Photo Scanning Resources

Scanning and organizing your entire photograph collection is so much easier with the help of the right equipment, software and additional services. I thought it would be useful to you if I shared a list of what I am currently using and am really excited about. If it fits your needs, I recommend all of these for your photo collection.

I will update this list from time to time as I continue to learn about and review new products and services. So bookmark this page and check back regularly!

Some of the links below are affiliate links and will earn me a very small commission. Please know that these are all services, products and companies I currently use, find to be extremely helpful, and trust enough to recommend to you. I value our relationship. If you do purchase through one of my links, thank you so much for your support!

Best Photo Scanners

Photo scanner with lid open - Epson Perfection V370

Epson Perfection V370

Entry Quality Level

Scans prints, documents and small amounts of film (slides and negatives) at a time.

A great blend of low cost with a great range of features

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Photo scanner with lid open - Epson Perfection V600 Photo

Epson Perfection V550

Mid-Range Quality Level

Scans prints, documents and small amounts of film (slides and negatives) at a time.

Higher resolution than V370, and comes with OCR and Digital ICE for film

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Photo scanner with lid open - Epson Perfection V600 Photo

Epson Perfection V600

Mid-Range Quality Level

Scans prints, documents and small amounts of film (slides and negatives) at a time.

Higher resolution than V370, and comes with OCR and Digital ICE for prints and film

Check Price
Photo scanner with lid open - Epson Perfection V800 Photo

Epson Perfection V800 Photo

Very High Quality Level

Scans prints, documents and larger amounts of film (slides and negatives) at a time.

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Photo scanner with lid open - Epson Perfection V800 Photo

Epson Perfection V850 Pro

Highest Quality Level

Scans prints, documents and larger amounts of film (slides and negatives) at a time.

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What's the difference?  Check out my post: Epson V800 vs V850 — The 5 Differences and Which You Should Buy

Best Photo Managers

Digital image manager software not only gives you a place to store and organize your photos, but most will also give you the ability to edit and restore your photos right inside the software without having to move them in and out of editing software.

All of the photo managers I recommend that also have editing capabilities built-in are also “non-destructive” in the way they handle (protect) your digital masters. This means, you can also undo or often “roll-back” individual edits you made and return to your “untouched” original master image file.

Bridge CC application icon

Bridge CC

Adobe
Windows Mac
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Colorful flower-looking graphic - Photos for macOS - Icon

Photos for macOS

Apple
Mac
[description]
ACDsee 20 application Icon

ACDSee

ACD Systems
Windows
[description]
Photos for macOS application icon

Picktorial

Picktorial Innovations
Mac
[description]
ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac Beta application icon

ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac

ACD Systems
Mac
[description]
Photos for macOS application icon

Lightroom

Adobe
Windows Mac
[description]
ACDSee Photo Studio for Mac Beta application icon

ACDSee Ultimate

ACD Systems
Windows
[description]
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UNSURE WHICH TO USE

If you would like to know which of these applications I would recommend you use, based on your own personal needs, check out this article:
Use 1 of These Photo Managers If You Care About Your Photo Collection (2017 Update)

Best Photo Scanning Services

Logo graphic - ScanCafe - Your memories deserve the best
Box filled with paper prints, surrounded by prints outside of it. 21 cent per scan badge.
Of the scanning services I've tested, ScanCafe hands down has the best quality.

Paper prints are painstakingly scanned by hand on Epson flatbeds. Film is scanned using industrial-grade Noritsu and Nikon dedicated film scanners. Then, technicians correct your images manually, one at a time. There is no one-button automation here. This all explains why each scan looks like it was individual cared for.

And then when you consider how much lower their prices are than everyone else's, this company is extremely hard to beat.

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20% Off ScanCafe Discount Code: "CURTIS20"

I negotiated a special discount for Scan Your Entire Life readers. When you enter this promotional code while placing your order, you will save 20% off your entire order.

Best Online Backup

Fire graphic - Backblaze logo
Rows of tall server and storage racks

“350 million GB stored & over 20 billion files recovered (and counting)”

Backblaze is the online backup service I have been using around-the-clock since June 2014.
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Best Photo Sharing

Smugmug text with green hand-drawn smiley face graphic
Smugmug photo albums displayed on 4 different devices
SmugMug is my absolute favorite photo sharing website.I love not only how elegant and ad free it is, but also how they have no limit to how many photos and videos you can store and share.

This is the website I use to display public and private photo collections and videos with my family — because it's really easy for non-tech family members to navigate without lots of help or personalized instructions. You can also add photos directly from the most popular photo managers.

Their plans start at just $3.99 per month when you pay for the full year.

They offer a 14-day free trial. 

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Best Photo Scanning Software

If you have advanced goals and you are looking to gain even more control over the process of scanning, you might consider using a third-party scanning program in place of the one that came bundled with your scanner.
Graphic - scanner with lid open - Vuescan Scanner Software - Application icon

VueScan

Works in both Windows and macOS.
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