Up in your attic, in the corner of your closet, down in the basement - these are some of the many places where we’ve stacked boxes upon boxes of memories. Memories? You’re probably wondering which memories have made it to these places. Ironically so, your most cherished memories lie in these often forgotten spaces. When was the last time you took out an old photograph of yourself or opened up an album filled with pages and pages of pictures, that scrapbook you worked so hard on, or the videos you recorded to one day be playing for the family? We preserved these memories in the form we saw fitting to the time - a photograph or a video. Today, times have changed, and digitization all the rage. But how can you covert your media to digital? ![]() What is Scanning? The answer to the question mentioned above is simple - it gives new life to those memories. Let me elaborate on this; nowadays, everything has been made easily accessible with the help of social media, the internet, etc. The world is a click away, literally. Your photographs can live on your account on social media, being uploaded to the cloud or saved in the form of a USB drive. Think about it; you have boxes upon boxes of something you open up once every few months to see if the termites have gotten to them yet. Now, you have a flash drive that takes up a small portion (negligible at most) in your drawer that is much easier to access. Understanding the Process: When we talk about scanning, we refer to an entire process whereby your photographs are laid out straight - the bents and the curls are straightened, the chips are restored, and scanned onto a monitor via scanning devices. These scanning devices can look just like your average photocopier. It's mostly a machine that makes a record of the image you place onto it and then displaying that image. Sounds easy? Not quite. First of all, images that have been forgotten have to be restored from the years of neglect. More often than not, a bent or a curl is the least of the scanning operators' worries. There are sometimes images that are cropped out, torn on, too small, or too big. In effect, restoration is quite a lengthy process. This process is followed upon by scanning - again, not as easy as it’s made out to be. The photograph has to be adjusted in such a way that no corner of it is skipped by the machine, no overlaps, nothing that would make it noticeably different than the hard copy. Last but most definitely not the least, the editing. This portion probably makes up the bulk of the entire process. The thing is, when a client comes in wanting his or her images to be digitized, they are asking for a complete revamp. For example, some images date back decades - and are taken from various cameras. While it would be impractical (not necessarily impossible) to ask to color a black and white photograph, it does make sense for people to want specific images (if not all) to be provided in a better resolution. Additionally, length adjustments and what not have to be made based on the client's needs and specifications. Scanning, in a nutshell, is not an easy job. Benefits of Having Your Photographs Scanned:There are quite a lot many benefits to having your photographs, and old albums scanned. At the topmost is the simple fact that it takes up less space, negligible at that, and is much more easily accessible.
Furthermore, it becomes quite easy to have those images shared from one person to another. For example, if you have a picture you wish to share with your sister a state over, you would either have to send it to her by mail or let her see it when she comes to visit. Scanning allows you to send them that picture through a right-click on your computer or a long press on your phone. The entire process is simplified, and the memories are much easier to share. Scan South:We’ve talked a great deal about scanning - from what it is to why one needs it. Now, we’ll mention a company that is dedicated to becoming the most professional scanning company in the United States. Scan South is owned and operated by the McCarthys. Pat and Laurie are the power duo behind this initiative, and both of them are absolutely in love with their job. For Laurie, this is a means of connecting with people far and wide, and for Pat, it's a way to revel in history. All in all, Scan South is a company that isn't just dedicated to being the most professional scanning company, they've built up a reputation as one with their negative scanning services and photo scanning services. |
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December 2020
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