How to save papers, photos, and analog music digitally

Do you, like me, have paper files that have long because been scanned and processed, records or music cassettes that you wish to listen to on your cellphone, and picture prints that are prepared for a digital image book?

You will value the two-step guidelines in this post, with which you can transform analog media to digital and then process them even more.

Scan files and have text acknowledged

Crucial insurance coverage documents, agreements, billings, or just the page-long letter from your preferred auntie– there are lots of paper files that you wish to scan in order to protect them.

If it’s even a text that you wish to browse and modify, you can run OCR software application over it after scanning, which acknowledges the text so that you can browse it and, if required, modify it with a basic word processing program.

Action 1: Scan files

To digitize a paper file, you require a scanner and the matching software application. The scanner can either be a mix printer with a scan function or a standalone gadget that can just scan.

If you require to scan a great deal of files, you can likewise go with a devoted file scanner from Ricoh’s Scansnap household. Depending upon the design, these gadgets expense from around $350, are developed for high throughput, and are likewise efficient in duplex scanning.

If, on the other hand, you do not have the area for a mix printer and just require to scan private pages of text periodically, a mobile scanner such as the Bro DS-640 for around $100 appropriates.

A scanner alone does not make a scan. You likewise constantly require scanning software application or the scanner chauffeur. This is generally provided with the gadget and provides basically settings with which you can affect the scan outcome, consisting of the resolution, the output directory site, and choices for duplex scanning, if a gadget supports this.

If the motorist alternatives are not enough, you can likewise utilize third-party software application. We suggest the open source program Not Another PDF Scanner 2or Naps 2 for brief.

The tool deals with the gadgets of all significant makers and provides an OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function as an unique function– i.e. it can acknowledge scanned text. More on this in action 2.

To utilize Naps 2, initially develop a profile for your scanner or mix printer. To do this, click Profiles > > New > > Select gadget and after that on the item name, then click two times on “OKAY” and “Done.”

Scan the wanted file and double-click on the sneak peek. You now have the choice of turning the scan, cropping it, changing the brightness, contrast, color, and color saturation utilizing the slider, transforming it to black and white, and honing it.

When the corrections are total, conserve the scan as a PDF or image, where BMP, GIF, JPG, PNG, TIF, EMF, and Exif are offered for choice and you can likewise make additional settings.

Action 2: Recognize text

As currently discussed, Naps 2 deals you the alternative of running text acknowledgment on the scanned file after each scan. In the “Optical text acknowledgment” menu product, choose the language of the file, the OCR mode (Fast, Best, or Legacy), whether the acknowledged text is searchable, and whether the OCR must be triggered instantly after each scan.

German and English are currently pre-installed for the file language, other languages can be included totally free of charge by means of a download link.

Attention: Naps 2 can not output and conserve the scanned text as a text file! If you wish to modify the text, conserve the scanned file as a PDF, open it in a PDF audience, and after that copy the text into a word processing program utilizing “Select all” and “Paste.”

You can likewise utilize PDF24 Creator and contact the incorporated text acknowledgment by means of the “Open PDF24 OCR” button.

Select the preferred PDF through “Add files” and begin the OCR with “Start.” When total, click the 3 horizontal lines beside the PDF and on “Show acknowledged text.” A TXT file opens with the acknowledged text, which you can adjust and conserve as needed.

Digitize and enhance images

If you still have paper prints of pictures arranged in albums or lying around loose, you can picture them really quickly, however likewise laboriously with your mobile phone.

If you just wish to digitize slides or negatives, you will discover what you are trying to find in Kodak’s Slide-N-Scan varietyThe gadgets are readily available with or without a display screen and assistance movie formats of 135, 110, and 126 millimeters.

Obviously, images can likewise be scanned utilizing the scan function of a standard mix gadget. There are likewise scanning programs with incorporated image processing that are especially appropriate for scanning paper prints.

Action 1: Scan images

Ashampoo Photo Commander 16 is the best software application for scanning and modifying pictures.

After setup, click the 3 horizontal lines and after that under Submit > > Scan/Import > > Scan pictureSelect your scanner or the mix gadget, define the output format– here you can select in between PNG, JPG, PDF, and Multipage PDF– and the folder in which the images are to be conserved. Click “Scan” to begin scanning.

