Before scanning an old photo album
Start with a few loose prints and check the results before working through a whole album. Wipe the phone lens, use soft light from the side and keep the camera parallel to the print. Direct flash and overhead lamps can reflect off glossy paper.
Leave fragile photographs in place if removing them could cause damage. Capture an album page as a whole and use separate crops for its pictures. Photograph handwritten captions as well: a name, place or date can be more valuable than the image alone.
Give the collection a name
From the home screen, choose Start a bundle. Enter a Bundle label, such as Summer holidays, and add any Shared context you remember. A bundle date is optional: leave it empty if you do not know it. A bundle date offers a suggestion; it does not replace dates already saved on individual photos.
Prepare a steady, clear view
Choose Camera and place the phone steadily above a flat, matte surface. Use even light and move lamps or the print if you can see reflections. Keep the whole print inside the camera view. If you are scanning album pages or collages, you can enable Automatically separate collage scans for the bundle.
Calibrate without a photo
Remove every print from the surface, keep the phone still and choose Calibrate empty surface. Wait for the surface-ready message, then put the first photograph in view. Recalibrate after changing the phone position, surface or lighting.
Let the camera capture the print
Hold the print still while its outline settles. Keep it in place until Then & There confirms it has captured the photo or says Ready for the next photo. Processing and saving are separate from capturing: moving a print before capture finishes can record the empty surface. If automatic capture does not settle, use Capture now and check its crop.
Check the picture and tell its story
Open Review photo when the queue asks for a check. Make sure the entire photograph is present and use Adjust crop if the outline needs work. You can add a note or narration before choosing Save photo. If the reverse has writing, use Scan back for that same print.
Watch for unfinished work
Open the queue to see which photos are processing, need review or need a Retry. A queue entry is not the same as a finished saved photo. If the queue is full, let it catch up or review waiting photos before placing another print.
Finish this session and return later
Choose Done scanning for now when you are ready to stop. Open the bundle to browse its saved photographs. Add photos lets you continue another day; the photo count describes what is saved, not a declaration that your collection is finished.
A few useful things to know
- Start with three ordinary prints so you can check sharpness, crop and narration before scanning a whole album.
- Review time can be set to Manual when you want to control every save.
- A scan is only as clear as the captured image. Zooming into the crop editor improves precision but does not recover missing detail.
Instructions checked against Then & There 0.2.66. Labels may change as the app develops.