Thinking about saving your family memories? Whether you have printed photos, digital photos or both, I’ve found five things you absolutely need to save your photos once and for all.
I’ve been organizing people’s photos for going on ten years. But it was only just recently that I realized how much time, effort and resources one must put into getting this job done. People want to organize their photos but they often don’t know what they need to organize photos.
The tools we use at Pixologie to organize photos are simple but very important. Here are the six things you absolutely need to get the job done properly.
1. Photo Boxes
We love using simple photo boxes for our photo organization. You can get a cheap set of twelve boxes from Michael’s and then use dividers to organize your photos chronologically. If you want a photo safe option that can hold five by sevens and a few larger photos, consider the Archival Boxes we sell at Pixologie.
2. A High Speed Scanner
Many of our clients have enjoyed using the Epson Fastfoto 680W high speed scanner. Remember a photo box holds up to 1000 photos. If you have several of these boxes you are going to want to scan fast!
Don’t want to purchase a scanner? Consider renting a Kodak Alaris Picture Saver Scanner from E-Z Photo Scan.
3. A Decent Computer
I recommend working with your scanned photos and your digital photos on your computer in your file management program. On a PC, it’s the File Explorer and on a Mac, it’s the Finder. If you want to know more about the system I use, watch “Confidently Organize Your Photos” on our YouTube channel. If your computer is older than five years, you might want to consider getting a new computer. Whether its a Mac or a PC, I highly recommend getting a computer with 500 GB to a 1TB of space and 8 MB of RAM.
Don’t forget an external hard drive to back up your computer files with Time Machine (MAC) or FileHistory (PC).
4. A Duplicate Finding Program
When working with either scanned photos or digital photos, a duplicate finding program will help eliminate those pesky copies (and similar photos too!) For a Mac, I recommend PhotoSweeper, available in the App Store and on a PC, I recommend Duplicate Photos Fixer Pro.
5. Forever® Permanent Photo Storage
Once your photos are organized and curated, it’s time to upload them to Forever. This company guarantees to migrate your photos, videos and documents to the newest technology for your lifetime plus 100 years! Their sole mission is to help people preserve family memories and they have a full line of print projects you can order. We are proud ambassadors for Forever and you can get a complimentary 2GB account and $20 coupon by clicking here.
Sounds pretty easy? Well, this is my simplest list to get people on the right track to saving their photos. There’s a lot more out there that you might find useful to know about. I have a full list of all the items you’ll need to save your photos in “The Pixologist’s Buying Guide for Organizing Your Photos.”
Do you think there’s something different I should have listed in the top five things you need to save your photos? Let me know!