,includepicturesalongwiththeeventinformationrightonthecalendargrid(afeatureofferedatsomewebsites).

PROJECTIDEA

AYEARINTHELIFECALENDARTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

12photosormore

Goodfor… anyonewithacamera

Designideas tryamodernlookwithfull-bleedimages;useaframewithacoloredbackground

ProjectOverview

Ifyou’veeverwantedtojoinaPhoto-a-DayProjectbutfeltitwastoobigofacommitment,youmightliketotryaYear-in-the-LifeorPhoto-a-Monthcalendar.Thisisalsoagoodprojectifyoudon’thavemanyimagesavailable—onegoodphotopermonthisallyouneedtocreateanattractivewallcalendaryouwillenjoydisplayinginyourhome.

TipsandTechniques

Planaheadandshootphotosthroughouttheyearfornextyear’sedition:

Yourgardenoryardthroughtheseasons:Varytheimageswithclose-ups,longviews,andportraits.Seasonsandholidays:Photographdecorations,parties,food,orobjectsthatconveythespiritoftheseason.Newfamilymember:Babies,kittens,andpuppieschangesofastfrommonthtomonththattheymakegreatsubjectsforphotostoenjoylongafterthenewbornstage.

BonusCalendarIdeas

HomeSweetHome:Designacalendarthathighlightsyourfamilyhomethroughouttheyearoryourchildhoodhomeovertime.Usephotosofthefrontofthehouse,aclose-upofthefrontdoororporch,themailbox,thebackyardgarden,andinteriorphotosofthefamilygatheredinthekitchenordiningroom,oraroundtheChristmastreeinthelivingroom.

PlayBall:Featureyourfamilyall-starsorcreateatributetoyourfavoritecollegeorproteamwithamonthlysportswallcalendar.Useteamcolorsandlogostosetthethemeandincludephotosofuniforms,printedprograms,andsouvenirs.Includefavoritefamilygamessuchascroquet,ping-pong,darts,orbocceball.CommemorativeCalendar:Createawallcalendartoshowcasethehistoryofalocalorganizationcelebratingamilestoneanniversary(tenth,thirtieth,fiftieth,etc.).Theorganizationmightbeachurch,aLittleLeagueclub,oranonprofitgroupyousupport.Includethen-and-nowphotosoftheorganization’sactivities,members,andbuildings.Designthecalendarasagiftforeachmemberorasafund-raiser.Workwithothermembersoftheorganizationtogatherphotosandhistoricalinformation.

PROJECTIDEA

KITCHENDUTYCALENDARTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

12photosormore

Goodfor… anyonewholikesfood,cooking,orgrandma’sbaking

Designideas usebrightcolorsfortrendydishesorvintagecolorsforoldrecipes

ProjectOverview

Foodblogginghasbecomeahotnewcareer,butfoodcalendarshavebeenaroundforalongtime.Andwhynot?Everyonelovesseeingtheirfavoritedishesincrisp,beautifulcolor.

TipsandTechniques

Createacalendarthatshowsoffyourfamilyfoodheritagewithphotosofspecialdishesfromeverymonthoftheyear:Grandma’sstuffinginNovember,EasterhaminApril,andaspecialbirthdayice-creamcakeinyourbirthdaymonth.TakeaphotooftheoriginalrecipeinGrandma’shandwritinganduseitlikeaphotoalongwithasnapshotoftheprepareddish.Considerincludingphotosofthecook,herkitchen,orevenherfavoriteapronandspoon.Eachmonth,featureaseasonalrecipeandphotooftheprepareddish.Addthecook’sphotoforfamilyheirloomrecipes.Don’tfeellimitedtofamilycooking.Createacalendartosharefavoriterestaurants,souvenirmenus,andmealsenjoyedinyourhometownandonyourtravels.

14SmartphoneandTabletProjects

MobileappsforAppleiOSandAndroiddeviceshavemadephotoeditingintoagame.Withafewtapsofyourfingeronyourtabletorsmartphonescreenyoucanaddorremovecolor,turnphotographsintocartoons,orcreateafast-and-easyphotobook.Therearesomanyappstochoosefromthatitcanbehardtoknowwheretostart!

Thischapterhighlightsmobileappsthatareespeciallyhelpfultofamilyhistorianslookingfornewwaystosharestoriesandengagefamilymembersinunderstandingtheirancestry.IfyouenjoyusinganiPad,KindleFire,orAndroidtablet,you’lllikedesigningyournextfamilyhistoryprojectfromyourfavoritechairinsteadofyourhomeofficedesk.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

PhotoappsformobiledevicesareamongthemostpopularappsintheiTunesAppStore<itunes.apple.com>andonGooglePlay<play.google.com>.Checkforafreeappeditionbeforepurchasingthefullversion.Manytimesthefreeversionwillgiveyouagoodideaiftheprogramsuitsyourneeds.LookattheVersionHistorytonotewhentheappwaslastupdatedandifthedeveloperappearstobeactivelyworkingontheprogramtokeepitrunningsmoothly.Itendtoavoidappsthatarestillin1.0versionstatusaftermonthsofavailability.Readreviews.Visitthedeveloperwebsiteformoreinformation.

Mostphoto-sharingandshoppingwebsitesalsohavemobileversions.IfyourphotosareonasitesuchasShutterflyorSnapfish,besuretocheckouttheirphoto-creationappsforyourdevice.Herearesomeofmyfavoritemobileappsforediting,specialeffects,andphotoproducts:

Photogene(iOS)MoldivCollagePhotoEditor(iOS,Android)Snapseed(iOS,Android)

Youcanevencreatephotobooksrightonyoursmartphoneortablet.Thesearemyfavoriteappsforcreatingphotobooks:

KeepShot(iOS,Android)KodakMomentsHDTabletApp(iOS)Mosaic(iOS,Android)

ShutterflyPhotoStoryforiPad(iOS)

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

PHOTOLABELINGWITHMOLDIVCOLLAGEPHOTOEDITORAPP

Time lessthan1hour

Youwillneed…

1ormorephotos

Goodfor… addingtextblockstomultipleimages

Designideas addacaptiontoaphoto;scanasignatureimagetoimportforacollage;addsourcedocuments

ProjectOverview

TheMoldivCollagePhotoEditorappiseasytolearn.SwipefromtheleftsideoftheapptorevealthemenubarwithalinktoYouTubetutorialsandinspiration.Thetutorialgivesaquickoverviewtogetstarted.Thefreeversionhasenoughfeaturesformostusers:Youcanmakecollages,addspecialeffects,orlabelphotoswiththeapp.Thisprojectshowshowtoaddlabelsorcaptionstoaphoto.

You’llneedtohavecopiesonyourtabletorsmartphoneofthephotosyouwanttouseintheproject.MovephotosfromyourcomputertomobiledeviceusingacloudstorageservicesuchasDropboxorGoogleDrive,aUSBconnectionbetweenyourcomputerandmobiledevice,orviaWi-Fitransfer.OpenthephotosonyourdeviceandsavethemtoyourCameraRollorPictureGalleryforaccessbytheapp.

Instructions

STEP1:DOWNLOADANDINSTALLMOLDIV.DownloadandinstallthefreeMoldivCollagePhotoEditorappfromtheiTunesAppStoreorGooglePlay.(IcreatedthisprojectonmyiPad.)

STEP2:SELECTSTITCHTOADDALABEL.WhenMoldivopens,you’llseeaselectionofcollagelayouts.ChooseStitch.

STEP3:SELECTPHOTOS.YourCameraRoll/PhotoStream/Gallerywillopen;choosethephotosyouwanttousebytappingtoselect.Tapthecheckmarkwhenfinishedselecting.

STEP4:ADJUSTTHEFRAME.TapFrameAdjusttoincreasethemarginsortoaddashadoworborder.Tapthephotowhenyou’refinishedadjusting.Changethebackgroundifdesired.

STEP5:ADDTEXT.TapTtobringuptheTextToolandtypeyourcaption.TaptheLabelicontoformatthetextboxwithabackgroundandborder.Whenfinished,tapOK.Movethetextboxestolabelpeopleorplacetheminthemarginarea.

STEP6:SAVEANDSHARE.Whenyou’refinished,taptheShareicontosaveyourworktoyourCameraRollorshare.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

TOMBSTONEENHANCEMENTWITHSNAPSEEDAPPTime lessthan1hour

Youwillneed…

tombstonephotos

Goodfor… enhancinghard-to-readengravingorhandwriting;viewingdetails

Designideas improvereadabilityofinscriptionsordocuments

ProjectOverview

Whenyouonlyhaveonehourinacemetery,theresultingtombstonephotographsmightbealittlelessthanperfect.IwasdisappointedwhenaheadstonephotoItookonelateafternoonwasdifficulttoread,butenhancingthesharpnessandzoominginwiththeLoupetoolintheSnapseedappmadeiteasytoconfirmmybestguessoftheinscription.

SnapseedisownedbyGoogleandavailableforbothiOSandAndroidmobiledevices.ItsfeatureswilllookfamiliartoGoogle+PhotosusersbecauseGooglehasintegratedSnapseed’seditingfunctionsfordesktopusers.

Instructions

STEP1:DOWNLOADANDINSTALLSNAPSEED.DownloadandinstallthefreeSnapseedappfromtheiTunesAppStoreorGooglePlay.

STEP2:OPENAPHOTO.ClickOpenPhotoandnavigatetoyourCameraRollorAlbumtoselectaphoto.Theleftsideofthewindowshowsavailableeditingoptions.

STEP3:ENHANCEDETAILS.SelectDetailsforyourphototoopeninfullwindowview.(Note:ThecommandsmaybeslightlydifferentoniOSandAndroiddevices.)Rubyourfingerovertheportionofthephotoyouwanttosharpen.NoticethatthenumbersincreaseintheSharpeningindicatoratthebottomofthewindow.

STEP4:USETHELOUPE.TaptheLoupe(theMagnifyingGlassicon)anddragitaroundtheimagetozoominandenhancedetails.

STEP5:GETHELP.TaptheQuestionMarkintheupperrightcorneratanytimeforhelp.UsethebackarrowtoUndoanyaction.

STEP6:COMPAREANDSAVE.Toviewtheoriginal,presstheCompareicon.Whenyouliftyourfinger,theeditedversionwillappear.EditsarenotsaveduntilyoucheckApply.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

PHOTOBOOKWITHMOSAICMOBILEAPPTime lessthan1hour

Youwillneed…

20photos

Goodfor… athank-yougift,vacationsouvenir,orjustafunsurprise

Designideas rememberavacation,funweekend,reunion,orvisitwithfriendsorgrandkids

ProjectOverview

Inthemobileappworldofphoto-bookcreation,Mosaic<heymosaic.com>standsoutforitsuniquephototilecover,beautifulinterface,andquickturnaroundtime.IfyouorderaMosaicbooktoday,youcangetitinfourdays.Thisisn’tthebookforfancybackgrounds,text,andembellishments.It’sallaboutcreatingasharp,attractivephotobookquickly,withoutmuchfuss.

Instructions

STEP1:DOWNLOADANDINSTALLMOSAIC.DownloadandinstallthefreeMosaicappfromtheappstoreforyourdevice.

STEP2:REGISTERANDSTARTCREATING.ClicktheCreateaNewMosaicbuttonandyourCameraRollandAlbumswillappear.

