Why should I digitize my photos?
top
|
|
Because your photos are important to you and your family.
See our Why Digitize page for some important reasons
why you'll want your pictures in digital form.
|
|
|
Why shouldn't I just buy a scanner and
scan my photos myself?
top
|
|
You certainly could, and if you only have a couple of photos you want scanned
and optimal quality isn't that important for those photos, it may make sense to
just do it yourself. Otherwise there are three good reasons to hire DigMyPics!
to do it for you: Quality, Time, and Convenience.
Quality: We have a variety of different types of scanners, some costing many
thousands of dollars. We can match the best scanner for the photo we're scanning.
Our technicians are highly trained, university educated, graphics and photography
professionals. At least 3 different technicians will quality review each image and
correct scanning, exposure, and color imperfections on an individual photo by photo
basis. We've spent considerable money, time and effort to develop the best
technologies and techniques for scanning photos at optimal quality so you can be
sure your images will be the best they can possibly be.
Time: Don't underestimate how much time and effort are involved in
scanning a lot of photos. Consumer grade scanners that sell for a few hundred
dollars aren't designed for high speed photo scanning so expect to spend
considerable time scanning and tweaking each print to get it right. 100 prints
would take you 300 minutes to scan if you could scan them at the very quick pace
of only 3 minutes each. That's 5 hours! But wait, you still might need to
crop, rotate, convert, organize, burn a CD, print the thumbnails so you can
find what's what and make a label. By the time you do all of that, you've spent
nearly a whole day on just 100 photos. We can scan and archive those same 100
photos for just $39. Is your day worth $39 to you to get just 100 photos
scanned?For scanning slides and film the process is even more involved and
cumbersome and the right equipment is costly and much more difficult to learn
and use.
Convenience: Besides the convenience of having all of your photos scanned
for you, we'll can create and professionally label all of your discs, provide a
thumbnail book that indexes those discs making it easy to find just the image
you're looking for every time, and backup your high resolution images to a safe,
redundant storage service for you. We can even organize and neatly place your
photos into some of our storage products so they're ready to tuck away when you
get them back.
|
|
|
How do I determine which resolution is
best for my project?
top
|
|
We scan standard prints at 300 or 600 dpi (dots per inch). That means that from
a 4x6 print at 300 dpi you'll get an image that is 1200 x 1800 pixels or 2400 x
3600 for 600 dpi. From our tests, 300 dpi provided the best balance between
quality and size using standard photographs for viewing and printing purposes.
If you plan to do significant cropping on the images, or plan to make reprints
at up to double the original photo's size, you may want to consider 600 dpi.
For film, you have your choice of 2000, 3000, or 4000 dpi. We recommend the
2000dpi option for most of our customers. A 35mm slide or negative scanned at
2000 dpi will give you an image size that is suitable for making a good 8x10"
reprint. Some commercial grade film can have an increased grain pattern at 3000
dpi, and a significant grain or noise pattern at 4000 dpi. This is because the
resolution actually outdoes the amount of information in the film. If your film
is good quality and taken at a low ASP, then 3000 or 4000dpi maybe a good option
for you. A good resource for learning more about resolution and dpi is our Resolving Resolution
page. If you aren't sure what is right for your project, contact
us and we will be happy to make recommendations based your individual needs.
|
|
|
What type of photos and films do you convert?
top
|
|
We can convert most types of slide and negative film, video tape formats, and
prints in various stages and conditions. Visit our FAQ about the specific
service you are looking for. Your film or photo type will most likely be
addressed there. If you have a question about your film or photos, call us and
we'll let you know if we can scan it and what the pricing and/or handling charge
is (if any).
|
|
|
What customer service do you provide?
top
|
|
We have a direct phone number to our customer service representatives during
regular business hours. You won't be forced onto a hold line. When you
call us toll-free at 1-866-364-5952 you can speak directly to a knowledgeable
customer service representative! You can also email sales@digmypics.com
with your questions. We will usually reply to your email within a few hours on
weekdays.
|
|
|
Do you offer Rush Service?
top
|
|
Yes. The additional cost for this service is 50% of the scanning price or $50,
whichever is greater. We do this in order to pay an employee to work overtime in
order to move a customer ahead in the queue to be processed. We will have to
schedule a technician to work on your rush order, so please call or email
ahead of time to see if we can accommodate your timeline.
|
|
|
Where are you located?
top
|
|
We are located in the beautiful Grand Canyon State of Arizona. We do all of our
business from our one location in AZ. Visit our Contact Us
page for our address, business hours, and a map if you want to stop by. We will
be happy to speak with you about your project and answer any questions. We are
not able to give tours of the facility because of our privacy policies.
|
|
|
Where will the work be performed? Will
my film and photos ever leave your facility?
top
|
|
From the moment we receive your order, to the moment it is shipped back to you,
our entire workflow process takes place in our facility in Arizona. Our
experience is that when you have the opportunity to deal directly with the
company's employees who are working on your project it produces a much more
efficient and gratifying experience as well as a superior final product. Our
testimonials prove that the attention we pay to personalized service is
valuable to our customers.
|
|
|
Can I try you out before I send all my film
and photos?
top
|
|
Sure! We have no minimum so you will just pay for what you send. We are confident
you will be satisfied with the quality of our service.
