How To Digitise Old Photos & Documents Quickly & Easily

Sep 14, 2025 Nayra Jain

Choose The Right Scanner

A flatbed scanner offers high-quality results for photos and documents. Ensure DPI settings are appropriate—300 DPI for documents and 600 DPI for photos—to capture details accurately. Image Source: Meta-AI

Use Smartphone Scanning Apps

Apps like Adobe Scan, Microsoft Lens, or Google PhotoScan can turn your phone into a portable scanner. These apps correct perspective, enhance colours, and save files as PDFs or images. Image Source: Meta-AI

Clean Photos Before Scanning

Remove dust, fingerprints, and stains gently using a soft cloth. Clean surfaces ensure sharper, clearer scans and prevent scratches on delicate photographs. Image Source: Meta-AI

Proper Lighting Matters

If using a smartphone, scan in bright, indirect light to avoid shadows or reflections. Natural daylight near a window often works best for even exposure. Image Source: Meta-AI

Choose Correct File Formats

Save text documents as PDF for easy sharing, while photos can be stored in JPEG or PNG formats. TIFF is preferred for archival-quality images. Image Source: Meta-AI

Organise Files Systematically

Create folders by year, event, or category. Rename files with descriptive titles to make searching simple and keep your digital archive tidy and easy to navigate. Image Source: Meta-AI

Enhance Scanned Images

Use photo editing software to adjust brightness, contrast, and colour. Minor corrections can restore faded photos without altering the original content. Image Source: Meta-AI

Backup Digitised Files

Store copies on cloud storage services or external drives. Multiple backups ensure your precious memories and important documents are safe from loss or damage. Image Source: Meta-AI

Use OCR For Text Documents

Optical Character Recognition (OCR) converts scanned text into editable documents. This makes searching, editing, and copying content from old documents simple and efficient. Image Source: Meta-AI

Maintain Regular Updates

Digitisation is ongoing. Scan new documents or photos as they arrive. Regular updates prevent clutter and ensure all important files are preserved digitally. Image Source: Meta-AI

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