How Do I Sort and Store My Digital and Print Photos?
Preserve and organise your favourite photos of family and friends with these expert tips
Georgia Madden
5 April 2018
Daniel Paul, from the photo-imagining division at Fujifilm Australia shares the secrets to preserving and caring for your precious digital photos and prints.
When you ask people what they would rescue from a burning house, most will say their photos. It’s little surprise – photos capture our most precious moments in life.
Organising your digital and print photos properly allows you to keep them safe so they can be enjoyed for years to come.
Organising your digital and print photos properly allows you to keep them safe so they can be enjoyed for years to come.
Backup your digital photos
It’s all too easy to lose the thousands of photos we have on our mobile phones – or forget they even exist. Having an automated backup system on your computer is a simple and easy way to store, organise and protect them.
There are a variety of solutions to choose from, including Dropbox, Flickr, iCloud or Google Photos. A good photo-hosting service should offer:
It’s all too easy to lose the thousands of photos we have on our mobile phones – or forget they even exist. Having an automated backup system on your computer is a simple and easy way to store, organise and protect them.
There are a variety of solutions to choose from, including Dropbox, Flickr, iCloud or Google Photos. A good photo-hosting service should offer:
- Space: Enough storage to keep all of your photos in one place over the years at low cost.
- Quality: Your photos should be preserved in high-res and not compressed beyond recognition.
- Ease of use: It should be easy to upload and edit photos.
- Ease of access: Finding photos by date or tags should be hassle-free.
- Sharing: A good photo site makes sharing photos easy, allowing you to post to sites such as Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
- Printability: A friend or family member who likes your photo should be able to buy a print or put together a photo book easily.
Organise them with care
Keep your digital photos organised and accessible by:
Here’s how to get pictures off your phone and into your home
Keep your digital photos organised and accessible by:
- Naming photos: Similar to writing information on the back of a print photo, naming your digital photo helps you easily remember when and where it was taken.
- Deleting extras: Most of us don’t just take one photo of an event, we’ll take 100 in an attempt to capture the perfect shot. Avoid photo clutter by flicking through the photos right after the event, picking out your favourites, and deleting the rest.
- Storing events in separate folders: When transferring digital photos onto your computer, create a specific folder for each event and name it accordingly.
- Acting fast: To avoid forgetting and mixing up events, organise your photos as soon as possible after they are taken.
- Keeping backups: Make sure you keep backups in a secondary location for safekeeping. You can automate a backup of your important files on your computer, or set a recurring event in your calendar where you pull all the new images into the central repository and back it up (locally, cloud-based or both).
Here’s how to get pictures off your phone and into your home
Print and display your favourites
Printing your photos and displaying them around your house or workplace means you’re constantly surrounded by happy memories. Create a wall display in your living room, dining room or bedroom with a selection of your favourites (they also make great gifts for loved ones). Or keep a casual revolving display of images on the fridge.
Learn how to display family photos
Printing your photos and displaying them around your house or workplace means you’re constantly surrounded by happy memories. Create a wall display in your living room, dining room or bedroom with a selection of your favourites (they also make great gifts for loved ones). Or keep a casual revolving display of images on the fridge.
Learn how to display family photos
Create a photo book
Photo books are an appealing alternative to a wall display or photo album. You can customise the cover and image layout, and add personalised text and
embellishments to capture special moments.
Photo books are an appealing alternative to a wall display or photo album. You can customise the cover and image layout, and add personalised text and
embellishments to capture special moments.
Go oversize
Create a dramatic feature in a room by having a favourite photograph turned into a large canvas or glass wall print.
Create a dramatic feature in a room by having a favourite photograph turned into a large canvas or glass wall print.
Store prints safely
If you prefer to store your printed photos, here’s how:
If you prefer to store your printed photos, here’s how:
- Store in acid-free photo boxes, enclosures or an album.
- Avoid storing photos in a magnetic album or those made from PVA or PVC plastic, as they can damage photos.
- Keep photos out of direct sunlight, and away from moisture and temperature fluctuations.
- Store flat in a dark spot to prevent fading.
Caring for old photos
It’s a good idea to digitise precious older photos so you can share and store them safely. If an older photograph is faded or damaged, however, it might need to be restored first. Restoration can be anything from a quick touch-up to a full restoration, and how much you pay will reflect the amount and quality of the work involved.
It’s a good idea to digitise precious older photos so you can share and store them safely. If an older photograph is faded or damaged, however, it might need to be restored first. Restoration can be anything from a quick touch-up to a full restoration, and how much you pay will reflect the amount and quality of the work involved.
Handling slides and negatives
As with older prints, it’s wise to digitise negatives and slides for safekeeping and ease of sharing. To obtain the highest-quality digital image, scan the negatives or slides directly to a digital image.
In the meantime, follow these simple rules to keep them in good condition:
As with older prints, it’s wise to digitise negatives and slides for safekeeping and ease of sharing. To obtain the highest-quality digital image, scan the negatives or slides directly to a digital image.
In the meantime, follow these simple rules to keep them in good condition:
- Make sure your hands are clean and dry, or use cotton gloves when handling negatives or slides. Only hold them by the edges (the oils in your hands can damage them).
- Make sure negatives and slides are free of dust and dirt prior to storing them. If you notice dirt and dust, clean them with some compressed air.
- Store clean negatives and slides in polyethylene sleeves. This kind of plastic is safe and won’t cause any damage.
- Store negatives flat, and away from direct sunlight, moisture and temperature fluctuations.
Read more:
10 Unique Ways to Enjoy Printed Family Photos
Tell us:
How have you organised your family pictures? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
10 Unique Ways to Enjoy Printed Family Photos
Tell us:
How have you organised your family pictures? Share your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Be aware that if you put any photos on Facebook they will be scanned with facial recognition software and the information potentially sold. How do you think Facebook can afford to provide a ‘free service’?
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This may not bother you but may really upset others who care about their privacy.
Acid-free photo boxes !! Where do I buy them from and do they come in different sizes?
However, it is not cheap at A$900 but it does eliminate the need to buy photo frames! It arrived in Sydney five days after I ordered it from NY about three years ago.
How I wish that Australian companies could deliver that quickly.