3 apps to digitize physical photos and negatives

Your smartphone makes it easy to share photos with anyone at any time. But unless your phone is your first camera, you may have some old negatives. You can get them developed or scan them into your phone to view and share easily. Tap or click here for tips on converting negatives into digital photos.

A physical scanner is one route you can take to digitize your photo collection, but (surprise, surprise) you can also use an app. Here are three great options.

PhotoScan by Google Photos

Google

Google’s PhotoScan is a free app for iOS and Android that scans your photos multiple times, then stitches all the images together to remove glare and improve the quality of the final image. The app works on matte, gloss prints and photos inside or outside albums.

RELATED: Tech how-to: Colorize old black-and-white photos

You take the initial picture of the image with your smartphone, then take four additional shots according to the app’s instructions. The app uses an algorithm to detect and crop the photo area, automatically detect the edge, correct the rotation and correct the perspective to show a frontal view.

PhotoScan is as easy to use as taking a photo with your camera:

  • Open the PhotoScan app and hold your phone above a photo.
  • Tap the capture button to take pictures, which will save them to your device.
  • Move your phone around to get the circle over each of the four dots.
  • After the photo is processed, tap the photo thumbnail.
  • Select a photo to rotate, adjust the corners or delete.

You can use Google Photos to store and organize your scans. From there, you can edit your images and share them with others.

Continue reading

5 handy Google apps you should be using on your Android

The best Google apps for Android go beyond the basics. You’re likely already using Google Calendar, Google Maps and your beloved Gmail inbox. We’ve rounded up five Google apps that should also be on your list.

Accessibility? Culture? An app that transforms the real world into one giant, Google-able oyster? Explore the world with your Android device through a few helpful apps.

Continue reading

Best apps to convert old photos and negatives to digital

Forget scrolling through your phone’s endless photo gallery to find something. Here’s a pro trick to locate any photo you want in 30 seconds or less.

If your photos aren’t backed up, this is your reminder to do it now. You’d be heartbroken should you lose all those memories. Tap or click for the foolproof steps to make the job easier.

Continue reading

Google Photos: 20 tips to help you take control of your pictures

Since most smartphones come with awesome cameras these days, we all take tons of pictures. But a great camera is only the beginning. You’re also going to need a way to edit those photos like a pro. Tap or click here to get the best free mobile photo editor.

Continue reading

14 apps you’ll use time and time again for iPhone and Android

When you look at the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store, there are two schools of thought. Either you are excited because it’s a treasure trove of apps, or you think there are so many that you can’t even wrap your head around all of them. These 14 apps are of all different types and will quickly become your go-to apps for everything from entertainment to organization.

Continue reading