How to Scan Old Photos with Your Phone

Your phone already has the hardware to digitize prints beautifully. Pair it with the right app and a few pro tips, and you’ll breeze through albums in an afternoon.

Prep the Scene

Clean everything: Wipe the phone lens and dust off photos to avoid blurry spots.
Use indirect light: Bright window light or two diffused lamps at 45° angles beats overhead bulbs.
Choose a matte background: A poster board or felt mat helps edge detection lock on instantly.

Capture Technique

Stay parallel: Hold the phone level to avoid keystone distortion. Rest elbows on the table or use a tripod/phone clamp for steadiness.
Disable flash: Flash causes harsh glare. Let the app guide exposure instead.
Batch smarter: Arrange up to eight prints with a bit of spacing so auto-crop works flawlessly.

In-App Best Practices

Follow the overlay cues: Guidance brackets in PhotoScanRestore show you when to move closer or adjust angle.
Tap to focus on faces: Ensures sharp eyes and fine detail before the shot saves.
Review crops quickly: Adjust corners if a border is clipped, then save.

Practice on a Free Demo Photo

Phone vs Scanner (Quick Take)

Modern 12–48 MP phone cameras equal roughly 600–1200 DPI for 4×6 prints, which is plenty for reprints and online sharing. Unless you need ultra-high DPI for tiny negatives, a phone app is faster, cheaper, and easier to share from—see the full phone vs scanner breakdown.

Saving & Backing Up

Finished scans go straight into the app’s private album and your camera roll (if you enable it). From there, sync to Google Drive, Dropbox, or iCloud, or export TIFF masters for archival storage. Our privacy guide walks through safe sharing settings.

Troubleshooting

Shadow from your phone? Move the light source higher or angle the print slightly, then let perspective correction fix it.
Colors still dull? Run the one-tap restoration to revive saturation and contrast.
Need to scan slides? Use a small light pad, switch to Scan Film mode, and follow the prompts.

Once you capture a single print successfully, repeat the flow in small batches—10–15 photos at a time keeps things fun and organized.

Scan & Restore a Photo Free

Back to the hub guide · Learn about privacy & storage.