STEP3:SELECTPHOTOS.YourCameraRollwillopen;choosethephotosyouwanttousebytappingtoselect.ChoosefromFacebookorCameraRoll,orimportphotosfromanotherlocation.Selectedphotosappearinthetrayatthebottomofthescreen.Dragtorearrange.TaptheoriginalphotoinyourCameraRolltodeselect.Exactlytwentyphotosmustbeselected.ClickNextwhenyouarefinished.

STEP4:PREVIEWANDORDER.Tapthebooktoviewthepages.Yourphotoswillautofillthetwenty-pagebookwithphotos.Shufflecoverphotosifdesired.Whenready,placeyourorder.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

FAMILYHISTORYTIMELINEWITHTREELINESTime 3to6hours

Youwillneed…

photosofanheirloom,researchimages,mapimages,ornewspaperclippingimages

Goodfor… documentingthestoriesbehindheirlooms;creatingatimelineofanancestororfamilyline

Designideas

illustratethetimelinewithyourdigitizedresearchdocumentsandmemorabilia

ProjectOverview

Treelines<www.treelines.com>givesgenealogistsanewonlinetoolforcreatingillustratedtimelinestosharefamilystories,memoirs,andhistories.Createdin2013byNewYorkgenealogistTammyHepps,Treelinesisanaward-winningandpopulartoolfordocumentingfamilystories.ThisWeb-basedprogram,whichyoucanuseinaWebbrowseronyourcomputerortablet,guidesyoutobuildatimelinewithshorttextblocksandphotosthatyoucanshareprivatelyviae-mailorpubliclyontheTreelinesCommunitypage.EverythingyoudoonTreelinesisprivatebydefaultuntilyoudecideyouarereadytoshareyourstorywithothers.

EachindividualpageinaTreelinesstorycanholdtext,aphotowithcaption,andpagedecorations.AtimelinerunningacrossthebottomoftheStorywindowhighlightsdatesfeaturedinthestory.Twoormorepeoplecanworktogethertofillinstoriesandeventsaboutafamily.

YoucanuploadaGEDCOM(theuniversalfamilytreecomputerfileformat)toTreelinestospeedupstorybuildingandgiveyouaframeworkforaddingstoriesonefamilybranchatatime.Names,places,dates,andeventshelpbuildsearchablekeywordsforyourstory.FindinspirationforyourstoryandTreelinestutorialsintheGettingStartedsectionoftheTreelineswebsite.Ifyoudon’thaveafamilyphotographtouseinyourtimeline,useacensusimageoryourancestor’ssignaturefromadocument.Thinkabout

imagesthatwillmakeyourstorycomealive:newsclippings,maps,countyhistories,andhistoricalimagesfromdigitalarchives.

Instructions

STEP1:SETUPYOURFAMILYTREE.SignupforafreeaccountorloginwithyourFacebookaccountatTreelines.Bydefault,anythingyouaddisprivateuntilyouchangeyouraccountsettings.You’llbepromptedtosetupyourfamilytree.Select“IDon’tHaveaTreeYet”toenterafewnamesatatimeforyourfirststory.YoucanaddaGEDCOMtreelater.

STEP2:CONFIRMYOURACCOUNTSETTINGS.ClickyourusernameinthemenubarandclickPublicProfiletoedityourusername,uploadaprofilepicture,andaddyoursocialmedialinks.ClickSettingstoadjustprivacy.ClickStoriestobegincreatinganewstory.

STEP3:UPLOADATREEORADDNAMES.Foryourfirststory,usenamesyouaddedatsign-inandaddmorenamesforyourstorymanually.

STEP4:CREATEYOURSTORY.TheTreeWizardwillbuildyourfirsttreefromanyinformationyou’veentered,orclicktheJumpRightInlinktogetstarted.

STEP5:ADDPHOTOSWITHCAPTIONS,TEXT,PAGEDECORATIONS,ANDEVENTDETAILS.

Promptswillguideyouthroughaddingtext,photos,andpagedecorations.Treelinesworksbestwithonlyafewlinesoftextoneachpage.Ifyoustarttowritealongnarrative,you’llgetawarningtokeepitshort.Thinkofitlikeastoryonindexcardswhereyoutrytobuildsuspensesoyourreaderflipstothenextpage.Formattextwithboldoritalics,increasefontsize,andaddpagelinks.Remembertoaddname,place,date,andotherdetailsintherightpanel.Thedateisusedtobuildthetimelineacrossthebottomofthepage.

STEP6:INSERTANDMOVEPAGES.Reorderpagesinthestorybydraggingapagetoanewlocation.Clickthegreenplus(+)signtoinsertoraddnewpages.

STEP7:PREVIEWANDPUBLISHYOURSTORY.TogglebetweentheWriteandPreviewbuttonstoworkonyourstory.ClickthePublishbuttonwhenyou’refinished.

STEP8:SHAREANDPRINT.Confirmyourprivacysettingsandshareyourstorywithfriendsandrelatives.DownloadaPDFcopytoyourcomputerwiththeDownloadlinkunderyourAccountSettings.

MoreIdeasforTreelinesStories

UseTreelinestohelpuntanglefamilyrelationships.Eachpersonwillhavehisorherownlineonthestorytimeline—makingiteasytoseewheredatesoverlapandrelationshipsintersect.Remembertoenterdate,place,andnameinformationwitheachpagetousethisfeature.Treelinescandocumentthehistoryandmilestoneeventsofyourgenealogysociety.Useittocreateaslideshowtoshareyourgroup’sgrowth,changingmembership,andpastofficers.Createanillustratedtimelineofafamilybusiness,pastorpresent.Includedigitalimagesofphotos,maps,andbusinessdocuments.Createamemorialtributetohonoranancestor.Recordtheprovenanceofafamilyheirloomormakeanalbumoffamilykeepsakesandtheirchainofownership.

PROJECTIDEA

AUDIOPHOTOBOOKWITHSHUTTERFLYPHOTOSTORYAPPTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

assortedfamilyphotos,photosofheirlooms,researchimages

Goodfor…

interviewingrelatives,identifyingunknownpeopleinimages,andrecordingfamilyheirloominfo

Designideas

tryamodernmagazinedesignforadocumentary-styleprojectwithaudiointerview,oraheritagetheme

ProjectOverview

Oneofmygreatesttreasuresisanaudiorecordingofmymotherandhersistertalkingabouttheplacestheylivedaschildren.Ilovetheideaofleafingthroughaphotoalbumandlisteningtotheirvoicesastheytalkaboutthepicturesonthepage.WiththeShutterflyPhotoStoryappforiPad<www.shutterfly.com/photo-book-ipad-app>,youcanmakeadigitalphotobookwithaudioclipstoshareviae-mailorFacebook,aswellasaprintedbookforyourcoffeetable.

The“doodle”featureinPhotoStoryletsyoudrawdirectlyontheiPadscreentopointoutfeaturesofaphotooridentifypeopleinagrouppicture.Combinetheannotatedpagewithathirty-secondaudioclipforapersonalizedcommentary.TheprintversionofthebookincludesQRcodesthatyoucanscanwithyoursmartphonesoyoucanheartherecordings.

TipsandTechniques

Getstartedbyselectingastyleandsizebook;youcanswitchtoanotherstyleorchangelayoutslater.ImportphotosfromyourShutterflyoriPadphotoalbumsorfromFacebookorInstagram.Tousephotosfromyourcomputer,it’seasiesttouploadthemtoyourShutterflyaccountfirst,thenselectthealbumandphotosyouwanttouse.Photosareautomaticallyplacedinyourbook,butyoucanrearrangeimagesandpageslater.

Toannotatephotosduringaninterview,youwillneedtohavethephotosonyouriPadandselectDoodleonaPhotofromtheDoodlemenuinthePhotoStoryapp.Prepareanalbumofunidentifiedphotostosharewithrelativesandrecordtheircommentsasaudiofiles.UsetheDoodlefeaturetolabelpicturesastheytalk.Createanheirloomalbumandrecordstoriesaboutyourfavoritefamilykeepsakes.Recordshortaudioclipswitheachrelativeatyournextfamilygathering.Ifyouhaveschoolchildreninyourfamily,theymayhavealreadycreatedfamilystoriesaspartofShutterfly’sspecialschoolproject.SeelessonplansandlearnmoreatPhotoStoryfortheClassroom<www.shutterfly.com/photostoryclassroom>.

15FabricandHomeDécorCraftProjects

Intheearliestdaysofphotography,imageswereprinteddirectlyonassortedmaterialsincludingcloth,metal,glass,andpaper.Today’spopularphoto-printingandtransfertechniquesandtechnologyalsocanprinttoaspeciallypreparedsurfacesuchasburlap,canvas,orglass.Projectsinthischapterwillshowyouhowtocreateaphotokeepsakebyprintingyourfavoritefamilyphotosonfabricviaprofessionalprintingservicesandat-homeprinting.

Professionalservicesusescreenprintingorothermethodstocopythedesignonfabricorpaperwithpermanentink.ThecustomfabricserviceSpoonflower<www.spoonflower.com>offersprofessionaldesignservicestohomefabricdesigners.Spoonflowercustomprintingworksmuchlikeaphoto-bookservice:Uploadyourphototoadesigntemplate,selectfabricandquantity,andwaitforyourordertoarriveatyourhome.

TIPEmbraceFabric

Spoonflowerletsyouprintyourowncustomimagesonfabricssuchascotton,silk,knit,suede,andlinen,sogetcreative!PrintanimageofGrandma’shandwrittenrecipeonfabrictocreateateatowel.Createacanvastotebagwithameaningfulimageonit.GetmoreideasforfabricprojectsonSpoonflower’sblog<blog.spoonflower.com>andonPinterest<www.pinterest.com/spoonflower>.

Homeofficeprintingisagoodsolutionifthematerialyou’reusingissmallenoughtofitinanink-jetorlaserprinter,makingitpossibletoprintdirectlyonafabricorplasticsurface.Somematerialsarespecificallydesignedforeitherink-jetorlaserprinting,somakesureyoupurchasethecorrectformatforyourhomeprinter.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

Thinkbeyondpaperforwaystoshareyourfamilyhistoryphotosthroughoutyourhome.I’malwaysinspiredbyuniqueprojectspostedontheWebandsocialmedia,especiallyPinterest<www.pinterest.com/FamilyCurator>andHouzz<www.houzz.com>.

Youdon’thavetobeanexpertsewertoenjoyphotoprintsonfabric.Spoonflowerofferscustom-printlinentowelsreminiscentoftheold-fashionedannualcalendartowelsmygrandmotherdisplayedinherkitchen.Spoonfloweralsoprintsonsilkorpolyestercrepe,whichcanmakeaneasysilkscarfthatneedsonlyasimplehand-sewnhem.

Whenchoosingphotosforfabricprojects,considernotonlytraditionalphotographsoffamily,butalsopartsoforentirefamilyhistoryresearchdocumentimagessuchasacensusimageoranewspaperarticleclipping.Forbestresults,you’llwanttoedityourimagesinphoto-editingsoftwarebeforeuploadingthemtoSpoonflower.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

VINTAGEHOLIDAYPHOTOPILLOWWITHSPOONFLOWERANDPICMONKEY

Time 3hoursplussewingtime

Youwillneed…

1photo,printablefabric

Goodfor… holidaydecorating,customgifts

Designideas putthen-and-nowphotosonthefrontandback,ormakeamultiple-photocollage

ProjectOverview

Homedecoratingcatalogsandglossyholidaymagazinesarefilledwithelegantfabricprojectsthatyoucanduplicatewithyourownphotosandscannedartcustom-printedonthefabricofyourchoice.Whileink-jetprintinglimitsyourprojectstoletter-sizefabricsheets,custom-printedsilk,linen,cotton,andcanvasareavailablebytheyardinfullbolt-widths.Youcanusetheselargerprintedfabricstomaketotes,pillows,quilts,clothing,ordrapery,orasupholstery.

