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The best method depends on what you value: use Google PhotoScan for a free, careful small batch; Photomyne for faster multi-photo capture; a flatbed such as the Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 for the most control and faithful detail; and the Epson FastFoto FF-680W or a professional service for a large collection. Microsoft Lens, one of the apps in the original comparison, is no longer available for new scans.
Those recommendations separate the results of a July 2022 hands-on test from current product information. No app removes every reflection or restores every damaged print, so preparation, quality control, backups, and preservation of the original photographs matter as much as the scanning tool.
What the comparison found
The original hands-on comparison, published in July 2022, tested Google PhotoScan, Microsoft Lens, and Picture Scan App by Photomyne on a Google Pixel 6. It compared those apps with a Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 flatbed scanner. A second writer also reviewed the results, so the rankings are useful test observations—not universal laboratory measurements for every photograph, phone, or lighting setup.
| Method | Best for | Main advantage | Main drawback | Current verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google PhotoScan | A small batch and Google Photos users | Free, simple, detailed output, and multi-view glare reduction | Each print takes several captures; glare and grain can remain | Best free careful option |
| Photomyne | Speed and multiple prints in one capture | Automatically detects, crops, and processes several photos | Subscription features, occasional cropping errors, and remaining reflections | Best for convenience and throughput from a phone |
| Microsoft Lens | Was useful for quick OneDrive workflows | Fast and straightforward in the original test | More glare and blemishes; only one photo at a time unless using a collage-like PDF | Do not choose it now: Microsoft retired the app in 2026 |
| Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 | Small or medium collections where fidelity matters | The closest match to the originals in the test | One-at-a-time handling and manual positioning | Best tested image quality, subject to current availability and computer compatibility |
| Epson FastFoto FF-680W | Hundreds or thousands of loose prints | Batch, one-pass scanning with automatic enhancements | More expensive and less suitable for fragile or unusually thick originals | Current high-volume alternative; it was not part of the 2022 test |
Short version: use PhotoScan for a free, careful small batch; use Photomyne when capturing many prints quickly matters most; use a flatbed such as the Canon LiDE 400 when detail and control outweigh speed; and consider the Epson FastFoto FF-680W or a professional service for a very large collection.
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PhotoScan does not simply take one photograph of a print. It asks you to capture the image from several positions, guiding you toward four target circles around the photo. The app then stitches those views together. The purpose is to reduce reflections and glare, while also providing edge detection, cropping, straightening, and rotation.
#1 Best Overall
- PORTABLE SCANNER FOR USE ON-THE-GO — The fastest and lightest mobile single-sheet-fed compact document scanner in its class¹
- QUICK DOCUMENT SCANNING ― This Epson ultra-fast scanner scans a single page as quickly as 5.5 seconds²; Windows and Mac compatible
- VERSATILE PAPER HANDLING ― Portable scanner scans documents up to 8.5 x 72 in; Also easily digitizes receipts and ID cards to make accounting, bookkeeping, and organizing simpler
- INTUITIVE, HIGH-SPEED SOFTWARE — Epson ScanSmart Software³ is a smart tool allowing you to easily scan, review, and save; Stay organized easily with the help of this Epson scanner
- EASY SETUP — USB-powered connect to your computer for quick and simple scanning; No batteries or external power supply required to operate portable document scanner; Standard Connectivity: USB 2.0
That process produced detailed images in the 2022 comparison and included some subtle enhancement. It was especially appealing because the app was free and fit naturally into a Google Photos workflow. The trade-off was speed: scanning one print required several phone movements, so a large collection became tedious.
The test also exposed the limits of glare reduction. PhotoScan struggled with an old black-and-white photograph, and some images appeared grainy. Reflections remained on highly reflective or grainy paper. The multiple-view system is a useful tool, not a guarantee of glare-free results.
How to get better PhotoScan results
- Place the print on a plain, evenly colored, non-patterned surface.
- Use bright, soft natural light rather than a harsh lamp or direct flash.
- Hold the phone directly above the photograph and keep it steady.
- Make sure the print is in focus before completing the four-position capture.
- If reflections remain, repeat the scan under better-controlled natural light instead of assuming the app can remove every reflection.
