Question 1

Is everything handled locally, or are some parts of the process outsourced?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Unlike many services that quietly ship your materials across the country (or overseas), we believe your memories should stay close to home. We are proud to have the equipment and expertise right here in our office to complete even the most complex projects. Almost everything we do happens right here at our Austin location by highly trained employees: sorting, archival scanning, organizing, and consultations all take place under one roof.

The only exception is reel film (like 8mm or 16mm), which we outsource to a trusted partner—also located right here in Austin. Nothing leaves the city, and we’ll always let you know if your materials need to visit our film lab partner. Either way, your memories stay grounded and fully accounted for.

Question 2

Is there a project size limit or minimum requirement?

Accepted Answer

We work on projects of all sizes—but we’re especially well-suited for larger collections. Whether you have a dozen boxes of prints, a closet full of tapes, or decades of digital clutter, we’re equipped to handle it all with care and efficiency.

While we don’t have a strict minimum, our services are designed with larger or more involved projects in mind. If you just have a few prints or a single VHS tape, we may not be the most cost-effective choice—but we’re always happy to offer guidance or refer you to someone who might be a better fit.

Question 3

How quickly can you finish my project?

Accepted Answer

It depends on the size of your project, our current client queue, and the time of year. Most collections are completed within a few weeks, but larger or more complex projects can take longer. If you have a specific deadline or need a faster turnaround, let us know! We do offer rush options for time-sensitive projects.

Question 4

What do I get with each scan?

Accepted Answer

Every scan we do includes careful handling and meaningful organization:

Readable filenames – No more generic names like Photo99.jpg. Your files will always have meaningful names with real information like 1999-05-12 Bob 50th Birthday.jpg.
Accurate Dating – Years of experience have made us pros in determining roughly when a photo was taken. We use context clues such as album notes, envelope dates, or developing marks to get a reasonably accurate date. Armed with that info, we use special tools to apply that date to the folder name, every file within the folder, and the “date stamp” recognized by most photo software.
High-quality image capture – We use professional, museum-grade equipment to ensure every scan is crisp, color-accurate, and evenly lit.
Color Correction: We adjust for fading and aging so your photos look as vibrant and true-to-life as possible.

Question 5

Do you retain the information on the backs of photos?

Accepted Answer

Yes—when there’s meaningful information, we make sure it is preserved. We only scan the backs of photos if they have something that would not already be captured in the filename—like handwritten notes, names, or unique context. If the back only has a printed date and that date is already going to be part of the filename, we skip it.

Scans of backs are billed just like fronts, at the same per-image rate. If you'd like the back information included as searchable metadata instead of as a separate image file, we are happy to do that too.

Question 6

What kinds of home movie tapes and other media can you import?

Accepted Answer

You name it! We can convert VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, Hi8, Digital8, Mini DV, and audio tapes as well as CDs, DVDs, MiniDiscs, Compact Flash and SD mediacards, thumb drives, hard drives, floppy disks, and zip disks. We also work with a local partner to convert reel film and Betamax. We have seen it all!

Question 7

I'm used to grouping my photos by person instead of year. Can that information be retained?

Accepted Answer

We can perform facial recognition on your collection and add names to the file metadata for you to easily search and find specific people or groups of people in your photos.

Question 8

Can you scan things like artwork, trophies, and other memorabilia?

Accepted Answer

Definitely! We can capture more complex 2D or 3D objects. We photograph these items from multiple angles to give an all-encompassing visual presentation. See our pricing page for more information.

Question 9

Do you offer Photo Restoration services?

Accepted Answer

Yes! We love taking photos hardened by time or circumstance and restoring them to their original beauty. We offer a package that includes the restoration and a reprint up to 8x10, with more options available.

Question 10

Can you create a Photobook of my collection?

Accepted Answer

Sure! Our photo organizers will work with you to create a specialized collection of your favorite family vacation, annual photo books, your child’s portfolio of art, and so much more.

Question 11

I have an event coming up, can you create a Slideshow?

Accepted Answer

Definitely. We can take a curated collection of images and video and compile them into a satisfying slideshow presentation for all to enjoy.

Question 12

A family member has passed, and I am in charge of the service. Can you help?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We regularly help families prepare photo slideshows, displays, and enlargements for memorials. We will guide you through the process and handle the technical details, so you can focus on honoring your loved one. Whether you have digital photos, prints, or a mix of both, we can help you create a meaningful tribute on a short timeline.

Question 13

Some of my print photos have become discolored over time, do you offer color correction?

Accepted Answer

Color correction is something we include at no extra charge for every single photo that would benefit from it, even in the largest collections! Whether your prints are faded, yellowed, or have a red tint, we can restore them to look as close as possible to how they did when originally taken.

Question 14

My old home movie tapes have all kinds of events on them. Can you split the footage into individual clips?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely—and we highly recommend it. Home movie tapes often contain hours of mixed content across several years. Instead of ending up with a single 2-hour video file called “Tape 3”, we break it into smaller, well-labeled clips like “1988-12-21 Ryan 7th Birthday.mp4”.

These shorter files are easier to search, share, and enjoy. You can send just the 5-minute birthday party to your siblings — or post it to social media — without making anyone scroll through hours of unrelated footage. It’s like turning a big, unlabeled box of home movies into a personal video library — with each story clearly indexed, like a digital card catalog.

We are especially skilled at using context clues in the footage and on the tape labels to identify key dates and events — much like we do when organizing photos. There is a small fee per clip, but for many clients, it’s the difference between a video they own and one they actually use.

Question 15

How do you know who is who in my family photos?

Accepted Answer

For larger collections, we ask that you provide biographical information of important dates and people for us to get a better understanding of your family for sorting purposes. From there, we use our own skill and ability to recognize faces and do photo detective work!

Question 16

Do you remove duplicate photos from my collection?

Accepted Answer

Because of our streamlined process and attention to detail, we catch most duplicates before we ever start scanning. If you would like a meticulously clean digital archive, we offer an optional deduplication step after scanning. Using powerful software, we can quickly spot and remove any remaining duplicates.

We don’t just delete digital duplicates blindly—we choose the best version of each photo, keeping the largest or sharpest copy. In cases like school portraits or wallet prints with handwriting on the back, we will pair the inscription on the smaller image with a larger, higher-quality version of the image. The result is a cleaner, smarter collection with no context lost.

Frequently Asked Questions