Thisprojectisdesignedwiththeonlinephoto-editingprogramPicMonkey.IscannedavintageholidayphotoanduploadedittoPicMonkeyforcroppingandembellishing.YoucansavethecompletedimagetoyourcomputeranduploadittoSpoonflowertoprintasa16x16-inchdecoratorpillow.

Instructions

STEP1:PREPARETHEIMAGEINPICMONKEY.OpenPicMonkey<www.picmonkey.com>andselecttheDesigniconatthetopofthepage.

STEP2:UPLOADTHEIMAGE.ClicktheOpenbuttontouploadyourimage.

STEP3:ADDAFRAMEORBORDER.IntheEditwindowtotheleftofyourimage,selecttheFrames(pictureframe)icon.ChooseSimpleEdgeandchangetheoutercolortoblack0thicknessandtheinnercolortowhite90thicknesstoaddanold-fashionedphoto-printborder.

STEP4:ADDBACKGROUNDFORCLIPART.IntheEditwindow,selecttheOverlays(butterfly)iconandthenchooseGeometrics/Circleanddragthecircletoyourphoto.ChangetheOverlayColor1toredandColor2towhite;closetheOverlaywindow.

STEP5:ADDCLIPART.ScrolldowntoOverlay/Postalandfindtheglobepostmark.Dragthepostmarktothecircleyouplacedearlier.Changethecolortored;closetheOverlaywindow.

STEP6:ADDTEXT.IntheEditwindow,selecttheType(Tt)icon,selecttheSpecialElitefont,anddragthetextboxtoyourphoto.TypeNORTHPOLEinthetextboxandchangethefontsizeto75.

STEP7:ADJUSTTHETEXTANDSAVEYOURDESIGN.Clicktheright-handborderofthetextboxanddragitlefttomaketheboxsmaller;dragthetextboxtothepostmarkandplaceitintheopening,rotatingifneeded.ClicktheSavebuttoninthetoptoolbartosaveyourimagetoyourcomputerasahigh-qualityJPGfile.

STEP8:CREATEYOURFABRICINSPOONFLOWER.LogintoSpoonflower<www.spoonflower.com>andchooseCreateFabricfromtheCreatemenu.

STEP9:UPLOADDESIGN.Selectyoursavedimageonyourcomputer,confirmyourcopyright,anduploadyourfile.

STEP10:SELECTFABRICANDORDER.IntheDesignwindow,selecttheRepeat:Center,DesignSize:Bigger.UndertheChooseaFabricdrop-downmenu,selectadesiredfabric.UnderChooseaSize&Amount,selectFatQuarter.Addtotheshoppingcartandcompleteyourpaymentandshippinginformation.

STEP11:SEWTHEPILLOW.AfteryoureceivethefabricfromSpoonflower,cutthefabricandsewthepillowasdesired.

BonusIdea:CreateCustomGiftWrap

Inadditiontoprintingonfabric,severalonlinephotoservices,includingSpoonflower<www.spoonflower.com>,Shutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>,andZazzle<www.zazzle.com>,letyouprintyourowncustomgiftwrap.Hereareafewideasforcreatingcustomwrappingpaper.

HolidayCollage:Useagift-wraptemplateonShutterflysuchasHolidayStampsorFromSantaGiftTags.Personalizeitbyaddingfamilyphotosandaddingthefamilyname.Changeanycolorphotostoblack-and-whiteformatforacohesivefeeloravintagelook.SinglePhotoTile:Chooseasinglephototocreatetile-patternwrappingpaperatZazzle.Asimpleimage,withoutalotofdetail,worksbest.Youcanaddtextafteruploadingyourimage.YourOwnDesign:Tocreateone-of-a-kindgiftwrapforanyoccasion,usetheonlinephotoeditorPicMonkey<www.picmonkey.com>alongwithSpoonflower.You’llcreateadesignfromscratch,thenorderitthroughSpoonflower.Includeanytextontheimagebeforeyouuploadit.Afteryouuploadyourimage,youcanselectwhetheryouwantittoberepeated.

PROJECTIDEA

PHOTOQUILTBLOCKTime 1hour

Youwillneed…

1photo,printablefabric,suchasburlaporcanvassheet(availableatcraftstores)

Goodfor… transferringanimagetoprinter-sizefabric

Designideas printquiltblocks;smallpillowtops;quotations;othersmallfabricitems

ProjectOverview

Whenyouneedaquiltlabelorphotoprintedtofabric,looknofurtherthanyourink-jetprinter.Pretreatedfabricsheetsareagoodoptionifyouneedonlyafewcopies.You’llwantthefinalproducttobewashableandcolorfast.CommercialprintablefabricsheetsareavailablefromAvery,Dritz,ElectricQuiltCompany,andPrintedTreasures.Manyquiltersmaketheirownprintablefabricsheetswithfreezerpaperandchemicalproductstomakefabriccolorfast.Remembertoreverseanyimagesthathavewording.

TipsandTechniques

Selectandscanyourphotographat300dpi.Setthetargetsizeforyourintendedprintdimensionsorlarger.Remembertoincludeaseamallowancewhencalculatingprintsize.Openyourphotoinyourphoto-editingsoftwareorplacetheimageinawordprocessingdocument.Sizethephotoforyourprint.Choosethecorrectfabricforyourprinter,eitherink-jetorlaserink.Followthefabricmanufacturer’sdirectionstoprintorcopyyourphototothespecialfabric.Gentlyguidethefabricthroughthepapertrayifneeded.Settheprintasideandlettheinkdrycompletelybeforesewingorcutting.

16Photo-BookProjects

Everyonelovesstories,especiallystoriestoldinpictures.Ifyouhaveinheritedafamilyphotocollection,yourfamilystorymaybewaitingtobesharedwithafamilyhistoryphotobook.Andifyou’rebusysnappingphotosofeverydayfamilylife,youcaneasilyturndigitalbytesintodigitalbooks.

Thestep-by-stepprojectsinthischapterwillhelpyouplananddesignafamilyphotobookorafamilyhistoryphotobookusinganonlinebookservice.Ifyou’vemadesimilarbooksbefore,youmayhavefoundtheprocesstime-consumingorconfusing,orthoughttheresultsweremoreofahodgepodgeofpicturesthanameaningfulfamilystory.Inthischapter,you’llfindideastostreamlinetheprocessandcreateabookyouwillbeproudtoshare.

BEFOREYOUBEGIN

You’llfindtheentirephoto-bookcreationprocesswillbemuchfasterandsmootherifyoutaketimetousethePhoto-BookProjectBoardtoorganizeyourideasandyourphotosbeforestartingtocreateyourbook.Inaddition,you’llneedtofocusthestoryyouwantyourphotobooktotell.

Asinglephotobookcan’tcovereverything,soit’simportanttonarrowyourfocustoaspecificthemeortopic.Thinkcarefullyaboutyourpurposeforthisphotobookandtrytostateyourbook’sthemeinasentenceortwo.Ifthat’snotpossible,thetopicmaybetoobigforasinglephotobook.Athemeortopicwillhelpyoustayfocusedsoyou’renottemptedtoaddphotosthatdon’treallyfitwithyouroverallobjectives.Browsephoto-bookwebsitesforideasandthinkaboutthethemeandstoryline.Notewhatmakessomebooksbetterthanothers,andincorporatethoseideasintoyourproject.

Keepinmindthatfamilyhistoryprojectscanbemorecomplexthanatypicalvacationorannualfamilyphotobook.Genealogistsmusttrytofaithfullyshareancestralstoriesusingillustrationsandimagessuchasheirloomphotosandolddocuments,anddrawonhistoricalcontextandsocialephemeratomakethestoryinterestingandcompelling.

Writingafamilyhistoryphotobookdoesn’thavetobeahuge,complicatedproject.Insteadofpreparingamonumentalsix-hundred-pagedocument,focusonaspecific

individualorcouple,orononebranchofthefamilytree.Thiswillestablishthemainsubjectforyourbookandhelpyounarrowyourchoiceswhenselectingphotosandillustrationsandmakingdesignchoices.Dependingontheonlinephoto-bookserviceyouchoose,youmayneedtostaywithinamaximumpagelimit.Thisisprobablyagoodthing.Lessisdefinitelymoredesirablewhenitcomestocreatingafamilyphotobookthatyourfamilywillenjoy.

Ifyou’recreatingafamilyhistoryphotobook,allowextrapagesfor

atitlepagewithauthor,date,andpublicationplace.contactinformation,whichmaybeaddedtothetitlepageorbackpageandshouldincludeyourname,e-mail,and/orphonenumber.creditsoracknowledgements,whichmightincludeanoteofappreciationtofamilymemberswhosharedphotosorresearchmaterial.adedicationtothoughtfullyconveyyourpersonalremarksandfutureintentionsforyourfamilyhistory.footnotesorendnotes.Theseaddcredibilitytoyourfamilystoriesandgivefutureresearchersconfidenceinyourconclusions.Useaconsistentcitationstyleandincludeallpertinentdetailstohelpthereaderevaluateandlocateyoursources.EvidenceExplainedbyElizabethShownMillsprovidesacomprehensiveguidetocitingprintanddigitalsources.

UsingthePhoto-BookProjectBoard

MakeacopyoftheblankPhoto-BookProjectBoard.Eachsectionoftheprojectboardwillhelpfocusdecisionsforyourphoto-bookproject.

SNAPSHOT:InthissectionofthePhoto-BookProjectBoard,startbywritingdownaworkingtitleforyourbookandmakingnotesofthethemeaswellasdesignelements(colors,etc.)you’dliketouse.Considerfontsandotherelementsyouwanttouse.Forexample,atributetoyourfamilyathletes,pastorpresent,willlookgreatwithcollegeletterman-stylefontsandteamcolors.Abookhonoringyourmommightfeatureclipartwithherfavoriteflowersandcolors.

PHOTO-BOOKPROJECTBOARDHOWTOUSETHISPROJECTBOARD1. Decidewhattypeofphotobookyouwanttocreate.FillintheSnapshotandandAudiencesectionsofthe

projectboard.

2. Explorethetypesofphotobooksanddesignsofferedonphotoservicewebsites.MakenotesintheServicessection.

3. SketchplansfortextandimagesintheStoryboardLayoutsection.

SNAPSHOT

Photo-booktheme/workingtitle

Orientation/style(landscape,portrait,square)

Size

Tone(classic,lively,modern)

Colors

Photostyle(framed,full-bleed)

Fonts(script,fun,traditional)

Printoptions(lay-flat,specialtypaper)

Book-coverfeatures(photowindow,full-bleedimage,textonspine)

Quantitytoprint

Familyhistorydesignfeatures(pedigreechart,familytree,recordimages)

SERVICE

POSSIBLEWEBSITES DESIGNANDCOST

1.

2.

3.