PhotoScan is the sensible starting point when you have a few dozen important prints, want to spend nothing on scanning software, and do not mind working carefully through each photograph.
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In the original comparison, Picture Scan App by Photomyne—called Photo Scan App by Photomyne on iOS—was the fastest and easiest app to use. It could capture several physical photographs in one shot, automatically identify their boundaries, crop them, and process the individual images. That makes it much more practical than a one-photo-at-a-time workflow when a box of prints needs to be digitized.
The test found Photomyne’s color rendering and skin tones the most pleasing overall. Its editing tools included rotation, cropping, filters, and colorization. Automatic processing was not perfect: corner detection sometimes needed manual adjustment, and some images still contained reflections or glare.
Photomyne’s current Google Play listing describes support for multiple photos in one capture, slides, negatives, documents, scrapbooks, automatic boundary detection, metadata, and audio recordings. It also lists optional paid upgrades for unlimited scanning, backup, sharing, and enhancements. Those current features should be distinguished from the 2022 hands-on result, and subscription prices should be checked in the app store for the user’s country and plan rather than copied from the old comparison.
Photomyne can be connected to Google Photos so scans can be organized, stored, and shared there. Google states that a no-cost Google account includes 15 GB shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos; storage plans, pricing, and availability can vary by region and change over time.
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Microsoft Lens is no longer a current recommendation
Microsoft Lens was free, quick, and straightforward in the 2022 test, with a natural connection to OneDrive. However, it ranked last among the three tested apps because the output retained more glare and blemishes. It also required individual scans unless the user accepted a collage-like PDF workflow and manually cropped the results.
More importantly, Lens has been retired. Microsoft says retirement began on January 9, 2026. The app was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store on February 9, 2026, and new scans stopped being possible after March 9, 2026. Microsoft recommends the OneDrive app as the replacement scanning workflow, but its retirement guidance says OneDrive does not support saving scans locally on the device.
Rank #2
- FAST SPEEDS - Scans color and black and white documents a blazing speed up to 16ppm (1). Color scanning won’t slow you down as the color scan speed is the same as the black and white scan speed.
- ULTRA COMPACT – At less than 1 foot in length and only about 1. 5lbs in weight you can fit this device virtually anywhere (a bag, a purse, even a pocket).
- READY WHENEVER YOU ARE – The DS-640 mobile scanner is powered via an included micro USB 3. 0 cable allowing you to use it even where there is no outlet available. Plug it into you PC or laptop and you are ready to scan.
- WORKS YOUR WAY – Use the Brother free iPrint&Scan desktop app for scanning to multiple “Scan-to” destinations like PC, Network, cloud services, Email and OCR. (2) Supports Windows, Mac and Linux and TWAIN/WIA for PC/ICA for Mac/SANE drivers. (3)
- OPTIMIZE IMAGES AND TEXT – Automatic color detection/adjustment, image rotation (PC only), bleed through prevention/background removal, text enhancement, color drop to enhance scans. Software suite includes document management and OCR software. (4)
If an old article recommends Microsoft Lens, treat that recommendation as historical. For a current phone workflow, compare PhotoScan and Photomyne instead, or use OneDrive only if its cloud-centered workflow suits your needs.
The Canon flatbed produced the most faithful images
The Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 was the strongest performer in the original comparison. It produced the best result on an old black-and-white photograph and on a color group shot, with consistently good detail and output that most closely resembled the originals.
A flatbed scanner also has an important limitation: it preserves the photograph as it is. Dust, scratches, stains, and other blemishes remain visible unless you edit them later. That can be a disadvantage if you want an instantly beautified image, but it is an advantage when fidelity and control matter more than automatic enhancement.
Scanning is slower than batch capture. You must place each photograph on the glass, align it, close the lid, scan it, and repeat. The Canon is therefore a good fit for a modest collection or for the most valuable prints—not an efficient choice for thousands of loose photographs.
