How to Back Up Old Photos, Slides & Negatives Without Losing Quality

Old photo prints and slides are some of the most personal things we own. They’re also vulnerable to damp, light, sticky albums and accidental loss. Turning them into good-quality digital images is one of the best gifts you can give your future self.

Here’s how to back up your photos, slides and negatives without ruining the originals – and without disappearing into a scanning rabbit hole.

Step 1: Gather and sort (lightly)

You don’t need to become a full-time archivist, but a little sorting helps:

• Keep photos in their existing envelopes or boxes where possible.
• Group by family, decade or event – whatever feels most natural.
• Set aside anything mouldy or stuck to album pages and handle with extra care.

Many archives recommend handling photographs by the edges and keeping them away from food, drink and direct sunlight while you work.

DIY scanning options at home

Flatbed scanner

A decent flatbed scanner is ideal for loose prints and some kinds of film.

• Scan at 300–600dpi for prints you might want to re-print or put into a photo book.
• Use colour mode even for black-and-white images – it often captures more detail.
• Save as JPEG for everyday use or TIFF if you want large archival files.

Phone scanning apps

Smartphone scanning apps can be fine for quick sharing, but they’re not ideal for long-term backups or large prints. Use them as a temporary solution only.

Slide and negative scanners

Dedicated slide/film scanners can produce good results, but:

• They can be slow if you have hundreds of frames.
• Cheaper units sometimes introduce heavy grain or colour casts.

When a professional scanning service makes sense

Consider using a professional service when:

• You have hundreds of slides or negatives to get through.
• You want consistent colour and exposure without hours of tweaking.
• You’re worried about damaging fragile or stuck prints by forcing them out of old albums.

At The Video Converters we scan 35mm slides, negatives and prints at high resolution, apply light corrections and deliver organised JPEG files ready for sharing and printing.

Organising your new digital photo archive

Once everything is scanned, take a little time to keep things tidy:

• Create a main folder like “Family Photos” on your computer.
• Inside, use sub-folders by decade or person – whatever makes sense to you.
• Rename files in batches – for example “1989-wedding-001.jpg”.
• Add short text files in each folder explaining who’s who and what’s happening.

Don’t forget proper backups

Just like videos, digital photos also need backing up. Follow the same three-copy rule:

• One copy on your main computer.
• One copy on an external drive or USB kept safe.
• One copy in the cloud (Google Photos, iCloud, OneDrive etc.).