A Smaller Bite of the Elephant - Photos and Documents

 Dear Brothers and Sisters,

As I re-read the blog from last week about eating the elephant one bite at a time, I realized I had posted a “Guy Fieri-size” bite!  (If you have watched Diners, Drive-ins and Dives on TV you understand the reference.  He takes MONSTER bites when he is sampling food!).  So, for the next few weeks, we will break it down to smaller, more petite bites. 

Today we will start with Memories and just discuss Photos and Documents.  This seems like a simple bite but it can be a whopper if you have never uploaded photos.  We take a lot of photos with our phones and cameras, but do they ever get transferred to the computer? 

There are several ways to accomplish this bite. I am not technologically expert but I try to transfer my photos to my computer on a regular basis.  Here are some tips I know about.

If you want to save the photos to your computer, then use them to include in FamilySearch, set up your photo files on your computer if you have not already done so.  I like to set mine up under the names of Scanned Bushey, Scanned Taylor, etc.  That way when I want a particular photo, I know which family file it is in and I can go straight to it.  Inside each Family File, I have mine broken down into other files – Harold, Jane, Roberta, etc.  It takes a bit to organize it this way at first but when you have thousands of photos on your computer like I do, it helps me find just the right one when I need it.  Set yours up the way it works for you. 

Now to transfer photos from the phone to the computer. 

From a Smart Phone:

Whether you are using an Android or iPhone, you can upload photos to a computer using the following methods:

v  With a USB cable – this method is a little different depending on the computer operating system – Windows, Mac or Chromebook

1.      Windows – Connect the phone to the computer using the USB cable – On the phone, tap “Charging this device with USB” – Under “Use ISB For” select File Transfer – Use the File Transfer window to drag your files and drop them into the file you have already set up for them – When complete eject your phone from your computer & unplug the cable

2.      Mac (for operating systems 10.5 and newer) – Download and install Android File Transfer onto your computer (this is a one-time operation) – Open the Android File Transfer (the next time you connect your phone it will automatically open for you) – Connect the phone to the computer with a USB Cable - On the phone, tap “Charging this device with USB” – Under “Use ISB For” select File Transfer – Use the Android File Transfer to drag your files and drop them into the file you have already set up for them – When complete, unplug the USB cable

3.      Chromebook - Connect the phone to the computer using the USB cable – On the phone, tap “Charging this device with USB” – Under “Use ISB For” select File Transfer – On a Chromebook, the Files App will open.  Use it to drag files.  This method may vary depending on which Chromebook you are using.   – When complete, eject your phone from your computer & unplug the cable

v  The old fashioned way – I used to do this and sometimes still do when I have only a couple of photos – Email the photos to your email address.  Open the email and download the photos into the file folder you have set up. 

From a Camera – Follow the instructions from your camera’s operating manual

What if the photos are not on the phone?  What if they are still in a photo album or loose in a box or elsewhere? 

In a photo album – the easiest way I know and the least disturbing to the photo is just take a photo of it with your phone or camera.  Make sure to get it in sharp focus and leave an edge around it when you take the photo. That way none of the photo will be accidentally cut off. You can edit it later “in camera” before uploading to the computer.  Watch for shadows and reflections that may show up in the photo.  Make certain you are taking it straight on, not at an angle and the photo is as flat as you can get it.  Take several so you are sure to get the best photo possible.  This is how our missionaries provide photos for us in the Family History missions.  They have a mounted camera pointing down, and they slip the photo or document on a flat surface under the camera and shoot the photo.  It is pretty slick! 

     When I use this method, I like to include the notations from the album in at least one photo (date, place, any comments that the person who archived it added). That way I have that information.  If it is not available, use a note pad to document this info and a description of the photo so you can match them up later.  Or you can lay a piece of paper with a number on it by the photo before you take it and then note the info on your pad with the same number.  Easy to edit out the number when you no longer need it. 

Loose photos/documents – You may use the same method as listed above for photos and documents in an album or you can scan them. 

To scan with your phone – Open the Google Drive app (on most phones) – in the bottom right, tap ADD – Tap SCAN, and take a photo of the photo/document you would like to scan.  You can use the Crop and rescan to edit it if you like.  Tap DONE when you are satisfied with your photo.