Canon’s current specifications describe the LiDE 400 as a USB-powered flatbed with a CIS sensor, 4,800-by-4,800-dpi optical resolution, OCR support, cloud-send functions, and a maximum document area of 8.5 by 11.7 inches. Canon gives an approximate four-second scan time for a 4-by-6-inch color photo at 300 dpi. The U.S. product page currently shows a Notify me when available status, so check availability before buying. Its listed operating-system support also makes computer and driver compatibility worth confirming before purchase.
For a moderate collection where image fidelity and control matter more than throughput, the Canon CanoScan LiDE 400 is the better fit. It was the best performer in the original test, but it should not be described as the fastest or as a current guarantee of availability.
Recommended Free Tools
Epson FastFoto is the practical current choice for large collections
The Epson FastFoto FF-680W was not included in the 2022 comparison, so it is not a WIRED-tested winner. It is a current alternative aimed at a different problem: digitizing a large number of loose prints efficiently.
Epson describes it as a sheet-fed, one-pass duplex photo scanner that can batch-scan up to 35 photos and scan as fast as one photo per second at 300 dpi under Epson’s stated test conditions. It supports photographs up to 8 by 10 inches, Polaroids, postcards, and panoramas, with USB and Wi-Fi connectivity.
Its software can automatically enhance images, restore color, reduce red eye, crop, and rotate. A particularly useful feature for family archives is its ability to capture both the photograph and handwritten notes on the reverse side in one pass.
Rank #3
- FAST DOCUMENT SCANNING — Document scanner with feeder allows you to speed through stacks with a 50-sheet Auto Document Feeder (ADF); Efficient office scanner to help you scan more productively
- INTUITIVE, HIGH-SPEED SOFTWARE — Quickly scan with this desktop document scanner; Epson ScanSmart Software lets you easily preview scans, email files, upload to the cloud, and more; Plus, automatic file naming saves even more time
- SEAMLESS INTEGRATION — Easily incorporate your data into most document management software with the included TWAIN driver; Office document scanner integrates seamlessly with business workflows
- EASY SHARING — Duplex scanner allows you to scan straight to email or popular cloud storage2 services like Dropbox, Evernote, Google Drive, and OneDrive for simple storage and sharing
- SIMPLE FILE MANAGEMENT — Scanner allows the creation of searchable PDFs with Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and convert scans to editable Word or Excel files effortlessly; Designed for home and office document scanning
Sheet-fed convenience comes with a condition check. Do not send fragile, curled, cracked, unusually thick, or irreplaceable originals through any automatic feeder without confirming that the handling method is appropriate. Epson includes a carrier sheet and describes SafeTouch handling for delicate photographs, but a flatbed or professional service may still be safer for compromised prints. Epson’s U.S. product page lists the FF-680W at $629.99 under model number B11B237201; price and availability are volatile and should be rechecked before publication or purchase.
Choose the Epson when the collection contains hundreds or thousands of ordinary loose prints and reducing labor matters more than having the exact flatbed workflow used in the original comparison.
Choose the method by collection size and condition
| Your situation | Best starting point | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A few especially important photographs | Flatbed scanner or a carefully staged phone scan | You can spend time on alignment, lighting, and quality control. |
| Dozens of mixed-quality prints | Google PhotoScan | It is free and its multi-view capture can help with reflections. |
| Many prints that are mostly in good condition | Photomyne | Several photos can be captured at once and separated automatically. |
| A moderate archive where accurate detail matters | Canon LiDE 400 or another suitable flatbed | Flatbed handling gives you more control and produced the closest match in the original test. |
| Hundreds or thousands of loose, robust prints | Epson FastFoto FF-680W | Batch feeding can remove much of the repetitive work. |
| Fragile prints, stuck albums, negatives, or slides | Professional digitization service | Equipment and handling risks may outweigh the convenience of doing it yourself. |
A careful workflow for digitizing old photos
1. Curate before you scan
Do not begin by scanning every duplicate, badly exposed print, or failed snapshot. Make a first pass and separate photographs into keep, duplicate, uncertain, and discard piles. The uncertain pile can be scanned later; the important point is not to spend hours digitizing material you will never use.
Keep meaningful duplicates if they contain different writing, dates, or notes on the back. A photograph with a handwritten caption can carry information that the image itself does not.