AUDIENCE

Detailsaboutyouraudience

STORYBOARDLAYOUT:IMAGESANDDESIGNIDEAS

Spine ____________________

FrontCoverandPage1 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages2–3 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages4–5 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages6–7 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages8–9 ____________________________________________________________

____________________

Pages10–11 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages12–13 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages14–15 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages16–17 ________________________________________________________________________________

Pages18–19 ________________________________________________________________________________

Page20andBackCover ________________________________________________________________________________

Photo-BookTipsAsyouevaluateonlinephoto-bookservices,consideryourideasfromtheSnapshotsection.Considerthedesign/themestyles,bookstyles,andnumberofpagesallowed.Keepinmindyouraudience’sage,gender,interests,personality,andanyknownlikesanddislikes.Thiswillhelpyouchoosetheappropriatedesign,photos,andtextforyourbook.Beforeyoubeginyourproject,saveJPGcopiesoftheimagesinafolderonyourcomputerdesktopforeasyaccessanduploading.

SAMPLEPHOTO-BOOKPROJECTBOARDSNAPSHOT

Photo-booktheme/workingtitle Sisters

Orientation/style(landscape,portrait,square) landscape

Size 8.5x11inches

Tone(classic,lively,modern) classicwithmoderntwist

Colors colorimages,black/whitetext

Photostyle(framed,full-bleed) framed;full-bleedbackgroundimages

Fonts(script,fun,traditional) serifforoldfonts,sansseriffornewphotos

Printoptions(lay-flat,specialtypaper) lay-flat

Book-coverfeatures(photowindow,full-bleedimage,textonspine)

montageofallsisters,textonspine

Quantitytoprint 6

Familyhistorydesignfeatures(pedigreechart,familytree,recordimages)

pedigreechart

SERVICES

POSSIBLEWEBSITES DESIGNANDCOST

1.Shutterfly.com gooddesignthemesforthisproject;familytreechart

2.Snapfish.com canmixthemes;photosalreadyonSnapfish

3.Mixbook.com nicethemes;greatfamilytree

AUDIENCE

Detailsaboutyouraudience niecesanddaughters(ages22–32)

STORYBOARDLAYOUT:IMAGESANDDESIGNIDEAS

Spine booktitle

FrontCoverandPage1

cover:collagephotoofsisterspage1:Titlepage,author,date

Pages2–3 introwithtextandphotoofoldestsisters

Pages4–5 youngestsisters

Pages6–7 girlswiththeirmoms

Pages8–9 nieceswiththeirsisters

Pages10–11 nieceswiththeirmom

Pages12–13 meandSis

Pages14–15 MomandAuntFrances

Pages16–17 GrandmaandGreat-auntMercy

Pages18–19 Great-grandmotherMinniewithsisterMaud

Page20–21 Great-great-grandmotherMercywithsisters

Pages22–23 pedigreechartshowingallgenerations

Page24andBackCover

page24:thanksanddedicationbackcover:photoofoldestsisters(great-grandma,Minnie

&Maud)

Alsothinkabouttheoveralldesignstyle:modern,traditional,orplayful.Considerhowyouwillfeatureyourimagesandwhetherornotit’simportanttousefull-bleedortwo-pagespreadphotos.Noteanyessentialprintfeatures,includinglay-flatpages,printingonthespine,coverwindows,dustjacketsorleathercovers,andslipcases.Yournoteswillhelpyoucomparebookservicestofindthebestfitforyourproject.

SERVICES:Youmayhaveafavoritephoto-projectwebsite,butIencourageyoutoexploreothersitesforuniquefeaturesandinspirationtofindoneyoulikeforphoto-bookprojects.MakenotesonyourPhoto-BookProjectBoardtocomparedesignoptions,printingoptions,prices,andshippingtimes.Askyourselfthesequestionsasyouevaluateyouroptions:

What’stheminimumandmaximumnumberofpages?CanIcreatethecoverstyleIwant?Doesthisserviceoffertextonthespine?

CanIchooselay-flatpages,ifdesired?Dobuilt-indesignstylescomplementmyownbooktheme?CanIincludefull-bleedimages?Canphotosextendacrosstwopages?CanIaddanddeletebackgroundimages,clipart,orembellishments?Isthedesignsoftwareintuitiveandeasytouse?

AUDIENCE:Everyphotobookhasanintendedaudience—eveniftheaudienceisonlyyou.It’smorelikely,however,thatyou’recreatingafamilyphotobooktosharevacationmemories,birthdaycelebrations,orfamilyhistorywithothers.We’vecomealongwayfromfamilyslideshowsthatlefteveryoneyawninginthedarkafterthefourthcarouselofcolorimagesflashedonthescreen.Today’scustomphotobooksmakeiteasytotargetaudiencesofanyageorinterestlevel.

Toidentifyyouraudience,askthesequestions:

Whatistheirage?Wheredotheylive?Wherehavetheylivedinthepast?Whatactivitiesdoesyouraudienceenjoydoing?Whatmakesthemsmileorlaugh?Dotheysharefunnystories?Willanytopicsmakethemuncomfortableorsad?

Tocreateabookthatyouraudiencewantstoread,considerwhichstoriesandphotoswouldinterestthemmost.Includethephotosyoufeelareimportanttoshare.Andusethepropertone(perhapshumorousorconversational)tohelpyourreaderconnecttothepeopleandstoriesyoushareinthebook.

LAYOUT:IntheStoryboardLayoutsectionofthePhoto-BookProjectBoard,sketchindividualpagelayoutsandmakealistofthephotosyou’llneedforeachspread.Thinkaboutviewingyourbookastwo-pagespreadsinsteadofindividualpages.You’llhavemorelayoutspaceandstoryoptionswhenworkingwithtwofacingpages,includingextendedpedigreechartsandlargephotosthatrunacrossbothpages.Also,rememberthatodd-numberedpagesarealwaysontherightsideandeven-numberedpagesareontheleft.Alwaysincludeatitlepagewithyourphotobook’stitle,yourname,andthepublicationdate.

TIPDon’tGoFontWild

Manyfamilyhistorybooksincludegenerousamountsoftextandphotocaptions.Selectnomorethanthreefontstousethroughoutyourbook:onelargefontforheadlines,onefontfortextandcaptions,andoneforaccents.

TipsforSelectingandPreparingPhoto-BookImages

Photobooksaregreatprojectsifyouhaveadigitalphotocollectionyou’dliketoshowcase:snapshotsfromyourlastvacation,scannedimagesfromanheirloomphotocollection,orsmartphonephotostakenatabirthdayparty.Beforeyoubegin,takeadeepbreath,pulloutyourPhoto-BookProjectBoard,andstartlookingthroughyourphotosforimagesthattellthestoryyouwanttoshare.Considerthesetipsasyouselectphotostoinclude.

Lookforphotosthatarewell-composed,well-exposed,focused,andhavegoodcontrast.Ifyouabsolutelymustincludeapoorimagebecauseit’stheonlyphotoofaspecificperson,workaroundthephoto’slimitationsbyusingtheimageinthebestsizeforthephoto.Don’tforceasmall,low-resolutionphotointoalargeimagelayout.You’llbedisappointedwiththeresult.CreateafolderonyourcomputerdesktoptoholdJPGversionsofphotosforyourproject.Thisisnotapermanentarchive.YoucanmovethistoafolderforPastProjectswhenyou’refinished.Examineeachphotocloselyinyourphoto-editingsoftware.Thebestphoto-bookimageswillhaveahighenoughresolutionthattheycanbeplacedinabookofanysize.Chooseimageswithaminimum300dpiresolutionifyoucan.Ifyouhavelowerresolutionphotosyouwanttouse,considerusingtheminmulti-photolayoutsorasadesignelementratherthanafeaturephoto.Selectphotosthattellastory,showaperson’spersonality,sparkamemory,orevokeastrongemotionalresponse.BeawarethatmostonlinephotoservicesacceptJPGfilesonly.Editimagesasmuchoraslittleasyoulike.Inmostcases,simplyadjustthecolorandrepairdamageinyourphoto-editingsoftwarebeforeuploadingtoyourphoto-bookproject.

Photo-bookservicescancorrectred-eye,crop,andauto-adjustanimage,buttheycan’terasewaterspotsorrepairtornedges.Doadvancededitingwithphoto-editingsoftwarebeforeuploadingtheimagetoaphotoservice.Savecroppingforlater.Manytimesitisbettertocropafterplacingthephotointhepagetemplatesoyoucanadjustittofitacurvedordecorativeframe.Ifyoucroptootightlyinyourphoto-editingsoftwarebeforeplacingtheimageinyourproject,yoursubjectmaylosehisheadorfeettotheframe.Sortphotosbasedontheorderyouwouldlikethemtoappearinyourphotobook.Thiscansaveconsiderabletimewhenyou’rereadytocreateyourphotobook.Mostsitesofferanautofilloptionthatautomaticallypopulatespageswithyourphotos.Youcanmakeadjustmentsandrearrangephotostofinalizethedesign.Ifyouusephoto-managementsoftwaresuchasiPhoto,Picasa,orAdobeLightroom,youcanmakeanalbumorcollectiontoholdtheimagesyouwanttouseforaspecificphoto-bookproject.UsetheBatchEditfunctioninyoursoftwaretocreateanewcopyofeachimageintherecommendedJPGformatandrenamethefilessequentiallyforeasyimportingtoyourphotobook.Afteryoucreateanalbumorcollection,exportittoyourcomputerdesktopattheoriginalsizeandimagequality.

Photo-BookTermstoKnow

coverstamping:photo-bookoptionforaddingtextimprintedonabookcoverdie-cutcover:abookcoverthatfeaturesacutoutwindowtoshowcasethephotoonthefirstpage;thecoveritselfcanbesoftcover,hardcover,fabric,leather,orotherspecialtymaterialdustjacket:apapercoverwithflapsthatwrapsaroundandprotectsthecoverofyourbookendpapers:papercoveringtheinsideofthefrontandbackcoversofabookflush-mountbook:apremiumlay-flatbooktypicallyhaseachpageprintedonhigh-qualityphotopapermountedtoaninnercore,makingthefinishedpagethickerandstifferthananaveragebookpagegutter:theinneredgeofabookpagewherethepagesmeetatthebinding;ifyouliketousetwo-pagespreads,beawarethatportionsofyourimage(ortext)cangetlostinthegutterhardcover:thiscoverisproducedasahardcoverwithasmudge-resistantfinishimagewrapcover:thisfeatureallowsaphototoliterallywraparoundtheentirecoveroverthefront,spine,andbackofyourbookordustjacket

lay-flatbook:pageslayflatwithoutacenterseam;oftenfeaturespremiumpapermemorabiliaenvelope:aspecialenvelopeaffixedtotheinsidecoverofaphotobookforyourticketstubs,cards,andotherkeepsakespaddedcover:abookcoverwithalayerofpaddingaddedbetweentheprintedcoverandtheinnerboardtocreateasoft-cushionedcoverpagecount:thenumberofpagesinyourbook;mostphotobooksrequireaminimumoftwentypageswithoptionstoaddpagesforanextraper-pagecostslipcase:aprotectiveboxwithoneopensidethatprotectsthepagesofyourbookfromdustandlightsoftcover:thecoverisprintedonthickpaperorcardstock(likeapaperbackbook),oftenwithamatteorshinyfinishtwo-pagespread:referstoextendinganimageacrossthebinding/guttertocoverallorpartoftwopages

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

CUSTOMPHOTOBOOKWITHSNAPFISHTime 3to6hours(dependingonyourphoto-book-making

experience)

Youwillneed…

15photosormore

Goodfor… holidayandbirthdaygifts,aswellasfamilyreunions

Designideas focusonbrothersandsisters,cousins,ormultiplegenerations

ProjectOverview

Somefamilytreesarewell-balancedwithfairlyequalnumbersofmenandwomenlistedalongthetwigsandbranches;othersleanmoreheavilytowardasinglegender.Inmyownfamily,Icomefromalonglineofsistersiblingswithoutanybrothers.Althoughmyfamilyisnowfilledwithsonsandgrandsons,mysisterhascontinuedthefemaletraditionwithfourdaughtersandthreegranddaughters(plusoneadorablegrandson).Thisphoto-bookprojectcelebratesourfemalefamilyheritagewithphotosandstoriesaboutthesistersinourfamilytree.

