As the years pass one after another, more and more people are looking at ways to digitize their old analog media – everything from photos and slides to film and tapes. Precious memories that we want to save for future generations.
But, as that analog technology has aged, new (and affordable) technology has given us the opportunity to take digitizing those precious memories into our own hands, literally. DIY kits and tutorials are aplenty for people looking to digitize their own analog media, which is great – but is it the best option?
Let’s find out.
PROS & CONS of digitizing your own analog media:
Affordable vs. Accessible
Most DIY digitizing options are fairly cheap, so long as you have the tech to do so. If you do, then the overall cost for software can be fairly low for entry-level digitization. But, if you don’t have some of the old analog players and hardware necessary (they are obsolete, after all) for digitizing old analog media, your cost will go up. Certain software programs like Photoshop aren't accessible to everyone either, if you’re looking to touch up/edit some of your old photos after scanning.
Available vs. Saturated
There’s no doubt that there are plenty of DIY digitizing kits (whether it’s for tapes or scanning photos) and tutorials out there. A simple internet search will give you lots of results. But finding the best option of the bunch, may be a little trickier as there are so many options that the industry has become saturated. Make sure you do your research to find what’s best for your digitizing needs.
Convenient vs. Time-consuming
On one hand, if you have all the necessary means to digitize your analog media, then you’re in good shape to start the process. Convenient, right? Well, kind of. That’s because on the other hand, the actual process of digitizing can be very lengthy and attention-to-detail oriented. A lot of sitting, watching and waiting.
Easy vs. Risky
The actual act of digitizing your media is fairly straightforward. Countless YouTube tutorials and the like can help you along the way for tips and tricks during the process. However, these are your precious memories. Converting them yourself (especially if you have never tried it before) could lead to some mistakes along the digitization process, ultimately resulting in a tarnished memory. You don’t want that.
Have a professional do it!
If the cons are starting to outweigh your DIY digitizing hopes, then consider having a professional do it. At KODAK Digitizing, we handle the whole digitization process from start to finish. Simply send in your box of analog media (pre-paid and provided by us), and we’ll have our team of professional digitizers work their magic. Along the way, you’ll get notices and alerts of where your precious memories are at in the conversion process. When they’re all done digitizing, you’ll receive another box back with all your old memories, plus new digitized copies via DVD, thumb drive or cloud download.
That’s quality, convenience and accessibility all packaged at an affordable price.
Ultimately though, the decision is up to you. As long as you get to digitizing those memories sooner than later – that’s what’s most important!