2. Remove frames and albums only when it is safe
Glass and plastic can increase reflections, so removing a print from a frame or album often improves capture. Do not force the issue. If a photograph is stuck to a page, fused to plastic, brittle, or tearing at the corners, leave it in place and consider professional scanning. Damage caused during preparation cannot be undone by better software.
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Use a soft brush or compressed air to remove loose dust. For a mark that must be addressed, use a lint-free cloth very gently. Do not apply cleaning fluids to the photographs. Liquids can stain, soften, or otherwise damage old photographic surfaces.
4. Control the background and light
Phone apps work best against a plain, evenly colored background. Avoid patterned tables, glossy surfaces, and clutter that can confuse automatic edge detection.
Use bright, soft natural light and avoid harsh artificial sources that create hot spots. A phone’s flash is particularly likely to produce a reflection. With PhotoScan, compare its multi-view glare-reduction workflow with a carefully arranged natural-light setup; neither approach eliminates every reflection on every print.
5. Keep the camera parallel to the print
Hold the phone directly above the photograph, not at an angle. Angled capture introduces perspective distortion and can leave one side of the image sharper than the other. Keep the phone steady, confirm focus, and check that the entire print is inside the frame before accepting the scan.
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- Scanner type: Document
- Connectivity technology: USB
- With Auto Scan Mode, the scanner automatically detects what you're scanning
- Digitize documents and images
6. Inspect every scan
Automatic cropping can cut off a corner, a date, or writing on the back. Glare can hide a face or an important detail. Review the image at full size and check:
- Are all four edges present?
- Is the image sharp from corner to corner?
- Did automatic cropping remove any caption or border?
- Are faces, skin tones, and dark areas believable?
- Are reflections, dust, and scratches acceptable?
- Does the file have a useful name or date?
Keep an untouched scan as your master. Make color correction, cropping, restoration, or creative filters on a copy so that later edits do not replace the original capture.
7. Organize before the archive becomes confusing
Use consistent filenames and folders based on information you actually know—for example, a year, location, event, or family name. If the date is uncertain, mark it as approximate rather than inventing precision. Add captions or metadata while the people and places are still identifiable.
8. Make at least two backups
A scan is not preserved merely because it exists in a phone app. Keep the files in at least two locations, ideally including one independent copy. Google Photos can help organize and share scans, and Photomyne can connect to it, but Google storage is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos. A full account, a lost password, or an accidental deletion can affect more than one service.
A practical arrangement is a primary copy on a computer or external drive plus a separate cloud copy. Periodically open a selection of files from both locations to confirm that the backups are usable.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Preserve the original prints after scanning
Digital files reduce handling, but they do not replace the originals. Store valuable prints in archival-quality, acid-free, lignin-free enclosures. Stable polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene sleeves are preferable to unknown plastics. The U.S. National Archives warns that poor-quality or damaged sleeves can harm photographs, so avoid brittle, discolored, adhesive, or chemically unstable storage materials.
Keep the stored photographs in a cool, dry, stable environment away from direct sunlight, damp basements, hot attics, and rapidly changing conditions. Do not pack them so tightly that removing one print requires bending the others. Label boxes without writing directly on the image surface.
For photographs that cannot be safely removed from albums, or for negatives and slides that require specialized handling, professional digitization may be more sensible than a home experiment.
When to use a professional photo-scanning service
Mail-in services were excluded from the original hands-on comparison because they require sending away irreplaceable originals and can be expensive. They are nevertheless useful when the collection is too large, fragile, or time-consuming to handle yourself.
Legacybox accepts photo prints, digitizes them in the United States, and offers delivery through the cloud, a USB drive, or discs. Its service page describes one item as one pack of 25 photos and lists package pricing and estimated turnaround options. Treat those prices and time estimates as current-page claims rather than permanent guarantees, and read the shipping, handling, and return terms before sending originals.
