iPhone Scanning Apps

[Nettie]

I am popping this here but am happy to have it moved to Technical Support.

There are a number of iPhone Apps that will scan photos / documents etc with a couple of clicks, saving a whole lot of time and energy.  This is great for day to day stuff but I'm wondering whether using an app to scan an old photo collection is worth it.

A friend has probably 200 photos ranging from 80 to maybe 120-130 years old and they are still in an old album complete with sticky tape and acidic paper.  A few are now faded and need to be preserved now or never.  Many are the small size - just a bit bigger than a passport photo.

There are some beautiful photos and they shouldn't be lost.

Any advice / experiences with an App or do you recommend just persisting with the old scanning way?

Thanks in advance.

[RJ_Paton]

I have used both methods but looking at the longer term  I have always returned to the flat bed scanner using the highest quality/resolution settings possible.

I have noticed a definite improvement in the iPad Apps (possibly connected with the improving cameras on the pads) over the years but where possible I personally still prefer the flat bed scanner and keep the iPad for mobile work where it's not possible to use or get to the scanner

[mike175]

I think a hi-res scan is likely to be better than a photo in most cases. Photos often need some editing to correct distortion, and it can be difficult to avoid reflections on shiny photos which can affect the quality.

Not sure why you'd need an 'app' . . . surely you're just taking a photograph 

[RJ_Paton]

I think a hi-res scan is likely to be better than a photo in most cases. Photos often need some editing to correct distortion, and it can be difficult to avoid reflections on shiny photos which can affect the quality.

Not sure why you'd need an 'app' . . . surely you're just taking a photograph 

The apps basically turn the iPad into a mobile scanner rather than simply taking a photograph.

[mike175]

Thanks for prompting me to look it up I now understand that the apps take care of the post-processing but you are still basically taking a photograph so my main point still applies.
I have some limited experience of photographing pictures and documents, and have found that corrrect lighting is the single most important factor. Beware of reflections from windows, etc.

[RJ_Paton]

Thanks for prompting me to look it up I now understand that the apps take care of the post-processing but you are still basically taking a photograph so my main point still applies.

Basically a flat bed scanner simply takes a photograph and the post processing is done on an attached computer. There are few scanners that will provide internal storage or post scan facilities.

I have some limited experience of photographing pictures and documents, and have found that corrrect lighting is the single most important factor. Beware of reflections from windows, etc.

Correct lighting is at the heart of any photography and Control of the lighting environment is of paramount importance. Part of the functionality of some of these Apps (but not all) is to even out the light striking the subject and to provide a suitable light level.

An ideal scenario for copying old photographs and documents would be a fixed focal framework for the camera and a light tent around the subject to provide the correct diffuse light level but this isn't always possible. The next best thing (in my opinion) is a very good quality scanner - but again this isn't always suitable (books with stiff or fragile spines) and other means have to be brought to the fore.
The use of a mobile phone or tablet computer  for this purpose would have seemed ludicrous a few years ago but with the advances in the technology they are now a viable alternative as (in my opinion) a mobile alternative- although like all compromise solutions they are not perfect.

It is of course possible to simply use the camera as a camera but the added functionality of some of these Apps is to provide the added functionality of a graphics program for post scan production work - some Apps go further - for example one allows a scan of multiple images on a page to be split automatically into the separate images.
Another advantage as a mobile solution is that you can immediately see the results and if they are not satisfactory redo them

[mike175]

As Nettie's friend's photos are still in an old album complete with sticky tape and acidic paper the 'app' may be the better option, rather than risk damage while trying to get them onto a flatbed scanner.

I wonder if anyone has any experience of the hand-held scanners that are advertised for just that sort of job 

[Billyblue]

As Nettie's friend's photos are still in an old album complete with sticky tape and acidic paper the 'app' may be the better option, rather than risk damage while trying to get them onto a flatbed scanner.

I wonder if anyone has any experience of the hand-held scanners that are advertised for just that sort of job 

I don't have that experience, personally, but I have been warned to be very careful with a hand-held scanner, because it is very hard to keep it properly steady.  Depends I suppose on how critical is the quality you need in the finished scan.

Dawn M

[RJ_Paton]

I don't have that experience, personally, but I have been warned to be very careful with a hand-held scanner, because it is very hard to keep it properly steady.  Depends I suppose on how critical is the quality you need in the finished scan.

Dawn M

It's been a number of years since I last tried a hand held scanner and things may have improved since then but the advice given to Dawn was very apt then. Horribly fidgety things with limited ability. I can't remember how many (or few) scans you could do before having to download them to a computer but it was never that many. Battery life was another problem as the things seemed to eat batteries at an alarming rate although there were mains powered ones which seemed to defy the concept of mobile  in their name - although to be fair many of them were simply referred to as "portable" scanners.