Action 2: Optimize images

If you wish to modify your scanned images with Photo Commander 16, you will discover numerous alternatives in the “Edit” menu, a few of which you can likewise gain access to through the navigation bar:

• With the “Quick Fix Tools” you can enhance contrast, colors, and white balance, eliminate image sound in 3 phases and correct an image.
• A soft focus, red-eye cleaner, clone stamp, and eraser are likewise readily available.
• Under “Edit things” you can include text and shapes, while “Modify” changes the image size and the canvas.
• Finally, you have the alternative of affecting the color depth, using blurring, and modifying an image with regard to the color channels.

By the method: You can personalize the look of the program under “Configuration” and “All settings.” Unchecking “Modern app menu” under “General” makes the user interface much clearer and much easier to utilize.

Digitize records and handle music

Music lovers still rave about the climatic crackling of a record compared to the sterilized noise of a CD. If you wish to take pleasure in the crackling noise on your mobile phone, you ought to transform your records to digital.

Action 1: Digitize vinyl records

There are numerous methods to link a record gamer to your PC. If the gadget has a USB port, merely link it to the computer system as normal utilizing a USB cable television.

If the record gamer has a various audio output, such as line-out through cinch, jack, or comparable, the PC must have an ideal line-in connection.

You will likewise require the suitable audio cable television (such as RCA to RCA, RCA to jack, or jack to jack) to link the 2 gadgets together. Make certain you utilize the appropriate adapter type, i.e. TS for mono or TRS for stereo signals.

If your PC does not have a line-in socket, you can likewise utilize the microphone input, or– particularly suggested for note pads that do not have audio inputs– you can get a USB adapter with microphone and earphone connection, which is offered from Amazon from $9They typically likewise supply much better sound quality than the integrated onboard sound chips on the motherboard.

In addition to the hardware connection, you will likewise require taping software application to digitize your records. The freeware Audacity appropriates for this.

You need to initially configure it after setup: Under Modify > > Settings > > Devices in the “Playback” and “Recording” areas, pick the sound card or the connection on your PC as the “Device.” You can make the choice through the drop-down menus in the primary window.

You can likewise define under Modify > > Settings > > Devices in “Recording” under “Channels” whether you wish to make the recording in mono or stereo.

If required, make more settings under “Quality” and “Directories” if you wish to alter the default storage folders for conserving, opening, importing, and exporting.

If whatever is set up properly, begin playback of the record, and at the same time begin digitization by pushing the red button.

Attention: If the sound track in Audacity is cut off on top and bottom, you should change the volume in the program.

To conserve the file, choose the preferred format by means of Submit > > Exportwhere the needed library for MP3 is currently set up. You can download extra libraries totally free of charge through the menu product of the very same name.

By the method: Music cassettes can likewise be digitized in the very same method. You require a cassette gamer with audio or earphone output and the suitable cable television to the PC. Audacity then functions as tape-recording software application once again.

Action 2: Organize and play tracks

If you have your records in MP3 format on your hard disk drive, you now require to move the information to your mobile phone. You can do this with Audials One 2024 Special Edition.

The program is mainly created to tape music, podcasts, and complimentary videos from the web. It can likewise be utilized to handle and move music.

After setup, click the sheet music sign in the primary view. You will land in the “My music” location, where you can call the “PC” storage place utilizing the arrow to the right of the lettering. Click the entry, then on the 3 dots and “Options.” In the “Additional folders to show” area, click “Add, music files,” and browse to the folders with the digitized records. Verify with “Select folder” and “OK.”

The folders consisting of the audio tracks now appear in the primary view of Audials One 2024 SE and can be modified utilizing the pencil icon.

To move your music to your mobile phone, you will require the complimentary Audials Play Android app. Visit with the very same Audials account to which you have actually signed up Audials One 2024 SE.

Tap on “Music” and change to the tab that bears the name of your PC. You will discover your music there and can download it utilizing the 3 dots and “Copy to phone.”

This post was equated from German to English and initially appeared on pcwelt.de.

Author: Verena OttmannRedakteurin