Digitally archive evidence
Discover how to digitise physical photos, certificates and other documents to add to your family tree.
ONE OF THE most satisfying aspects of family history is reconnecting to your past through photographs, certificates and other interesting memorabilia, covering everything from personal biographies to boxing medals. Not of all of these items will currently be in your possession, and in fact you’re extremely likely to be unaware of how much still exists out there somewhere (don’t worry, we show you how to track it down over the page). But whether or not you own the physical copies of these family mementos, it’s a good idea to digitise it – not just for archival purposes, but to illustrate your research and share with others.
SCAN YOUR MATERIAL
The best way to deal with your own photos and documents is with the help of a flatbed scanner. Your built-in scanner software should be adequate for what’s required, but if you’ve only got an old flatbed scanner gathering dust in the loft that won’t work with Windows 10, all is not lost. Head over to www.hamrick.com and download the function-limited demo of VueScan, which works with over 6,000 scanners (including those no longer supported in Windows). Make sure the scanner is connected to your PC via USB and verify VueScan can detect it before purchasing the full version for around US$49.95.
Now it’s time to dust down your collection of photos and follow the step-by-step guide opposite to scan in digital copies at the best possible resolution and quality you can. While it’s possible to correct lighting and colour problems post scan, the best time to do it is when you’re working with the original image itself, not a digital copy.
That said, some fixes – such as removing dust, scratches and major damage from photos – require access to a decent image editor. We’re huge fans of Paint.NET ( www.getpaint.net), but if you have an Adobe ID, consider installing the free Adobe Photoshop Express app from the Microsoft Store. Load in your image, then select the Spot Heal tool (the band-aid button). Now just set your brush size and click on blemishes to magically remove them.
MAKE USE OF YOUR MOBILE
Your flatbed scanner is fine and dandy for scanning items at home, but what if you’re on the road and have time-limited access to someone else’s collection? Simple: make use of your mobile phone’s camera. You could of course, simply snap using your phone’s default camera app, but several apps exist to make the process easier.
If you need to photograph dozens of photos quickly, try JoyFlips – free in the iPhone and Android app stores (you’ll need to sign up for a free account through the app). Invest in a lightweight, mobile-friendly tripod (search eBay for ‘Tripod phone stretchable’ for a model under $30), which you can mount your phone on to, allowing you to point it down directly over a tabletop. Then, with JoyFlips’ help, place each photo within the frame of the phone’s camera, let it snap, and move on to the next one. You’ll work through your photos in a fraction of the time it would take to do them all manually. Photos are uploaded to your JoyFlips account – you can then view and download them by logging on to www.joyflips.com in your web browser.
If you’re scanning old documents (including pages from a book), install the free Microsoft Office Lens app on your phone. This clever app will automatically straighten the ‘scanned’ image and produce a quality black and white PDF file (with editable text if the OCR engine is able to decipher the handwriting on the original document) you can then link to your research.
Once created, your digital photos and documents can be added to your RootsMagic file as links to the original files via the RootsMagic Gallery. You can attach – or ‘tag’ – media to people, families, facts, sources, citations and even places – if you can’t find a Media button, open ‘Lists > Media Gallery’, select the image and click Properties followed by ‘Tag media’ to assign it manually.
“The best way to deal with your own photos and documents is with the help of a flatbed scanner”