Followalongwiththisproject,beginningwiththesamplePhoto-BookProjectBoardearlierinthischapter.

Instructions

UsethePhoto-BookProjectBoardtoorganizeyourideasandplanyourproject.SelectphotosandplaceJPGcopiesofyourimagesinafolderonyourcomputerdesktop.

TIPMixingPageThemes

TomixthemepagesinaSnapfishphoto-bookproject,draganddroptheindividualthemepagefromtheThemetraytoyourpagespread.

STEP1:SELECTABOOKDESIGN.SignintoSnapfish<www.snapfish.com>andselectPhotoBooksandthesizeandstyledesired.Forthisproject,I’mtryingoutthenewLay-flatBook.NoticethatthetoolbaracrossthetopofthepagehasoptionsforPhotos,Book,Theme,Personalize,andReview.Workfromlefttoright,beginningwithPhotos.

TIPRearrangeImages

Toquicklyrearrangephotosinamulti-photolayout,clicktheShuffleiconinthepagetab.

STEP2:UPLOADPHOTOS.ClicktheUploadPhotosbuttontoopentheUploadwindow.Enteranameforthealbumtoholdyourphoto-bookpictures.ChoosetherecommendedFastuploadspeedandclicktheSelectPhotosbutton.Navigatetothefolderyoucreatedearliercontainingyourprojectphotosandselectphotostoupload.ClickDone.

STEP3:CREATECOVERS.Placephotosinthecoverlayoutbydraggingthemfromtheleftphototabtothepagespread.

STEP4:ADJUSTANDEDITYOURCOVERPHOTOS.ClicktheHandiconinthecenterofthephototoopentheminieditingtoolbar;formoreeditingoptions,clicktheEditicontoaccesstoolsforred-eyecorrection,photoeffects,andzoom.Iappliedtheblack-and-whiteeffecttoeachcolorphotoandzoomedtocropexcessbackground.

STEP5:ADDATITLEANDSPINETEXTTOCOVER.ClickintheTitletextboxandtypeyourbooktitle.Selectfont,size,andcolor.ClickintheSpinetextboxandtypeyourtitleagain;selectthesamefontandcolor.Thesizewillneedbesmallertofitonanarrowspine.

STEP6:DESIGNTHETITLEPAGE.Clicktherightarrowbuttontomovetothefirstpagespread.SelectPageLayoutsintheleft-handtoolspanelanddragatext-onlypagetothespread.ClicktheAddTextboxandtypethebookname,yourname,andtheyear.Adjustthefontstyle,size,andcolorasdesired.

STEP7:ADDPHOTOSANDTEXTTOPAGESPREADS.Clicktherightarrowtomovetothenextpagespreadforpages2and3.DragaphotofromtheleftPhotostabtothelayout.To

adjusteffects,cropping,andsize,clicktwiceonthephototoopentheEditwindow.Clickonceinthetextboxtoaddtext.

STEP8:CUSTOMIZEPAGELAYOUTS.Customizeeachpagebyclickingthedesigntabsontheleft:PageLayouts,Themes,andEmbellishments.Alternately,customizebyclickingthedesigniconsinthepagetab:Shuffle,Gallery,andText.Draganddropselectionstoyourpagespread.

STEP9:ADDTEXTBOXESANDADJUSTSIZE.AddatextboxtoanypagebyclickingtheTexticoninthePagetab.Dragthecornerhandlestoadjustthesizeandpositionofthetextbox.

STEP10:VIEWPAGESPREADSANDTHECOMPLETEBOOK.Clickthepageviewiconstoviewallspreads.Continueaddingpagespreads,photos,andtextuntilyoucompleteallpages.

STEP11:REVIEWANDORDER.ClicktheReviewbuttononthetoolbartoopenaflipbookpreviewofyourbook.Carefullyproofreadeachpage.Printadraftandorderprintsifdesired.Placeyourorder.

STEP12:SHARE.ClicktheSharebuttontoe-mailalinkofyournewbooktofamilyandfriends,orclickthetabtoshareyourprojectonFacebook.

STEP-BY-STEPPROJECT

AUTO-FILLBIRTHDAYBOOKWITHMIXBOOKTime 3hours(dependingonyourphoto-book-makingexperience)

Youwillneed…

20photosormore

Goodfor…

souvenirofacelebration,event,orvacation

Designideas

choosearelevanttheme,organizephotoswithconsecutivenumbersforeasyautofilluploading

ProjectOverview

Creatingaphotobookdoesn’thavetobeahugechore.IusedadesignertemplateatMixbook<www.mixbook.com>toassemblethisfastlittlebirthdaysouvenirinafewhoursusingtheAutoFillfeature.Ittookaslongtouploadallmyimagesasitdidtoplacethephotosandfinalizethedesign.Thehardestpartwasfindingmycreditcardtoorderthebook.

Instructions

Mixbook’sAutoFilloptionwillimportimagestothebooklayoutusingthefile-nameorder.Usephoto-editingsoftwaretoorganizephotosinacollectionintheorderyouwantthemtoappearinthebook.(Note:Somephoto-editingprogramsuseAlbumstoorganizeasubsetofphotos.)Inmyphoto-editingprogramAdobeLightroom,IusedBatchRenamingtogiveeachfileanewnameandconsecutivenumber.IsavedaJPGcopyofthefilestoaprojectfolderonmydesktop.

STEP1:SELECTBOOKDESIGN.LogintoMixbook;selectasuitablebookdesign.IchoseBirthdayBrights.ClicktheCreateNowbuttontoopentheDesignwindow.

STEP2:IMPORTPHOTOS.Chooseallphotostoimport.

STEP3:PERSONALIZECOVERTEXT.Clickontextblockstochangethenameandresizetofit.Tochangethenumber8to3,IclickedontheStickerstabinthetopleftmenuandreplacedthe8withthecorrectnumber.

STEP4:PLACECOVERPHOTO.Draganddropaphototothecover.Clickontheimagetochangecroppingandenlarge.

STEP5:AUTOFILLPHOTOS.Toautomaticallyplaceallphotosinyourbook,clicktheAutoFillbuttonandwaitforthemagic.Fine-tuneplacementbymovingaroundphotosasdesired.

STEP6:PREVIEWANDORDER.Previewyourbook,refinethephotoplacement,andaddanytextyou’dlike.Whenyou’rereadytoorder,clicktheOrderbutton.

PROJECTIDEA

FAMILYYEARBOOKTime 3to6hours

Youwillneed…

assortedfamilysnapshots,teampictures,scannedimages(memorabilia)fromoneyear

Goodfor… featuringanyperson,couple,family,orancestors

Designideas makeitclassic,trendy,serious,orfun—whateveryouwish

ProjectOverview

Familiesdrowningindigitalphotosmightwanttotakeapracticalsteptowardpreservingthebestofthebestwithanannualyearbook-stylephoto-bookdesign.Insteadofprintingoutindividualsnapshotsandstuffingthemintoanalbum,pickonlythebestshotstoshowcaseinanannualphotobookmodeledafterahighschoolyearbook.

TipsandTechniques

UsethePhoto-BookProjectBoardtoplananoutlineofthebook,withattentiontothecolorsanddesignyou’dliketouse.Youcansavetimeandskipaheadbyusingoneoftheprofessionalfamilyyearbookthemesfeaturedatpopularphoto-bookwebsites.Everyyearbookneedsatitlepagewithpublicationdateandplace.Organizeyourphotoschronologically,beginninginJanuary.Breakupthemonthswithpagespreadsontheseason’ssports,activities,orcelebrations.Includeallfamilymembers.Remembertogivespacetothefamilypets.It’sfuntoaddvitalstatisticssuchasweightandheight,too.Scanorsnapphotosoftickets,programs,birthdaygifts,schoolwork,andothermemorabiliayou’dliketokeep.

Checkoutphotowebsiteyearbookdesignsforgreatideassuchaspagespreadslistingfavoritefoods,sayings,orpeople.Leaveapageforeveryoneinthefamilytoaddhisorhersignature,handprint,orpawprint.

PROJECTIDEA

HEIRLOOMREPRODUCTIONBOOKTime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed… scannedimagesofanheirloombook’spages

Goodfor… shortpersonalbooksorcollectionsoffamilycorrespondence

Designideas selectaprintbookthesamesizeandshapeastheoriginal

ProjectOverview

Alltoooften,one-of-a-kindfamilyheirloomsremaininthehomesandhandsoftheownerandaredifficulttosharewithotherfamilymembers.Ifyourancestorleftbehindajournal,diary,orabundleofcorrespondence,youdon’thavetobeabiographerorabookdesignertopreserveandshareitwithothers.Youcancreateadigitalreproductionoftheheirloomsoeveryoneinthefamilycanownapersonalcopyofyourfamilylegacy.

Thisprojectcreatesanheirloomreproductionbookyoucanmakeusinganonlinepublishingserviceandthensharewithyourrelativesatthenextfamilygatheringorreunion.Heirloomsthataregoodforthiskindofprojectincludesmallautographbooks,traveldiaries,recipecardcollections,andsmalldiaries.I’vehadsuccesswithreproductioneditionsofa1940shomeeconomicsnotebook,awartimephotobook,andalittleautographbook.Aimtofindabookthatistwentytothirtypagesinlength.Viewonlineversionsofmyprojectsat<www.thefamilycurator.com/heirloom-books>.

TipsandTechniques

Measureyouroriginalbookandchooseanonlinephoto-bookorpublishingservicethatoffersabooksizeclosetotheoriginalbookorslightlylarger.Scanthefrontandbackcoversandeachpageinorder.Numbereachfilenameconsecutivelylikethis:book-01,book-02,book-03.

SavemasterdigitalcopiesinTIFFformatanduploadJPGversionsforyourproject.UsetheAutoFillfeaturetoquicklyplaceyourdigitalimagesinyourproject.Addafewpageswithexplanatoryinformationabouttheauthorandbookcreationattheendofthebook.Includeyourcontactinformationastheowneroftheoriginalcopy.Ifyourimagesdon’tcompletelyfillthepage,selectabackgroundthatissimilarincolorandtexturetotheoriginalandapplytothebook.CreateandshareyourbookonShutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>orSnapfish<www.snapfish.com>andletrelativesordertheirowncopies,orpublishitwithBlurb<www.blurb.com>orLulu<www.lulu.com>toopensalestoawideraudience(makesureyoudon’tviolatecopyrightlawsifyouplantosellit).Alengthybookmaybecostlytoprint.ConsidersharingitasanonlinedigitalbookonScribd<www.scribd.com>orasane-bookpublication.