|
|
|
Who will be working with my photos?
top
|
|
DigMyPics! hires only imaging and graphics professionals with college degrees in
the arts. We pay competitive wages and offer benefits like health, dental, and
employer matching 401(k). These offerings allow us to hire the best people,
while giving opportunities to people who want to develop a career in
photography. We invest heavily in training new hires to our high standards, and
we have a strict set of policies and checks to make sure our standards for
quality are maintained.
|
|
|
My film is really old, is it worth scanning?
top
|
|
If the images on the film are precious to you, we would advise archiving it,
even if it isn't in top shape. Generally, the better condition your film is in
the better your scans will be. However, we do include enhancement services like
basic color correction and Digital ICE whenever possible. Often we are able to
make older slides and film look much better.
|
|
|
Can I see some samples of your work?
top
|
|
Of course! We have a few customers who were kind enough to allow us to use
their photos on our site as examples of our work. Use the links below to have
a look. If you have any questions or concerns, contact us!
Samples of our negative and film scans
Samples of our print scans
Samples of our slide scans
|
|
|
How much does it cost?
top
|
|
Our pricing is based on the type of photo or film and quantity. We have a
calculator to help you calculate our pricing. Click here
to get an estimate. Our pricing includes everything to make your photos
"slide show read". We will crop, rotate, color and exposure correct your images
on an image by image basis by a skilled photographer/computer graphics
technician. Others either don't do that service, charge a lot more for it, or
use automation to do it for them. We've found that the results from blindly
automating those functions to be unacceptable. The way we do it costs us more,
but it gives you much better results.
|
|
|
Are you the cheapest?
top
|
|
Our goal was to offer the most affordable and quality product possible. We are
not the cheapest, but we are the best value. Rather than automating everything
to cut costs and produce an impersonal product, we have set up our process to
incorporate manual quality control. We want you to know that you are not going
to need this done again. Do it once, do it right, do it DigMyPics!
|
|
|
What about shipping charges?
top
|
|
When you fill out our online order form, you can choose to order FedEx shipping
right there, or you can take it to the courier of your choice. We strongly suggest
that you always use an air service with tracking. You also have a choice of return
shipping options on our order form. We only charge the posted shipping rates on
the FedEx and USPS websites for return shipping.
|
|
|
Should I choose to get my scanned images
on CD or DVD?
top
|
|
The most important difference between a DVD and a CD is the amount of data it
can hold. While a CD can hold 650MB of data, a DVD can hold 4.7GB of data. We
can store about 7 times more of your digital photos on 1 DVD data disc as we can
on 1 CD. That means you'll have fewer discs to manage, and you'll save money on
discs. Please note: A DVD Data Disk is not a movie. DVD
is a storage medium just like the CD. It can hold any kind of data, including digitized
movies but it is not exclusive to movies. If you would like to watch
your photos on your television as a slideshow, we recommend that you order one of
our DVD Slideshow Movies.
|
|
|
Should I choose to get my images back
in TIFF, JPEG, or BOTH file formats?
top
|
|
TIFF vs JPEG: TIFF is the original file format your photos are scanned into. TIFF files
are recommended if you will be doing enhancement or editing your files. The
downside of TIFF files are their large size, and they are less a common file
format than JPEGs. JPEGs are compressed so they are about a fourth the size of
the TIFF files. JPEGs are the most commonly used file format for images so most
any application that deals with images will be able to read JPEGs. You can read
more about file formats on our Resolving Resolution
page.
|
Are you working in a lossless format when
you scan/edit my images
top
|
|
We scan and edit your images exclusively in lossless TIFF format. It does take a
little longer per image, but it allows us to edit your film and photos without
losing information. It also allows us to offer TIFF files to every customer,
either instead of, or in addition to, their JPEG files.
|
|
|
Can I watch the DVDs you create in my DVD
player?
top
|
|
When we refer to storing your images on a DVD, we're talking about storing the
JPEG or TIFF files on the disc for use on your computer. As an add on service,
we can also make a DVD Slideshow Movie using your
images to make a slideshow with music that is formatted to play on most DVD players.
|
|
|
How much will fit on a CD or DVD?
top
|
|
A CD can hold 650MB and a DVD can hold 4700 MB (4.7 GB). The number of files that
can fit depends on the resolution, the file format, and what kind of film or photo
your are having scanned. Visit our Resolving Resolution
page for more information.
|
|
|
Can I order extra copies? How much do
they cost?
top
|
|
We keep all the files we need to make additional copies for 14 days after your order
is completed. Simply call us and we'll send more copies your way or even deliver
them to a friend or relative as a gift. The cost is $6 per disc.
|
|
|
Can I make copies of the CDs and DVDs
myself?
top
|
|
Yes. These discs are yours to do with what you like. You must have the proper burning
software and CD/DVD Burner Drive installed on your computer.
|
|
|
How does it work? What is the process
top
|
|
You fill out an order form on our website.
Once you click the submit button, you'll be given a screen with a mailing label.
That mailing label contains a bar coded order ID. Simply print and affix that label
to a well packaged box containing the photos you want us to scan and ship it to
us. When we receive your box, we'll scan the bar code which activates your
|