A new app just launched by Google for Android and iOS could be just the answer if you are looking to digitise your old print photos. Google Photoscan integrates with cloud storage in Google Photos, and utilises smart technology for automatic edge detection, perspective correction, smart rotation, and glare reduction.

Anybody who has tried to take a quick snap of a print photo on their smartphone knows how difficult it is to get a good result. Photoscan provides a game-like interface to ensure results are outstanding.

First position the print photo within the smartphone camera frame. Once you capture the image four small white circles appear over the photo. You then move your phone over each of the dots and hold it until the circle is filled in. Once you’ve covered all four dots, the photo is scanned and automatically cropped, rotated, and colour corrected.

The app automatically takes the image with the flash on, and then uses the scanning data and algorithms to eliminate any glare.  It works by taking five shots of each photo and stitching them all together to give you the best representation of the old photo you can get.

David Lieb, who leads product development for Google Photos, said the goal of PhotoScan is to persuade people to digitize their old photos before they lose them.

“These photos are at risk,” he said. “They’re at risk of being lost when you move, they’re at risk of fires, floods, and theft. And with every day that passes they fade away a bit — they literally fade away.”

https://www.google.com/photos/scan/