Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between my old photos and digital photos?
Your old photos were likely taken using an analog camera. These cameras use rolls of film, which need to be developed using chemicals, primarily little bits of silver. Digital photos use computers to take and develop pictures. Every shape, detail, and color is converted into information and stored as a little tiny dot called a pixel.
Why should I convert my analog photos to digital?
Analog photos exist physically, so they take up space. They are also at risk of being lost, damaged, or deteriorating over time with exposure to air. Digital photos are stored electronically. The information in those photos (colors, lighting, etc.) will not change over time. It is also much easier to create copies of digital photos than of analog to share with friends and family.
Wait, my photos change over time? How?
Analog photos require chemicals and paper. Similar to how a newspaper turns yellow over time, the chemicals in the photos can change. Some types of photos, especially the high-gloss Kodak and Polaroid photos from the 80s and 90s, are more susceptible to this. Instead of glossy, they’ll start to look reflective. Digital photos do not have this issue. A pixel from today will look exactly the same 30 years from now.
How many pixels do my photos have?
That depends on a lot of things. If your photos were taken from a camera with film, they don’t technically have any pixels at all! The film used by most older analog cameras, both disposable and reloadable, was 35mm in size. If we were to estimate, that film could hold about 20-24 million pixels, or megapixels, in a single image. However, the labs that developed the photos usually worried more about speed than accuracy, so about half the details would be lost. That means an average 4” by 6” Polaroid developed at a pharmacy would have about 10-12 megapixels.
How many pixels will my digital copies have?
This depends on the size of your photo. A regular polaroid 4” by 6” photo will have about 22 megapixels. A larger photo, such as an 8” by 11” family photo, might have as many as 108 megapixels.
What about adding color to black and white photos? How does that work?
Black and white photos aren’t completely black and white. In addition to black (or brown, if they’re old enough) and white, the photos have shades of gray. Grays look different: a gray from a red color will look different than a gray from a blue. To colorize those photos, a computer looks at the shade of gray, then adds the appropriate color to where the gray was. It takes time, but it’s accurate.
Why do old, dark photos look…weird?
Old analog cameras have a hard time with dark photos, and were really only designed for well-lit places. That’s why professional photographers bring those big backlights with them. There are no grays to work with, and no information for the computer because the black areas are just black. That can lead to some old photos looking “ghostly” when colorized. An artist can go through those areas and add in color manually, but they’d just be guessing.
What about VHS and cassette tapes? Do you do those?
Yes, we do VHS tapes, cassettes, and mini-tapes as well. Just as a heads up, though, they take longer than photos to complete. You can’t fast forward them to record the video and audio more quickly, because all the information is stored on a magnetic tape. You have to let the entire tape run at regular speed.
Ok, how do we get started?
Start by requesting a quote here. We’ll set up a consultation, figure out a drop off time or shipping arrangement, and then get to work.