Use a scan app from the app store for your phone or tablet– There are many apps to choose from.  Some are free, others have a nominal fee to use them.  Play with them and see which you like.  A popular one is Photomyne.  It is not free but it includes automatic cropping and color restoration – great for those old photos.

You can also use a document scanner app on your phone.  I use DocScan.  I can scan the photo and email it to myself.  I then download it into the file folder for that family.

LOTS OF PHOTOS?

If you have a lot of photos and documents to scan into your computer, you might think of purchasing a scanner you can connect to your computer.  We use a ScanSnap scanner but there are several brands and price ranges.  Each has different features.  Do some research to see what fits your needs and circumstances.  These should connect to your computer either by USB cable or wireless.  Scan the photos directly to the file folder you have set up or into a “scan” folder and transfer them to the folder of choice.

If you would like to transfer the photos directly from your phone to FamilySearch:

·         Open Family Tree on your phone

·         Click on and open the person whose photo you want to add

·         Click on Memories on the bar just under their name at the top

·         Click on the Plus sign in the right bottom corner

·         Choose Add Photo

·         Choose Camera Roll

·         Choose the photo you want to add

·         Click on add

·         Edit the photo if desired

·         Click Save

Caution:  When uploading from the phone, it is really easy to accidentally choose more photos than you want to add.  However, if you do that, they will have to be deleted by accessing your computer, as far as I know.  To avoid this, verify you have only the ones you want to upload to Family Tree before you Click on “Add”.

This can be a fun Family Home Evening project.  It is great fun to look at old photos and documents while remembering and honoring our family members.  Lots of good stories come from these “remember sessions”! Each brings our family into a tighter knit chain that will be unbroken in the eternities.

Let us know if we can help.  As I said, I am not an expert but these ideas have worked for Brother May and myself and may be just the beginning for you!  Brother and Sister May

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Indexing is so easy!

  Dear Brothers and Sisters,    I have been impressed to start a weekly “blog of sorts” to help our ward do Family History.   When Brother May and I were first called as Consultants, we posted a little note in the weekly bulletin on Sundays and had a monthly Family History Challenge for our ward.   I miss that opportunity to inspire you and your families to do family history and, to tell you the truth, I have been wondering how to get going again.   The answer to my prayers came in this month’s LDS Living Magazine.   An ad caught my eye.   It showed an old photo of a family and had the words:   “Can you hear us?   We need your help.”   Then in the body of the ad it stated:   “We are your family, your ancestors from the past.   We are on the other side and need your help.   The records of our lives need to be found and submitted for saving ordinances. You may have felt our promptings to act.   In fact, you may f...
Read more

Til We Meet Again

  Dear Brothers and Sisters, We are sure you have heard by now that we are moving out of the ward.   This will be our last posting.   We wanted to leave you with some thoughts as we have been downsizing. One article we found was from The Nome Nugget, a newspaper from Nome, Alaska.   Brother May received this paper when he was a reporter working in Nome.   On the front page of the Thursday, April 14, 1988 edition, is an article entitled “Family history salvaged at Nome City Dump”.   It is a story about a man who was tossing a load of trash in the Nome City Dump and his foot slipped on something slick.   He picked it up and found a baby book among the items.   The book contained more than 100 photos and notations from a mom about her new baby son.   The notations covered his life from his birth in 1946 through the year 1962.   They included information about his family members – his father, his brother and his mom.   As the man lo...
Read more

Tools: Merging Duplicate Records

  Dear Brothers and Sisters, Recording family history can be fun and frustrating at the same time.   We have been blessed with great programs and electronic tools that make it much easier today than in past years, but with that, there is a greater possibility of getting false information as well.   How do we sort it all out? One method is “Knee Mail”.   When in doubt, ask Heavenly Father for help.   He will guide you.   This week we are going to begin discussing the section on the right side of our family member’s page on FamilySearch entitled “ Tools ”.    These tools are wonderful helps in our sorting out the information to ensure what we have is accurate.   The first tool is “ Possible Duplicates ”.   You may have noticed at the top under Research Helps a warning symbol that showed you have possible duplicates on your family member.   You can access the information from this warning or go to Tools and access it with the l...
Read more