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.
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