Have Fun with Old Family Photos
Don’t you have tons of photos, lying buried in albums, phones or CDs, that you haven’t seen for ages? If yes, fish out 20–30 that you really like…because there are so many quick and EASY ways to give them a whole new life.
Find Some Favorites
Go through your digital collection, shortlist the photos that you really like, and save their copies in a folder on your smartphone or computer.
Now look through your printed photos. You’ll need to scan them first, but you can do this with your smartphone or any digital camera. There are apps that’ll automatically crop and enhance your scans, so it’s no sweat at all.
Choose Your Project
Pick any of the following ideas and start putting your favorite photos to use.
10. Make Personalized Greeting Cards
Someone you love has a special day? Make it extra-special with a beautiful, personalized greeting card (It’ll only take a minute). Find a photo they’d like, and add your message to it withan app such as Typorama or Word Swag. You can do it in a variety of styles and fonts. Even easier, use ready-made greeting card templates in apps such as Canva or Ink (or Pic Scanner Gold mentioned earlier). Note that free apps will add watermarks or their branding to cards (ugh!). Also, some apps charge every time you send a card (e.g. Ink). So look around and choose wisely!
9. Make Photo Mugs
What’s the best thing to do with a mugshot? Put it on a mug! A great way to enjoy your morning coffee looking at a photo that makes you happy. Try Snapfish or Smugmug, or search online for “photo mugs” for more options. Get a set made for the family. Photo mugs are also nice to gift.
8. Make A Slideshow in a Digital Photo Frame
A digital picture frame running a slideshow of your favorite memories is a great addition to your coffee table — or a great distraction on your work desk. You can buy a digital frame for $40–150. And if you have an old disused iPad lying around, it’s perfect for use as a photo frame. See here.
7. Make a family tree wall
This will take more effort, but once done, you’ll enjoy it for years. Dig out generations-old family photos, scan (Apply B&W or sepia filters to get a uniform vintage look) and get them printed. No need for fancy frames, get a bunch of plain old-fashioned ones from Wall Mart or wherever. Stencil the tree yourself, or buy a self-stick decal (Many designs available on Etsy.)
Of course, you could also frame your recent digital photos to make a photo wall instead. Here’s a cool trick to hang picture frames straight.
6. Make A “Then and Now” Frame
Take two photos of yourself (or anyone else) taken twenty, maybe thirty years apart. Frame them together. Always fun to look at and compare, and a conversation starter.
A variation: Take one of your recent photos. Find a photo of your mom and one of your dad taken when they were the age that you are now. Frame the three together (You in the middle).
5. Make a Wall Corner Photo Frame
Got a boring wall corner? Brighten it up with a corner frame as shown below. Buy a regular frame, use a saw to split it down the middle. Join as shown.
4. Make Your Photos into Artwork
Thanks to artificial intelligence-driven filters, you can convert ordinary photos into beautiful artworks in the style of great artists. There are now many apps that can do this, but Prisma was the first and is probably still the best. Available for both iOS and Android.
3. Make Photo Books for Yourself or Gifting
Photos are more fun when they’re on paper rather than your iPad’s touch screen, and you’d rather flip than swipe? Converting digital photos into beautifully printed, smartly bound photo books is easy. Many online services let you upload photos, slot them into templates, add text and stickers to create exactly the look and feel you want. Artifact Uprising and Shatterfly are two of the many well-known names. It’s inexpensive and great discounts are always available.
2. Make DIY Fridge Photo Magnets
Got vacation, family or pet photos? Or a funny meme you found on the internet? Print in small size, and trim into any shape — square, round, heart etc. Buy a roll of self adhesive magnetic strip tape from the hardware store. Stick a small length behind each print. Laminate for durability.
1. Make Your Dinner Table Special
Glue plain black frames in threes, backs removed. Insert photos. Light with flame-free candles!
Extra Tip for Using Your Old Photos
iOS users can use Pic Scanner Gold app for one-step scanning and cropping. The app also lets you make your photos into greeting cards, calendars and shareable slideshows. If scanning with a regular scanner, digital camera or Android phone, you can crop all your scans (yes: all with a single click!) with SnipTag app for Mac. It also lets you add dates, locations, descriptions, etc.
Originally published at https://www.picscannergold.com on August 28, 2019.
