In this day and age, anyone with a smartphone seems to become a photographer, which has led to the creation of gazillions of photographs. Now, all photos and videos are scanned and preserved digitally because it is much more convenient, and you can store thousands of pictures at the same time. Besides, who wants to sift through so many old photographs anyway?

However, the real challenge comes when you have to decide whether to take up a photo digitizing service or do it yourself. In this guide, we will run you down on the pros and cons of each option to help you choose the right one based on your needs and preferences. But before that, let’s discuss the importance of digitizing memories.

The Importance of Digitizing Memories

The fact is that many old photographs, slides, and negatives tend to get worn out over time, rendering them useless. However, you can prevent that from happening through video and photo digitization. When they are stored digitally, your photos and videos will remain intact and as good as new for years to come. Here are some other reasons why you should consider digitizing memories:

You can easily share videos and photographs with friends and family through a click of a button
There is less physical clutter in your living space
You can easily and more efficiently organize photographs into categories
You can view photos and videos easily and without having to dig through old boxes or albums
Allows you to take a trip down memory lane any time you want and without any hassle

Pros and Cons of Why You Should Digitize Memories Yourself

Now that you are aware of the importance of preserving all of your memories digitally let’s discuss the primary pros and cons behind why you should take up the task of digitizing photos and videos yourself. If you have plenty of time on your hands, you can easily take up this task independently without the need for a professional.

However, you will need specific image correction software and a few other handy tools to do this. Here is a quick rundown on how you can scan photos and videos yourself:

Organize all your prints, negatives, and images in order of time, people, and other categories
Acquire a flatbed scanner or film scanner
Decide how you want to store your digitized memories; such as on your computer, cloud, or DVD
Scan photos and begin saving them accordingly
Color correct and retouch the images through specific software
Create separate folders for each digitized memory and save them carefully and accordingly

Pros and Cons of DIY Method of Digitizing Photos

Pros of the DIY Method

You save cost
You will be saving yourself from the hassle of finding a reliable photo scanning service

Cons of the DIY Method

Equipment can be costly
It is time-consuming
The results you get with the regular equipment will not be as good as the images that are professionally scanned
The task will be too difficult if you don’t have any prior experience
Comparatively poor quality

Pros and Cons of Using a Photo Digitization Service

Now that you know about the pros and cons of taking up the photo digitization job yourself, let’s consider the alternative option. Hiring experienced professionals is what most people end up doing. This is because most individuals don’t have the time, equipment, or expertise to handle the job of scanning thousands of photos and videos. You can always outsource it to a professional who can do it more efficiently.

However, there are some factors you should consider before choosing the appropriate service for your needs. These are some of the questions you should ask a professional service before hiring them for the job:

Does the company offer the quality and format of the pictures you want?
Does the company have the required expertise and experience for the job?
How is the quality of their previously converted photographs and videos?
Do they have the right equipment for the job?

Pros of Using a Photo Scanning Service

They are professionals who can do the job more efficiently
You will not need to worry about quality
You get to save money, time, and effort

Cons of Using a Photo Scanning Service

They can be costly

Final Words

By now, you might understand how having a professional do the job of digitizing videos and photos is a much more viable option than doing it yourself. The latter can not only be time-consuming and costly, but it also requires a learning curve, which most people might not have the time to do. Therefore, if you are looking for a digitizing service that can do the job efficiently and provide you with high-quality results, don’t forget to check out Smooth Photo Scanning!