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Scanning photos to create a slideshow

Everyone has that big box of photos in the back of the closet that is worth a million and at the same time next to nothing. If you can’t easily share your photos, what good are they? You’ll be surprised to find that it’s simple and inexpensive to turn your faded images into a pleasing work of art. There are photo scanning services that can digitize your photos for as little as five cents each. And don’t try this yourself! Scanning photos at home is incredibly boring!

Get artsy. Turn your scans into slideshows you can watch on a TV. You can buy software like Photodex’s Pro Show Gold and have fun creating that masterpiece. It’s easy, basically you just drag your images onto a timeline in the order you want, add text to the images if you want to clarify what the photo is about, and then add your own music. Pretty simple! My favorite feature is the “Ken Burns” effect which allows you to zoom in or out on different parts of the photo to bring your images to life. The built-in photo editor allows you to color correct, crop or rotate your images right in the program. Your 3×5 snapshots will look good even on a widescreen TV.

If you need a free slideshow program, you’ll find it on the web. Different free software and services are suitable for different purposes. Some make it easy to create and upload your slideshow to social networking sites. Some are simply slideshow maker software. Spend some time exploring the features on offer and always download from a familiar site. Sites like Goggle Picassa, Extra Photo Slideshow Free, and Wildbit software may include music and photo editing capabilities. They may not allow you to display your slideshow on a TV.

You may want to think about putting your slideshow in a digital picture frame. Digital photo frame prices have dropped with some 14″ frames selling for as low as $99. Some of the smallest frames are now under $25. We expect this trend to continue. As memory card prices they also hit new lows, you can afford to put your entire digital photo library in them. Many digital frames come with slideshow software installed, and some will play audio. So when your friends come over, you can get in the back of that closet to dig out the box of gradually fading photos, or you can turn on that beautiful digital photo frame.

Look at some of the online slideshow hosting services. These can help prevent friends and family from needing to download and store your slideshows. Sites like Picturetrail and Iwebphoto can make your slideshow easier to view, especially if it has a lot of images, and allow you to edit, delete, and replace your elements at will. Remember to add text to your images to help everyone understand what they are. And then go crazy with the special effects. Have fun!

Make sure you choose a photo scanning service that will scan at 300 dpi and you won’t pay for more. See if you can find a service that includes automatic photo enhancement at a reasonable price. This can work wonders for some, if not all, of your images. And be sure to insist on getting a complete copy of the original scans that have not been rotated, enhanced, or tampered with in any way. Then always make a copy of your master scans to use for anything. Shop around, scan costs can vary greatly.

Scanning photos permanently protects them from destruction and loss. Once your images are stored on a DVD and sent to two or three different places, you are assured that you will always be able to retrieve at least one copy. You can make copies on your computer for the price of a blank DVD to share with your friends and family. The daily loss of quality is no longer a problem. Your precious memories are safe and sound.

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