Romero Imaging
Digitization Guide
Professional digitization captures detail that flatbed scanners cannot reach. This guide explains why — and what that difference means for your family's photographs.
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Digitization Guide
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Every digitization project begins with a free estimate.
Start Your ProjectThe Case for Digitization
"A photograph still in a box cannot be shared, backed up, or saved from what is coming next."
Physical photographs are always at risk. Fire destroys an entire collection in minutes. A flood can reach a box of prints before anyone knows it happened. Fading begins the moment a photograph is exposed to light — slowly at first, then irreversibly. The damage doesn't ask permission. It simply continues.
Digitization creates a record that can exist in multiple places simultaneously. Once a photograph is captured at full archival resolution, it can be stored in the cloud, on an external drive, and on a family member's device all at once. A single house fire cannot destroy all three.
What Future Generations Inherit
Every generation has photographs of the one before. In most families, very few of those photographs will survive to the next century — not because they were unimportant, but because no one ever made a copy.
Digitization changes that calculation. A high-resolution digital file can be copied without degradation. It can be shared with every grandchild, printed at any size, and restored in the future using tools that don't exist yet. It removes the single point of failure that physical photographs represent.
The families that will look back on their history most clearly are the ones making that copy now — while the photographs still have enough information to capture.
Professional Camera Digitization
We use camera-based digitization — not flatbed scanners — to capture photographs, slides, and negatives at true archival resolution.
A high-resolution camera mounted on a Kaiser copy stand captures photographs flat, evenly lit, and at distances that eliminate the field-curvature and optical distortion common in flatbed scanners.
35mm slides and negatives require specialized holders and lighting to capture tonal information accurately. Our setup is calibrated for both color and black-and-white film.
Albums are captured page by page to preserve context and order. Individual prints are captured at resolutions appropriate for their size — larger prints receive higher resolution passes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between camera digitization and scanning?
A flatbed scanner captures light passing through a glass plate, which can introduce field curvature, contact pressure marks, and Newton's rings on delicate prints. Camera-based digitization captures images from above using controlled lighting — no contact with the photograph, no optical distortion from glass, and resolution that matches or exceeds the best consumer scanners without the limitations.
What resolution do you capture at?
Resolution is calibrated to the size and condition of the original. Standard prints are captured at 600 DPI equivalents or higher. Slides and negatives, which contain far more information per square inch, receive specialized capture passes that extract as much latent detail as the film contains.
Can you digitize slides and negatives?
Yes. We digitize 35mm slides and negatives, medium format film, and standard print formats. Each format uses a different holder and lighting configuration to ensure accurate color and tonal capture. If you have a mix of formats, we'll quote and handle each type appropriately.
How are my photos returned to me?
Digital files are delivered via a secure download link after your review and approval. We can also provide files on a USB drive for an additional fee. Physical originals are returned by mail or local pickup, exactly as received. We do not keep copies of your files after delivery.
Are my originals safe during the process?
Photographs are handled with cotton gloves, kept flat during transit, and never exposed to pressure or direct light for extended periods. Albums are captured open, not disassembled. Fragile originals receive individual handling notes. Every project is logged with intake photos so we have a record of the original condition.
What formats are the final files delivered in?
Files are delivered as high-resolution TIFF (archival) and JPEG (sharing-ready) unless you specify otherwise. TIFF files are uncompressed and suitable for future printing or editing. JPEG files are sized for practical use on devices and web sharing.
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