PROJECTIDEA

PHOTOBOOKFORBUSYPEOPLETime lessthan3hours

Youwillneed…

20to40photos

Goodfor… annualFacebookorInstagramyearbook

Designideas compileabookofphotosfromyoursocialmediaaccountoravacationbook

ProjectOverview

Don’tputoffsharingyourphotoswithfamilyandfriends.Asimpleauto-generatedphotobookisbetterthanphotoslockedinyourcomputerwherenoonecanenjoythem.Usethesetime-savingtrickstogetyourphotosoutofdigitalstorageandintothehandsofthepeopleyoulove.

TipsandTechniques

Createafolderonyourcomputerdesktopandstartcollectingimagesforyournextphoto-bookprojecttoday.Surfthephoto-bookwebsitesforideasandinspiration.Savetimelaterbyopeningaccountsandsubscribingtonewslettersforspecialdealsandcoupons.Allbookservicesallowyoutocreateandsaveyourprojects.Takeadvantageofafreeweekendtostartabookandthengobackandfinishitwhenyouhavemorephotosandmoretime.BrowsePinterest<www.pinterest.com>andEtsy<www.etsy.com>fordesigntrendsandlayoutthemeideas.StartaPinterestboardtosaveyourfavoritesandfollowmyEasyPhotoBookboardsat<www.pinterest.com/familycurator>formoretipsandinspiration.

PROJECTIDEA

GRANDPARENTANDGRANDCHILDMEMORYBOOKTime 3to6hours

Youwillneed…

assortedsnapshotsfromyourchildhoodoryourgrandchild’slife

Goodfor… giftsforgrandparentsoraunts/uncles

Designideas usebrightcolors,clipart,andfunfonts

ProjectOverview

Thisprojectblendsagrandparentjournalwithaphotoalbumtocreateaone-of-a-kindbookthatanygrandparentandgrandchildwillcherish.Thebookincludesplacesforhandwritingandlotsofdoodlestocapturespecialtimeswithphotosandhandwrittencaptions,likeourgrandparentsdidwithold-fashionedphotoalbums.

TipsandTechniques

UsethePhoto-BookProjectBoardtoplanpagespreadsandtopicsyouwanttoinclude.Createthebookwithyourgrandchild.Chooseasimplebookdesign.Forthebesteffect,useawhiteorlight-coloredbackground.CreateatitlepageasPage1thatincludesyourowntitleforthebook,yourname,yourgrandchild’sname,andthedate.Useafontpointsizeof12or14.Leaveroomundereachnameforyoursignatures.Forgetaboutmakingaperfectbookwithcomputer-generatedtypeandclip-art.Instead,encouragepersonalexpressionandfunwithcoloredarchivalpens,realstickers,andplayfulphotos.Usephotosyoualreadyhaveonyourcomputertopersonalizethepages.

Keepintouchwithgrandchildrenlivingfarawaybyaddingafewcaptionsandsendingthebookwithaninvitationtoaddmorenotesanddrawings.Ormakeitachallenge:Youcanaddnotesforthefirsthalfofthebookandsenditalongforyourgrandchild’scontributionbeforeaddingthenextsetofcaptions.Considerusingtopicsforatwo-pagespread(suchasbabypictures,yourfirstbirthday,yourparents,yourpet,yourfavoritetoy),andplaceaphotoofthegrandparentontheleftpageandaphotoofthegrandchildontherightpage.Addappropriatetext.Forexample,aspreadwithbabypicturesmightsays“Iwasborn…”

PROJECTIDEA

REMEMBERINGANDCELEBRATINGBOOKTime 3to6hours

Youwillneed…

photosoffamilymembers;scannednewsclippings,maps,andephemera;photosoffriends,homes,community

Goodfor…

bookofremembranceatmemorialservice;giftforfamilymembers;ancestorstories

Designideas

chooseaclassicortraditionaltheme;pickabold,colorful,andjoyousBookofLifedesign

ProjectOverview

Rememberingispartofhealing,andphotosareapowerfulaidingrievingthelossofsomeonewelove.Forthepersonwhocreatesthebook,theprocessofselectingphotosandwritingcaptionsandstoriescanprovideaplacetocelebrateandrememberthelovedone.Forthosewhoviewthebook,thephotoshelpkeepmemoriesaliveforanewgeneration.

Amemorialbookdoesn’thavetobesomberanddry.Colorfulpagesandlivelydesigncancelebrateaperson’slifeandconveyhisorherpersonality.Jokesandfunnystorieswillmakethebookmoreappealing,andrecipesorrepairtipswillinstructandentertainreaders.

TipsandTechniques

UsethePhoto-BookProjectBoardtoplananoutlineofthebook.Arrangephotoschronologicallyfrombirthforwardorbackwardthroughtheyears.Includephotosofmajorlifeeventsincluding:religiousmilestones(suchasfirstcommunionorbarmitzvah),highschoolorcollegegraduation,weddings,retirements,andmore.Includephotosofparentsandgrandparents,aswellasbabyandearly-childhoodphotos.Alsoincludephotosoftheperson’sinterestsoractivitiestheperson

participatedinsuchasemployment,militaryservice,volunteerwork,communityservice,churchmembership,hobbies,andsports.Includeabasicfamilytreeoutliningconnectionstosurvivingrelatives.Addquipsandquotesfromsiblingsandfriendsascaptionsforphotos.Scanephemerasuchasticketstubsfromafavoriteevent.Createphotocollagepagestoincludemultipleimagesonthesametopicsuchassiblings,wedding,orbirthdays.Decideifyouwanttoincludememorialtributessuchasascannedimagesofthenewspaperobituary,funeralserviceprogram,orfuneralguestbookoraphotoofthecemetery.

AppendixPhotoOrganizingandDigitizing

Resources

WEBSITES

AmericanInstituteforConservationofHistoricandArtisticWorks<www.conservation-us.org>

TheFamilyCurator<www.thefamilycurator.com>FamilyTreeMagazine<www.familytreemagazine.com>

BOOKS

EvidenceExplained:CitingHistorySourcesFromArtifactstoCyberspace,2ndEdition,byElizabethShownMills(GenealogicalPublishingCompany)HowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakesbyDeniseMayLevenick(FamilyTreeBooks)OrganizeYourDigitalLifebyAimeeBaldridge(NationalGeographic)PreservingYourFamilyPhotographsbyMaureenA.Taylor(PicturePerfectPress)ThousandsofImages,NowWhat?PainlesslyOrganize,Save,andBackUpYourDigitalPhotosbyMikeHagen(Wiley)

ARCHIVALSUPPLIERS

AaronBrothers<www.aaronbrothers.com>ArchivalMethods<www.archivalmethods.com>Brodart<www.shopbrodart.com>GaylordArchival<www.gaylord.com>HollingerMetalEdge<www.hollingermetaledge.com>

EQUIPMENTANDSERVICES

DigitalCameraAccessories

CameraImageSensor<cameraimagesensor.com>EyefiMobiSDcard<www.eyefi.com>JobyGorillaPod(tripod)<www.joby.com>

DocumentCameras

HoverCamSolo8<thehovercam.com>

MobileScanners

Flip-Pal<www.flip-pal.com>IRIScan(cordlessmobilescanners)<www.irislink.com>IRIScanMouse<www.irislink.com>LGMouseScanner<www.lg.com>MagicInstaScanMouse<www.vupointsolutions.com>MagicWandportablescannerwithWi-Fi<www.vupointsolutions.com>VisioneerRoadWarrior<www.visioneer.com>

DesktopScanningSoftware

HamrickVueScan<www.hamrick.com>SilverFastArchiveSuitebyLaserSoft<www.silverfast.com>

ScannerReviews

CNET<www.cnet.com>ImagingResource<www.imaging-resource.com>PCMagazine<www.pcmag.com>

All-in-OneandFlatbedScanners

Brother<www.brother.com>Canon<www.canon.com>Epson<www.epson.com>Hewlett-Packard<www.hp.com>

OnlineBackupServices

Backblaze<www.backblaze.com>Carbonite<www.carbonite.com>CrashPlan<www.crashplan.com>Mozy<www.mozy.com>

OnlinePhotoStorage

AmazonCloudDrive<www.amazon.com/clouddrive>AppleiCloud<www.apple.com/icloud>

Dropbox<www.dropbox.com>GoogleDrive<www.drive.google.com>MicrosoftOneDrive<onedrive.live.com>ThisLife<www.thislife.com>

Photo-EditingandProjectApps

KeepShot(Android,iOS)<www.keepshot.com>KodakMomentsforiPad(iOS)MoldivCollagePhotoEditor(Android,iOS)MosaicBook(Android,iOS)<www.heymosaic.com>Photogene(iOS)<www.mobile-pond.com>ShutterflyPhotoStoryforiPad(iOS)<www.shutterfly.com>Snapseed(Android,iOS)

TIPHowtoGetMobileApps

Unlessotherwisenoted,gotototheGooglePlayStore<play.google.com>todownloadAndroidappsandtheiTunesAppStore<itunes.apple.com>todownloadiOSapps.

TIPGetDownloadsFromThisBook

Todownloadtypable,printablePDFsoftheprojectboardsforyourownuse,goto<ftu.familytreemagazine.com/how-to-archive-family-photos>.Viewphotoprojectsinfullcolor,andfindadditionalideasandinspirationat<www.thefamilycurator.com/archivephotos>.

ScanningMobileApps

CamScanner(Android,iOS)<www.camscanner.com>DocScan(iOS)<ifunplay.com/docscanapp.html>GeniusScan(Android,iOS,WindowsPhone)<www.thegrizzlylabs.com>HandyScanner(Android)<www.halfmobile.net>Prizmo(Mac,iOS)<www.creaceed.com/prizmo>ScannerPro(iOS)<readdle.com>TurboScan(Android,iOS)<turboscanapp.com>

Photo-BookPublishingServices

AdoramaPix<www.adoramapix.com>Blurb<www.blurb.com>Lulu<www.lulu.com>Mixbook<www.mixbook.com>Montage<www.montagebook.com>MyPublisher<www.mypublisher.com>Shutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>Snapfish<www.snapfish.com>

Photo-ManagementSoftware

AdobeLightroom<lightroom.adobe.com>AdobePhotoshopElements<www.adobe.com>AppleiCloudPhotoLibrary<www.apple.com/icloud/photos>Picasa<picasa.google.com>

Photo-SharingServices

EyefiCloud<www.eyefi.com>Facebook<www.facebook.com>

Flickr<www.flickr.com>Google+Photos<plus.google.com/photos>Instagram<www.instagram.com>Photobucket<www.photobucket.com>Pinterest<www.pinterest.com>SmugMug<www.smugmug.com>

PhotoProducts

AdoramaPix<www.adoramapix.com>CafePress<www.cafepress.com>MyPhotoPipe<www.myphotopipe.com>Shutterfly<www.shutterfly.com>Snapfish<www.snapfish.com>Spoonflower<www.spoonflower.com>Vistaprint<www.vistaprint.com>Zazzle<www.zazzle.com>

ABOUTTHEAUTHORDeniseMayLevenickinheritedherfamily’sphotocollectionin2000,butwastakingpictureswithhergrandmother’sBrownieHawkeyelongbefore.Shesharestipsandtechniquesforpreservingandorganizingfamilyphotographsandheirloomsinherfirstbook,HowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes(FamilyTreeBooks,2012),atheraward-winningblogTheFamilyCurator<www.thefamilycurator.com>,andinmanyarticlesforFamilyTreeMagazineandotherpublications.

