Our services are built for scale: We handle thousands of photos at once, applying contextual information (metadata) to the digitized media to keep files organized — and our custom-build media databases enable clients to instantly retrieve files based on contents, dates, and other metrics. 

Of course, any computer user with a high-quality scanner can digitize photos, but performing the process at scale introduces significant challenges. Here’s how we address common issues.

To learn more, call us at 1-800-237-4200 or submit a case online.

1. Maintaining photo quality during digitization

Photo digitization requires consideration for resolution (the detail of spatial resolution and color depth) and color (the palette supported in the output). Resolution is typically measured with bit-depth (the number of shades captured in the output) and DPI (dots per inch, the number of pixels included in each segment of the file).

Applying the correct settings is especially important when digitizing negatives and photos with atypical sizes or shapes. The goal is to ensure that the digitized copy includes as much visual information as the original — which can be difficult for certain formats.

To give the illusion of quality, some photo digitization services “touch up” photographs using automated processes. This may be appropriate for certain situations (for example, when digitizing family photographs with visible artifacts). 

However, for archival purposes, digital enhancement can be counterintuitive. A high-quality digital version of a photograph can be altered after-the-fact, but if the goal is to present the original photo with high fidelity, the digitization service should not touch-up the file.

At Datarecovery.com, we work closely with our clients to determine the best approach for each project. Digital enhancements are available, but if preservation is the primary goal, we avoid alterations — while matching the quality settings of the output to the original photo’s attributes.

2. Photo storage and compression

At high DPI settings, photos can be extremely large. Compression reduces file sizes by removing less critical information — essentially, color data that is assumed to be redundant.

Once again, this is appropriate for many applications, but not ideal for archival projects. The digitization process needs to match the goals of the project: If storage space is a minor concern, compression should be avoided, especially for “lossy” compression processes (such as converting the file to a JPEG). 

In another article, we discussed common lossless and lossy file formats. We frequently use TIFF, which balances file size with lossless output — but software needs to be properly configured to ensure that TIFF is truly lossless.

3. Photo conversion timeframes (and media organization)

Most professional digitization services are not intended for archival reproductions — they’re geared towards consumers, who may have a small number of personal photos that need to be preserved. 

Large archives may contain hundreds of thousands of photographs and negatives. These require a different approach:

• Each photograph type needs to be analyzed to ensure proper conversion settings.
• Key information (such as photo contents or dates) needs to be tracked, and metadata needs to be applied to ensure efficient organization.
• The digital copies need to be checked by a human to ensure that no digital artifacts have been introduced during digitization.

This is a time-consuming process, and at scale, it can consume enormous resources when handled in-house. Datarecovery.com’s services are designed to remove bottlenecks, providing complete digitization within an established timeframe — and with state-of-the-art organization tools to help our clients find the photos they need, when they need them. 

When you need high-quality photo digitization at scale, we’re ready to help. Call us at 1-800-237-4200 to speak with an expert or submit a case online for a free quote.

The post Photo Digitization for Media Archives: 3 Challenges appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

When you’re digitizing thousands of photos, you’re undertaking a major project. Establishing clear goals can help you plan effectively, limiting the overall cost of your project while improving the results.

Planning for Commercial Photo Digitization

Below, we’ll discuss several factors that can affect the outcome of professional photo digitization. 

If you’re planning a commercial photo digitization project, Datarecovery.com can help. Our services can be customized with options including media organization databases and lossless output — and by prioritizing photo fidelity, we provide dependable resources for at-scale digitization. 

To get started, call 1-800-237-4200 or click here to set up a case online. 

1. Fidelity

The goal of digitization is to obtain the most accurate reproduction of each image. As a professional, you want high resolution copies that can be used for commercial purposes. 

You don’t want your original photos changed in any way — whether you’re working with 35mm, 126 film, or another format, you chose that film for a reason. Unnecessary “enhancements” can be counterintuitive.

Of course, many photo digitization services are geared towards consumers, who have different goals: They may want photos retouched, brightened, or optimized. Many commercial services perform these enhancements automatically by using artificial intelligence (AI) tools. While optimization is potentially useful for some consumer-grade photo formats, AI isn’t great at understanding the nuances of artistic or commercial photography. 

If you work with a digitization partner, make sure that their services focus on fidelity — and make sure that their process doesn’t include automatic restoration or optimization. 

Likewise, if you handle your own digitization project, understand how your scanner functions. Check whether your software optimizes images (and if so, disable those features if possible). 

2. Photo Quality and Format 

Most professional photographers use digitization services for a simple reason: High-quality scanners are expensive, and if you’re working with thousands of photographs, you may not have the equipment to complete the project on a reasonable timeline.

