Monday, July 6, 2009

Creating Photo Specialties From Scanned Photographs

By Pete Fontaine

Most people realize that having their photos scanned will permanently protect them from loss and damage. Not only does scanning make it easy and inexpensive to share complete copies of your images with family members it also stops natural deterioration due to aging and moisture in its tracks. But the cost and effort of having your photos scanned also makes it possible for you to get creative in new and exciting ways.

Once your ordinary photos are digitized they can be added to and organized along with your collection of digital photos. And when the work is done you'll be able to use your newly scanned images to generate wonderful photobooks and photo specialties. Several online businesses offer free software that lets you use your digital images to create an assortment of items from mugs to puzzels to t-shirts and more.

An online photo novelty company was used recently to provide t-shirts with the photo of an injured player for the entire team. The decision to attempt to boost the morale of the team in this way was based partly on the fact that producing the shirts could be done quickly and affordably. The effect on the team and the fans was something to remember.

An office manager had all of the people in the office submit unique photos of themselves. Using a photo specialty company she produced personalized photo mugs for each of the individuals and hung them on a rack in the lunch room. The mugs generated endless discussion about childhood, hobbies, and 1980's attire. Not only could everyone easily identify their own mug, they learned things about their coworkers they might not have otherwise.

Impressed by the slideshow display that the funeral parlor had put together for a family member's funeral service, one family had the digitized photos made into photobooks for all of the relatives and friends. The photos tied people's memories together in a way that brought everyone closer together and expressed what it means to be a family in a way that words fell short of doing.

A group of guys in Maine used photo books to immortalize themselves and permanently record their Memorial Day fishing trip to Lobster Lake. Their advice was to hold the fish as close to the camera as possible so that it looks bigger. As time goes by and memories fade those photo books will become an important part of their life stories.

Many high school teams and clubs have discovered that they can easily and inexpensively pool their special digital photographs and create photobooks that are exclusively dedicated to their particular organization. Some teams have used photobooks to raise money while others have put them together just for fun. Everyone likes the idea of their group having complete artistic control of their own project. These keepsakes will more treasured as the years go by.

Make sure to use a photo specialty provider that provides an automatic layout feature. This will allow you to preview unlimited layouts and easily rotate pictures in and out of your pages or items. Better providers allow you to use a photo as the background of a page, and you can preview quickly right from your computer without waiting to send and receive over the internet, a huge time saver.

So get your photos scanned to protect them from loss, damage, and destruction. And once you've included them in your digital photo collection you will be able to let your creative side run wild designing your favorite photo specialties easily and inexpensively online.

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