Best Value
- OUR MOST ADVANCED SCANSNAP. Large touchscreen, fast 45ppm double-sided scanning, 100-sheet document feeder, Wi-Fi and USB connectivity, automatic optimizations, and support for cloud services. Upgraded replacement for the discontinued iX1600
- CUSTOMIZABLE. SHARABLE. Select personalized profiles from the touchscreen. Send to PC, Mac, mobile devices, and clouds. QUICK MENU lets you quickly scan-drag-drop to your favorite computer apps
- STABLE WIRELESS OR USB CONNECTION. Built-in Wi-Fi 6 for the fastest and most secure scanning. Connect to smart devices or cloud services without a computer. USB-C connection also available
- PHOTO AND DOCUMENT ORGANIZATION MADE EFFORTLESS. Easily manage, edit, and use scanned data from documents, receipts, photos, and business cards. Automatically optimize, name, and sort files
- AVOIDS PAPER JAMS AND DAMAGE. Features a brake roller system to feed paper smoothly, a multi-feed sensor that detects pages stuck together, and skew detection to prevent paper damage and data loss
ScanCafe offers photo scanning with options including 600-dpi scanning, online cloud delivery, USB or hard-drive output, restoration, and optional MyHeritage cloud storage. Its service information also describes tracking and a private online gallery. ScanCafe says it will contact the customer if photographs cannot be removed from an album before scanning, which is an important safeguard for stuck or fragile collections.
Before choosing any mail-in service, photograph or inventory the contents, understand how originals are packaged and returned, confirm what happens when an item cannot be scanned, and verify the current price, resolution, delivery format, turnaround, and restoration options.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Assuming glare removal is perfect: PhotoScan reduces reflections by combining views, but reflective paper and grain can still defeat it.
- Using a flash: direct light can create a bright reflection that hides image detail.
- Scanning a stuck print by force: a damaged original is worse than an unscanned one.
- Trusting automatic cropping without checking: apps can trim corners, borders, dates, or captions.
- Choosing a sheet-fed scanner for damaged originals: batch equipment is designed for throughput, not every fragile object.
- Editing the only copy: preserve an untouched master before colorizing, restoring, or applying filters.
- Keeping the only backup in one cloud account: cloud organization is useful, but it is not a complete backup strategy by itself.
- Relying on old app recommendations: Microsoft Lens was useful in the original test but is no longer available for new scanning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best way to digitize a small number of old photos?
For a small batch, Google PhotoScan is the best starting point because it is free, easy to use, and combines several views to reduce reflections. Photomyne is faster when you need to capture several prints at once, while a flatbed scanner offers better control when fidelity is the priority.
Is it faster to scan old photos with an app or a scanner?
Photomyne is the more convenient choice for speed because it can capture multiple physical photographs in one shot and automatically separate and crop them. A batch scanner such as the Epson FastFoto FF-680W is more appropriate for hundreds or thousands of loose prints.
Can a phone app remove all glare from old photos?
No. PhotoScan combines views from different angles to reduce reflections, but highly reflective or grainy paper can still show glare. Soft natural light, a matte background, and holding the phone parallel to the print can improve the result.
Can I still use Microsoft Lens to scan photos?
Not as a current scanning recommendation. Microsoft began retiring Lens in January 2026, removed it from the major app stores in February, and stopped new scans after March 9, 2026. Microsoft recommends OneDrive as the replacement, although its guidance says OneDrive does not save scans locally on the device.
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Should fragile photographs go through a batch scanner?
Use a flatbed for fragile, curled, cracked, stuck, or irreplaceable photographs. A sheet-fed scanner is efficient for large numbers of loose prints in good condition, but damaged originals may be safer with a flatbed or professional service.
How should I back up digitized photos?
Keep an untouched master in at least two locations, such as a computer or external drive and an independent cloud copy. Google Photos can organize and share scans, but its free 15 GB allowance is shared across Gmail, Drive, and Photos, so monitor available storage and do not rely on one account as the only copy.
The Bottom Line
For most people, the right choice is determined by volume and priorities rather than by a single universal winner. Start with Google PhotoScan for a free, careful small batch, choose Photomyne for fast multi-photo capture, use the Canon LiDE 400 when flatbed fidelity matters, and move to the Epson FastFoto FF-680W or a professional service for a large collection. Whatever method you use, inspect every file, keep an untouched master, maintain two backups, and store the original prints in photo-safe archival materials.
Quick Recap
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