Humans are strange indeed.

On the one hand, we grumble about how our digital photos are languishing in computerised captivity (on our drives or in the cloud) and how we hardly ever manage to muster the strength to give them physical substance and display them in their paper-printed glory.

On the other hand, we grumble about how our printed photos are languishing in shoe boxes and how it’s too costly and time-consuming to digitise them so we can feed them into our computers to back them up, organise them, and share them with friends and the internet world at large.

The point being, there’s no pleasing us…

I’ll leave it up to you to deal with problem number one. (Film camera, anyone? A Polaroid?)

As for problem number two, the solution’s out there, in the form of mobile scanning apps. Some of the free-to-download ones that come recommended are: Shoebox, Heirloom, and the newest one, PhotoScan, which was released mid-November to rave reviews.

The scanning procedure typically involves taking a snapshot of a printed photograph from above with a smartphone or a camera-endowed mobile device. The specialised apps are able to identify and deal with the annoyances that are part and parcel of photographing a print, such as the glare, distorted edges and incorrect perspective.

The image obtained via a photo scanning application should be a high-resolution digital version of your original photo, and not just a photo of a photo. Still, do not expect an ideally sharp and crisp final product.

But then, if you want professional quality scans, you need a flatbed scanner.

Given that they are free, easy to use and that they produce reasonably good results, photo scanning apps are certainly something you can do with on your mobile device. Give them a try, choose the one that works best for you… and delight the internet world with your collection of photos from way back!