Most professional digitization services have dozens (if not hundreds) of high-quality scanners. However, the output format is important: If a high-quality image is compressed into a JPEG, you’ve lost fidelity. 

If you’re unfamiliar with digital photography file formats, here’s a quick primer: 

JPEG (Joint Photographic Experts Group) 

While JPEG is the most common image format, it is a lossy format: The photo is compressed during digitization, and fidelity is lost during compression.

The advantage of JPEG is its small file size. However, professional photo digitization is about archiving the highest quality version of your images, and JPEG isn’t an appropriate option. Even at high-quality settings, JPEG means a compromised image.

PNG (Portable Network Graphics) 

Created by the PNG Working Group, PNG is intended as a replacement for GIF files (though GIFs, of course, are still common). PNG uses lossless compression, but with some drawbacks: It can only hold full-color, non-pallete-based RGB or RGBA.

PNG may be acceptable for some commercial digitization projects. However, PNG isn’t designed for scanning — it’s intended as an internet standard. Most scanning software does not support direct PNG output, and the process of converting an image to PNG can be time-consuming.

TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) 

TIFF is a lossless format and the near-universal standard for desktop scanners. It’s capable of holding all color and color depths. The major drawback: TIFF also supports compression, and some software may output images as TIFFs without informing the user that the photo has been compressed. 

Even so, TIFF is an excellent format for photo digitization and archiving. When you’ve correctly configured your scanner and software, TIFF is truly lossless.

RAW (Raw Image File) 

RAW is created directly from the optical scan of the images. It uses a 14-bit color channel. RAW files are extremely large, but present the highest possible image quality. 

For professional digitization, TIFF and RAW are the best options. The major advantage of RAW is its file size: While RAW files are enormous, they’re about half the size of uncompressed TIFFs.

Common RAW file extensions include:

• ARW
• SRF
• SR2
• NEF
• DNG
• DCS
• DCR
• DRF
• K25
• KDC
• RAW
  

This is not a complete list. Your digitization partner should be capable of outputting RAW images with an appropriate file extension that works with your photo editing software.

3. Organization

When you’re digitizing thousands of photographs, you need a way to keep them organized. 

If you’re handling the project on your own, you can do this fairly easily, but make sure you have a consistent process in place. Whether you’re organizing photos by date, subject, film type, or any other criteria, use a consistent naming convention (trust us, you’ll thank yourself in the future). 

As part of our digitization services, Datarecovery.com provides custom file organization based on client criteria. Because we scan every photo by hand and input data during digitization, we can deliver your photos in a structure that makes sense for the intended use. 

For extremely large projects, we also offer custom-built media organization databases. Read about our custom media organization tools here.

Start Planning Your Commercial Photo Digitization Project

By working with digitization experts, you can maintain the quality of every photograph — while limiting the time spent on scanning, naming files, and reviewing output. 

Call us at 1-800-237-4200 to speak with an expert or submit a case online for a free quote.

The post Commercial Photo Digitization: 3 Factors to Consider appeared first on Datarecovery.com.

There are various types of Media Conversion, including word processor conversion, file conversion, image conversion, data base conversion, and computer systems conversion.

Word processor conversion may be necessary when developing an application that needs to read and/or write various file formats. Word processor file formats are very complex and new formats are constantly being introduced, so the demand for conversion is high.

File conversion is just converting files to a different format. It may be necessary in order to view multiple file types without the related application. For instance, instead of having to buy ten different types of word-processing software to view ten different files, the files can be converted to fit one word processing system.

Image conversion may be used to gain access to the various image processing methods from your favorite application development environment. Some popular image formats are JPEG, Photo CD, PNG, PDF, and GIF. It may be necessary to convert an image to a different format in order to resize, sharpen, change color, or add certain special effects to meet your standards.

Data base conversion is needed to change any files saved in an out-of-date database to a more modern data base program. More modern databases are generally more convenient and dependable so the advantage of data base conversion is obvious.

Basically, there are two very general methods of conversion: data and media. In general, Media Conversion is extracting the files off of the source media, followed by backing up the files to the destination media. Two types of Media Conversion are media transfer and media migration. The reasons for media transfer may be to transfer archived data into a more convenient format or to save on cost of equipment, and media migration may be utilized for a greater storage capacity, a more reliable media type, less expensive media cost per GB or flexibility of media. However, a full Media Conversion can be much more complicated, possibly including processing the data well beyond just copying files to a different type of media.

The post Data/Media Conversion Technologies appeared first on Datarecovery.com.