Deniseisafrequentspeakeratgenealogyconferences,seminars,andwebinars.SheisanativeSouthernCalifornianandenjoystravelinginpursuitofherMidwestandNewEnglandfamilyroots.DenisestudiedjournalismandliteratureatPepperdineUniversityandtheUniversityofCalifornia,SantaBarbara,andholdsamaster’sdegreeinEnglishliteraturefromClaremontGraduateUniversity.Shehasworkedasanewspaperreporter,publicationseditor,freelancewriter,andjuniorhighandhighschoolEnglishteacher.Visitherat<www.thefamilycurator.com>.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTSIappreciatetheeffortsofmanypeoplewhohelpedbringthisbook’sthree-yearjourneyfromideatoink.

Mydaughters-in-lawprovidedthesparkforabookaboutarchivingdigitalphotos.Afterthepublicationofmyfirstbook,HowtoArchiveFamilyKeepsakes,bothyoungmotherssaidthattheydidn’thavemanyfamilykeepsakes(yet!),buttheywouldlovesometipsformanagingtheirgrowingdigitalphotocollections.Ihopethishelps.

Mr.Curator,asalways,workedanextrashiftathomesoIhadmoretimeforthisproject,andbuiltmultiplecustomcopystandsatamoment’snotice.

MysisterDeannaCraigactedasmycreativeprojectcoordinator,suggestingandtestingphotoappsandprojects.TerryJaurequiworkedthroughmoreprojects,offeringlunchandhelpfulfeedback.Andmanyfriendsandfamilymemberskindlyallowedmetosharetheirphotosandfacesthroughoutthisbook.Thankyou.

IespeciallyenjoyedtheopportunitytoworkagainwithAllisonDolan,publisher,andDianeHaddad,editor,atF+W.AndmythankstoeditorDanaMcCullough,whocontributedcreativefamilyhistoryphotoideasaswellaseditorialexpertise.

AndmyheartfeltappreciationtoreadersandfriendsofTheFamilyCuratorblogwhoshareapassionforpreservingthepast.Thankyou.Ifour“eyesarethewindowstothesoul,”surelyphotographsaretheheartbeatofmemories.

CREDITSWiththanksto

PicMonkeyforuseofimagesinChapters12and15.ShutterflyandThisLifebyShutterflyforuseofimagesinChapters4,12,and14.AllThisLifeMaterials©2014Shutterfly,Inc.ReproducedbypermissionofShutterfly,Inc.

AdditionalthankstoAdobeLightroom,AdoramaPix,Dropbox,EpsonScanner,Flickr,Google+,Mixbook,Moldiv,Snapfish,Snapseed,Spoonflower,Treelines,andTurboScan.

4FREEFamilyTreeTemplates

decorativefamilytreepostersfive-generationancestorchartfamilygroupsheetbonusrelationshipcharttypeandsave,orprintandfillout

Downloadat<ftu.familytreemagazine.com/free-family-tree-templates>

MoreGreatGenealogyResources

HOWTOARCHIVEFAMILYKEEPSAKES

ByDeniseMayLevenick

FamilyPhotoDetective

ByMaureenA.Taylor

FamilyTreeHistoricalMapsbook

ByAllisonDolanandtheEditorsofFamilyTreeMagazine

Availablefromyourfavoritebookstore,onlinebooksellersand<shopfamilytree.com>,orbycalling(855)278-0408.

Joinourcommunity!<facebook.com/familytreemagazine>

HowtoArchiveFamilyPhotos.Copyright©2015byDeniseMayLevenick.Allrightsreserved.NopartofthiseBookmaybereproducedinanyformorbyanyelectronicormechanicalmeansincludinginformationstorageandretrievalsystemswithoutpermissioninwritingfromthepublisher,exceptbyareviewerwhomayquotebriefpassagesinareview.PublishedbyFamilyTreeBooks,animprintofF+WMedia,Inc.,10151CarverRoad,Suite200,BlueAsh,OH45242.(800)289-0963.FirstEdition.

OtherfineFamilyTreeBooksproductsareavailablefromyourlocalbookstoreoronlinesupplier.Visitourwebsiteatshopfamilytree.com.

eISBN:9781440341083

Thise-bookedition:April2015(v.1.0)

Tables

DIGITALPHOTO&VIDEOSTORAGEWORKSHEETConsideryourlong-termdigitalphotoandvideostorageneedsbyaskingyourselfthefollowingquestions.Circlethebestanswerforeachquestiontoformanoverallpictureofyourdigitalstorageneeds.

PHOTOS

Questions Minimal Average Large

Howmanyphotosdoyoutakeeachyear?Ifyouhavephotosinfoldersorganizedbyyear,checkthetotalfortwoorthreeyearstogetanannualaverage.

fewerthan250

250to1,000 morethan1,000

Whatsizearemostphotossnappedbyyourcamera?Openafileandskimtheimagefileinformationforaroughidea.Thefilesizemaybemeasuredin

kilobytes(KB)ormegabytes(MB).

under10MB

10to12MB morethan12MB

Whatformatdoyoushootwithyourcamera?MostmobiledevicesandcamerastakeJPGimages,resultinginamoderatefilesize.IfyouuseadigitalSLRmodel,youmaybeshootingRAWformat,whichcreatesverylargefiles.

JPG JPG RAW+JPG

Howmanyoldfamilyphotoswillyouscanthisyear?Checkfoldersofscannedimagestogaugeannualaveragesforfuturestorageneeds.

fewerthan250

250to1,000 morethan1,000

Whatfileformatdoyouuseforscanningphotos?ImagesscannedinJPGwillbemuchsmallerthanarchivalTIFFfiles.

compressedJPG

uncompressedJPG

TIFF

Howmanynegativesandslideswillyouscanthisyear?Film(negativesandslides)shouldbescannedashigh-resolutionTIFFfilestocapturethefinedetail

intheimage,resultinginlargearchivalfiles.

fewerthan50

51to200 morethan200

Howmanydigitalimageswillyouscanandphotographinlibrariesandarchivesthisyear?Numerousresearchtripscanaddconsiderablebulktoyour

digitalcollection.

fewerthan250

250to1,000 morethan1,000

Howmanydigitalimageswillyoudownloadwhileresearchingonlinethisyear?Onlineresearchandimagedownloadscanresultinalargenumberofimagefiles,althoughtheseareusuallysmallerPDForcompressedJPGfiles.

fewerthan250

250to1,000 morethan1,000

VIDEOS

Questions Minimal Average Large

Howmanyoldfilmmovieswillyoudigitizethisyear?Ifyouarearchivingalargenumberofoldhomemovies,youwillneedsuitablestoragespace.

none about1to5 morethan5

Howmanyvideosdidyoumakethisyear?Videofilesaremuchlargerthanphotoimages.You’llneedadditionalspaceifyoutakelotsofvideos.Large

quantitiesmayneedadditionalstoragespace.

fewerthan15

15to50 morethan50

Howmanysharedvideosandphotosdidyousavethisyear?Don’tforgetvideosandphotossharedwithyou.Videosdownloadedfrome-mails,cloud

storage,socialmedia,andwebsitescanaddtoyourstorageneedsbutshouldbearchivedwithyourotherfiles.

fewerthan15

15to50 morethan50

FINALQUESTION

Howmuchspaceiscurrentlyavailableonyourcomputerharddrive?Openyourcomputerinfotocheckfreeharddrivespaceandviewhowmuchis

currentlybeingusedbyyourdigitalfiles.

Returntomaintext

PHOTO-MANAGEMENTSOFTWARECOMPARISONSeehowthreepopularnondestructivephoto-managementprogramscompare.Whenyoubeginshoppingaroundforphoto-managementsoftware,usetheblankPhoto-ManagementSoftwareComparisonWorksheettoupdateinformationandcompareyouroptions.

SOFTWARE#1 SOFTWARE#2 SOFTWARE#3

Software AdobeLightroom AdobePhotoshopElements

Picasa

Website lightroom.adobe.com www.adobe.com picasa.google.com

Typeofsoftware(desktop,web-based)

CreativeCloudsubscriptionordownload

desktopsoftware download

Platform(PC,Mac) PCandMac PCandMac PCandMac

Softwarecost $149 $79.99 free

Annualfee withCreativeCoudsubscription

none none

Mobileappavailable Yes Yes,withAdobeRevel yes,withPicasaWebAlbums

Fileformatsaccepted JPG,TIFF,PNG,RAW,DNG,AVI,MOV,MP4

JPG,TIFF,PNG,PDE,GIF,PSE,PDF

JPG,TIFF,PNG,PSD,GIF,RAW,WMV,AVI,MOV

Easeofuse medium easy easy

FEATURES

Activeuserforum yes yes yes,onGoogle+

Automatedimporting yes yes yes

Batchediting yes yes yes

Batchrenaming yes yes yes

Convertsfileformats yes yes yes

E-mailofphotos yes yes yes

Integratedsyncorbackup

yes,withAdobeLightroomMobile

yes,withAdobeRevel yes,withGoogle+

Nondestructiveediting yes withlayers yes

Printingofphotos yes yes yes

SharesphotosdirecttoFacebook

yes yes no

Sharesphotostosocialmediasites

yes yes yes,onGoogle+

Tutorials/webinars yes yes yes

Returntomaintext

PHOTO-MANAGEMENTSOFTWARECOMPARISONWORKSHEET1. Exploreyouroptionsforphoto-managementsoftware.Fillintheblanksonthisworksheettocompareeach

software’smajorfeaturesandoptions.2. Rememberthattechnologychangesrapidly,soupdateyourcommentsifyoupostponepurchasingdecisions.

SOFTWARE#1 SOFTWARE#2 SOFTWARE#3

Software

Website

Typeofsoftware(desktop,web-based)

Platform(PC,Mac)

Softwarecost

Annualfee

Mobileappavailable

Fileformatsaccepted

Easeofuse

FEATURES

Activeuserforum

Automatedimporting

Batchediting

Batchrenaming

Convertsfileformats

E-mailofphotos

Integratedsyncorbackup

Nondestructiveediting

Printingofphotos

SharesphotosdirecttoFacebook

Sharesphotostosocialmediasites

Tutorials/webinars

Returntomaintext

CLOUDSTORAGESERVICECOMPARISONWORKSHEETCloudstorageservicesconstantlyintroducenewfeaturesandrevisestoragequotas,subscriptionplansandprices,andotherservices.Becarefulbeforecommittingyourentirephotocollectiontoanewservice.Usethischarttocomparefeaturesofthecloudstorageservicesyoumaywanttotry.

SERVICE#1 SERVICE#2 SERVICE#3

Servicename

ServiceURL

PRICING

Freeoption

Paidstorageoptions

Costper50GB

Costper500GB

FEATURES&SERVICES

Allowsvideos

Batchediting

Batchfilerenaming

Bulkdownloading

Compatiblefileformats

Detectsduplicates

Facialrecognition

Locationtagging

Privatesharing

Socialmediaintegration

Syncswithdesktopphotosoftware

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HEIRLOOMPHOTOINVENTORY&DIGITIZINGCHECKLISTSCANWITHAPLAN1. Gatheryourheirloomfamilyphotosandfilm,andlisteachitemontheinventoryform,notinganydamageor

preservationconcerns.2. Giveeachitemaprioritynumberfordigitizing.3. Moveyourheirloomphotosintotemporaryarchivalstorageanddigitizeoneboxatatime,beginningwith

high-priorityitems.Saveandbackupthedigitalimages.4. Asyoufinishdigitizing,placetheoriginalphotographorfilmintopermanentarchivalstorage,followingthe

guidelinesinChapter10.

