Monthly Archives: June 2019

Bring Your Vintage Photos to Life with Vivid-Pix Restore

Posted on June 17, 2019 by

We’re always on the hunt for awesome photo technology—whether it’s the latest iPhone app or Instagram feature. This week, we had the chance to review Vivid-Pix’s RESTORE software and were amazed at how this easy-to-use program can bring your vintage photos to life.


Who is Vivid-Pix?


The idea for Vivid-Pix started five years ago after the founders came back from a vacation and were dissatisfied with the pictures captured during a scuba diving trip. Every photo looked dull in shades of gray and blue—nothing like the vibrant underwater adventure that was witnessed firsthand. To help bring these photos—and eventually others like them—to life, Vivid-Pix was born.


4.5x4.5 Ad RGB 300dpi 300x300 - Bring Your Vintage Photos to Life with Vivid-Pix Restore

There are three products the company offers:



While all three products have their merits, RESTORE is the one that enhances old photos so this review is centered on that particular software.


To test the product, I decided to use my recently scanned family photos as a guinea pig.


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Photo Industry Responds to Apollo Global Management’s Shutterfly, Snapfish Acquisition

Posted on June 11, 2019 by

Why is Apollo Global Management LLC acquiring Shutterfly Inc. and Snapfish LLC?


During these past years, the photo imaging and gifting industry have been jounced by a tsunami-like wave of disruptive technologies that have affected every category — from how pictures are captured, saved and shared.


Why is Apollo Global Management acquiring Shutterfly and Snapfish? $SFLY

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How we used to share pictures is unraveling.  Think back to the days of developing film to how photographs are now instantly taken and shared.


WTOP: Apollo will pay $1.7 billion for Shutterfly, plus assume $900 million in Shutterfly debt. It will pay a reported $300 million for Snapfish.


Making photo albums and other gifting products from pictures needs a disrupter. Apollo’s capital is that vehicle to fuel innovation and reinvent the industry. The concern is that the two companies were not acquired by a photo industry executive insider. A person passionate or knowledgable in this space. What does Apollo know about e-commerce, photo imaging, online fulfillment and most importantly … CUSTOMER SERVICE?

 

PetaPixel: Apollo Global Management LLC (AGM), an American private equity firm, has agreed to acquire online photo hosting and printing platforms  Shutterfly and Snapfish in a multi-billion dollar deal. Read more


Today, the aggregate of new ways to share pictures has eclipsed the prior business models. While Shutterfly was the captain of innovation, with its acquisition by Apollo and merging with Snapfish, a renewed opportunity is at hand.


InfoTrends: Two Online Photo Giants to Become One with Shutterfly/Snapfish Acquisitions. InfoTrends has been predicting for years that the photo output market would continue to consolidate, as some online vendors have shut down or been absorbed by competitors and retailers have scaled down in-store photo operations. The latest announcement is possibly the most dramatic yet, as longtime competitors Shutterfly and Snapfish have both been acquired and will be combined into one company.


The agreement to acquire both companies lends confidence to the entire photo imaging industry. The real opportunity is that Shutterfly and Snapfish will become private companies to better and more quickly inspire real innovation.


Funds Managed by Affiliates of Apollo Global Management Announce the Acquisition of Shutterfly, Inc. in an All-Cash Transaction Valued at $2.7 Billion


At ScanMyPhotos.com, as content providers for all photo-sharing apps and photo product businesses, this is a golden opportunity for added growth. Their challenge is our solution. Most historical pre-digital family photos are still archived and hidden away in shoeboxes. 35mm slides and film negatives are also fading away from the ravages of time.


ScanMyPhotos is excited for this new opportunity to help and provide billions of pre-digital content to Shutterfly and Snapfish. These years of news profiles showcase how ScanMyPhotos can help by digitizing every pre-digital photo to help grow and excites the market for consumers.


WSJ: Apollo Global Management LLC is buying Shutterfly Inc. and Snapfish LLC, which the private-equity giant plans to combine to create a bigger player in online-photo services.


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Picturing Major Life Events – Part 6: Managing Memories through Separation or Divorce

Posted on June 10, 2019 by

divorceLife is hard to plan for. Seasons change, things happen, and time wears on. But when a major life event occurs, you need to make sure you’re able to see the big picture.


This is why we’re creating a series of posts on the tips and tricks to help manage major life events. These events range from something as simple as spring cleaning (and how it can affect your entire life) to as complicated as divorce or separation. And, of course, we’ll help you determine what to do with those old print photos at every step of the way.


Part 1: Spring Cleaning Tips and Tricks
Part 2: Moving and Packing Tips and Tricks
Part 3: Getting Married and Combining Families 
Part 4: Starting and Growing a Family
Part 5: Ancestry Research and Genealogy


Part 6: Managing Memories through Separation or Divorce


In a recent poll, we asked our customers what was the #1 reason for having their photos scanned and digitized. As it turns out, the need to evenly divide memories due to a separation or divorce was the major motivating factor.


For us here at ScanMyPhotos, we often get questions regarding managing memories during a separation or divorce. We do our best to provide professional and helpful customer service for anyone who is going through tough times—and we stick to our policies during the most delicate of situations. However, in order to make the process a much smoother experience for everyone involved, we pulled together the following tips.


Remember that everyone can receive (and replicate) digital copies


It is far easier to split photos down the middle than it is to divide up any other physical assets. The reason being is that you can easily scan, digitize, and even reprint the photos you’ve accumulated together throughout the years. This way, no one has to walk away with only half of the memories—both parties can have digital access to the photos and keep them for years to come.  Continue reading →

Poll: Divorce #1 Reason People Digitize Family Photos

Posted on June 7, 2019 by

Stack of photos, bulk scanning[update June 7, 2019]


Cheryl Strayed and Steve Almond wrote this in the New York Times Style Section about: “I’ve Shed the Emotional Baggage of Divorce. But What About All This Stuff? When a bonfire is not an option.” Read more.


For us at ScanMyPhotos, the business of supporting people during a divorce is emotional, highly delicate and sensitive. When it comes to who keeps the family pictures, we share how you can observe civility and evenly share those memories from happier times?


Poll: Divorce #1 Reason People Digitize Family Photos

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The only thing inexpensive and amiable about a marital split is who gets to keep the memories pictured in photographs. The in-laws, “outlaws” and everyone in the family can easily get archived digital copies from all their photos.


All too often, we hear about friends, relatives, and celebrities calling it quits to their marriage, which evokes a very common question, who gets the family pictures?


In today’s all-digital world, the answer is as simple as a press of the button to easily share everything electronically. But, what about those decades-past analog photos, 35mm slides, and film negatives? That task is much more arduous, and often enters a caustic battle over who gets to retain the family pictures.


the most common reason people digitize pictures is due to a separation, where a couple needs to divide possessions

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During the past two months, ScanMyPhotos.com has conducted an outreach campaign asking people why they digitize pictures? The answers from 940 respondents were across the board– from the expected family reunions, anniversaries, and even memorial services. The second most popular reason why people digitize pictures is due to all the popular photo-sharing apps, like Google Photos, Instagram, and Twitter.


However, in a heavy-hearted reaction, the most common reason people digitize pictures is due to a separation, where a couple needs to divide their possessions. This is often followed by combative discussions, which occasionally end up costing thousands in legal fees. And, that is before a single picture is digitized. It is highly emotional. Reexamining pictures from yesteryear and happier times is a particularly sensitive undertaking.


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