Google releases app to backup and digitize boxes old photos

The PhotoScan app for iPhones and Android phones will use the phone's camera to capture an old photo in four sections and stitch them together, much like a panorama shot. Google says this approach helps eliminate glare that can mar attempts to digitize a print by simply photographing the whole photo.

The app will make minor adjustments to restore color in faded photos and to aligned corners when the photo print is bent.

Julia Winn, a product manager for the new app, says scanning photos with traditional scanners takes time, while third-party digitizing services cost money and require you to part with your photos temporarily, risking loss and damage.

The PhotoScan app is demonstrated on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016 in New York. Google wants to make digitizing your old photo prints as easy as opening an app. The new app for iPhones and Android phones will use the phone's camera to capture an old photo in four sections and stitch them together, much like a panorama shot. Google says this approach helps eliminate glare that can mar attempts to digitize print by simply photographing the whole photo.

Here’s how it works: Download the app, and open it up. You’ll see a viewfinder. Hold your phone over the printed photo you want to make a digital copy of, and make sure it fits entirely in the frame. Tap the shutter button once.

Next, four white dots will appear on the screen in each corner of the photo you’re backing up. You connect the dots by moving your phone over the dots until they turn blue. After you’ve scanned each individual dot, the photo will be saved within the Photo Scan app and can be saved to your Google Photos library with the push of a button.

Android user   Click here to Download The App

iPhones user   Click here to Download The App