PRIORITY PHOTOTYPE

ROUGHQUANTITY

CONDITIONNOTES

DIGITIZINGDEVICE

DATEDIGITIZED

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SAMPLEHEIRLOOMPHOTOINVENTORY&DIGITIZINGCHECKLIST

PRIORITY PHOTOTYPE ROUGHQUANTITY

CONDITIONNOTES DIGITIZINGDEVICE

DATEDIGITIZED

3 b/wsnapshots 1shoebox 1930s–1940sgoodcondition

officeflatbedorFlip-Pal

2 cabinetcards 12 good officeflatbedorFlip-Pal

3/25/2015

1 oversizesepiaprintsofhouseandfarm

4 1890s;poorcondition;damagedandfaded

DSLRandtripod

3/10/2015

2 slides 20carouseltrays

needtoviewandselectbesttoscan

sendtoscanservice

3/15/2015

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DIGITALSTORAGEOPTIONSBeforedigitizingyourheirloomphotos,consideryourdigitalstorageoptions.Usethischarttohelpyoucompareyouroptions—fromrecordableCDsandDVDstoexternaldrivesandonlinecloudstorage.

STORAGE CAPACITY LONGEVITY PROS CONS

CD/DVD CD:650MBDVD:4.7GB

2to5years inexpensive,handy,goodforphotoarchive

requiresburningsoftware;largetransfermayrequiremultipleCDs/DVDs

M-DISCarchivalDVD

4GBto25GB

1,000years longestratedarchivaldiscmedia requiresspecialburningsoftware

SDmediacard

varies dependsonread/writecycles

ultra-compact,high-speedtransfer,portable,solidstatestorage

expensive,impracticalforlargeamountsofdata

USB2.0/3.0flashdrive

4GBto1TB dependsonread/writecycles

inexpensive,goodfortravel,quickbackups,storespersonaldata

easytolose,highcostperGB,limitedstoragecapacity

externalharddrive

500GBto8TB

3to5years ultra-portableordesktopmodels,allsizesandprices,USB,FireWire,or

Thunderboltconnection

canbedroppedanddamaged

cloudstorage

infinite indefinite inexpensive,accessiblefromanywhere,gooddisasterbackup

mustmaintainsubscription;Internetsecurityposesrisks

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DIGITALSCANNINGEQUIPMENTOPTIONSFLATBEDSCANNER ALL-IN-ONE

SCANNERFLIP-PALMOBILE

SCANNER

Bestfor… anyphotoorfilmthatwillfitontheflatbed

photoprints 4x6orsmallerprintsorscanningonthego

Scansavedto… computerharddrive computerharddrive SDcard

Portable somemodels no yes

Permittedinmanyresearcharchives

yes notapplicable yes

Fileformats TIFF,JPG,PDF, TIFF,JPG,PDF JPG

Maximumscanningsize(ininches)

8.5x118.5x14

8.5x118.5x14

4x6*

Resolution(inpixels) 50to12,800 75,100,200,300,600,1,200

300,600

Speed average average average

Photoprints yes yes yes

Negatives/film/slides withcarrier no no

SOFTWAREFEATURES

Autofilenaming yes yes no

Batchscanning yes yes no

Color yes yes yes

Colorrestoration yes yes yes

Cropping yes yes no

Descreening yes yes no

DigitalICE yes no no

Dustremoval yes no no

*Largerphotosrequiremultiplescans.Theincludedsoftware“stitches”thecompleteimagetogetherafterthepartsarescanned.

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DIGITALSCANNINGEQUIPMENTOPTIONSWANDSCANNER SMARTPHONE/TABLET DIGITALCAMERA

Bestfor… scanningtext;notrecommendedforphotos

on-the-godigitizingofphotos

oversizephotos(useatripodandshutterremote)

Scansavedto… internalmemoryorSDCard internalmemoryorSDcard SDcard

Portable yes yes yes

Permittedinmanyresearcharchives

some yes yes

Fileformats JPG,PDF JPG(PDFwithapps) JPG,RAW

Maximumscanningsize(ininches)

varies varies varies

Resolution(inpixels) 300,600,900 varies varies

Speed average fast fast

Photoprints yes yes yes

Negatives/film/slides no no no

SOFTWAREFEATURES

Autofilenaming no yes,withapp no

Batchscanning no yes,withapp no

Color yes yes yes

Colorrestoration no yes,withapp no

Cropping no yes,withapp no

Descreening no yes,withapp no

DigitalICE no no no

Dustremoval no no no

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SCANNINGGUIDELINESWhat’sthebestscannertypeforeachtypeoffamilykeepsakeyouwanttodigitize?Whatresolutionisoptimalwhenscanningphotographs?Usethischartasaguidetohelpyouoptimizethescanningqualityfordigitizingyourheirloomphotosandotherkeepsakes.

ITEMTOSCAN RECOMMENDEDSCANNERTYPE

RESOLUTION FORMAT COLOR

Albumpages flatbedordigitalcamera 600dpi TIFF 24-bitcolor

Letters,documents flatbedordigitalcamera 300dpi TIFForJPG

24-bitcolor

Maps,largedocuments digitalcamera maximumdpi JPG*

Negatives,slides flatbedwithcarrierorspecialscanner

2400to3200dpi TIFF Transparency

Photographs flatbed 600dpi TIFF 24-bitcolor

Quilts,othertextiles digitalcamera maximumdpi JPG*

Smallbooks flatbedordigitalcamera 600dpi TIFF 24-bitcolor

3-Dartifacts digitalcamera maximumdpi JPG*

Tintypes,daguerreotypes flatbed 1200dpi TIFF 24-bitcolor

Workingdocument,researchreceipts,etc.

digitalcamera,mobiledevicecamera,orscanner

300dpiforprinting,72dpifordisplay

JPG 24-bitcolor

*ConvertandsaveimagesmadebyadigitalcamerainJPGformattoTIFFcopies.PlacetheTIFFcopiesinyourPhotoLibraryandbackthemupinyourImageVault.

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HEIRLOOMPHOTOINVENTORYFORM1. Useasanindividualboxorfoldercatalog.Printacopyoftheblankformonacid-freepaper,fillitout,and

placeitinsideanarchivalboxwithyourphotos.2. Ifyouuseindividualfolderswithinthebox,includethenumberofphotosineachfolder.Identifythephoto

bysubject,event,ordate.Addabriefdescription.Addnotesonconditionororiginallocationwithotherphotos.

3. Keepamastercopyonyourcomputerforreferenceorprintoutcopiesforacompleteinventoryofallyourfamilyphotosandkeepsakes.

ARCHIVEBOX# DATECATALOGED

SUMMARYOFCONTENTS

TOTALNUMBEROFPHOTOS/FOLDERSINBOX STORAGELOCATION

FOLDER#ORNAME SUBJECT/EVENT DESCRIPTION NOTES

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ARCHIVALSTORAGEGUIDEAfterscanning,placeeachphotoinsidetheappropriatearchivalenclosure.

Layer1:Enclosureprotectsthephoto.Layer2:Containerpreservesandorganizestheenclosure.Layer3:Yourhomearchiveiswhereyoustorethecontainer.

ITEMSTOSTORE

HOWTOORGANIZE ARCHIVALENCLOSURE ARCHIVALCONTAINER

Colororblack-and-white

snapshots(loose)

Sortbysizeandtypeofsnapshot;furthersortbyperson,event,ordate,

asdesired.

Storeverticallyinarchivalpaperorplasticenvelopesorsleeves.Placerareprintsinindividualsleeves.

Storeenvelopesorsleevesverticallyinboxor

binders;placeinhomearchive.

Photoalbums Interleavepageswithinterleavingtissue.

Storeflatorverticallyinarchivalbox;supportfragilealbumswith

four-flapenclosures.

Storeboxinhomearchive.

Scrapbooks Interleavepageswithtissue;isolatephotosfromnewspaperorartifactsbyprotectingwitharchivalplastic.

Storeflatorverticallyinarchivalbox.

Storeboxinhomearchive.

Largephotographs(upto8.5x11

inches)

Sortbypersonordate,asdesired. Storeinlargeflatfilefoldersorarchivalbox.

Storefoldersinmetalfilecabinetorarchival

documentcaseinhomearchive.

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ARCHIVALSTORAGEGUIDEITEMSTOSTORE

HOWTOORGANIZE

ARCHIVALENCLOSURE ARCHIVALCONTAINER

Oversizephotographs(largerthan8.5x11inches)

Placearchivaltissuebetweenphotosandbetweenphotoand

folder.

Placeindividualimagesincustom-madeorpurchased

enclosure.

Storeinhomearchive.

Casedphotographs(daguerreotypes,

tintypes,ambrotypes,etc.)

Sortbysizeandtypeofimage.

Placeindividualimagesincustom-madeorpurchased

enclosure.

Storeverticallyinarchivalbox;placeinhomearchive.

Cabinetcards,cartesdevisite

Sortbysize,type,photographer,or

subject.

Placeindividualimagesinsideplasticsleevesorprotectfromabrasionwithinterleaving

tissue.

Storephotosverticallyinarchivalbox;placeinhomearchive.

Stereographcards Sortbythemeorsubject,decade,and

type.

Placeinsideplasticsleeves. Storeverticallyinspeciallysizedstereoscopecardbox;placeinhome

archive.

Slides Sortbysubject,place,event,date,orphotographer.

Storeverticallyinarchivalslideboxes.

Storeinhomearchiveorcool,dryarchivallocation.

Negatives Sortbysubject,place,event,date,orphotographer.

Storeinpaperorplasticnegativesleeves.

Storesleevesinarchivalbinder,boxes,ormetalfilecabinet;placeinhomearchiveorcool,dryarchival

location.

Moviefilmandvideo

Sortbydateandfamily,thenfilmtype

andsize.

Storeverticallyinarchivalboxes.

Storeinhomearchiveorcool,dryarchivallocation.

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ONLINEPHOTOSERVICECOMPARISONWORKSHEET SITE#1 SITE#2 SITE#3

Website

Username

Password

Overalleaseofuse(1=difficult5=easy) 12345 12345 12345

IMAGESTORAGEOPTIONS

Project-basedoruploadanytime?

Lengthoftimeimagesarestored

PROJECTTYPESAVAILABLE

Calendars YN YN YN

Cards YN YN YN

Digitalscrapbooks YN YN YN

Gifts YN YN YN

Lay-flatbooks YN YN YN

Photobooks YN YN YN

Prints YN YN YN

SPECIALFEATURESAVAILABLE

Creativefilters YN YN YN

Cropping YN YN YN

E-mailsharing YN YN YN

Full-bleedoption YN YN YN

Imageadjustments YN YN YN

Imagerotating YN YN YN

Mobileapp YN YN YN

Printathome YN YN YN

PrivateWebpage YN YN YN

Socialmediasharing YN YN YN

SITE#1 SITE#2 SITE#3

Booksizesavailable

Typesofbookcoversavailable

Pricing

Likes

Dislikes

ADDITIONALNOTES

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