Managing Memories

Courtesy of My Generation.

In the past there’s always been a risk that fire, water and time may destroy our fondest mementos.

But unless there’s a global shortage of 1 and 0s on the way, we should always have options within a digital format to store our photos, slides, videos, documents and records, and keep them safe for all time.

And while it’s true that even digitally stored memories are susceptible to fire and water damage, we’ve even got that covered: you can store them in on-line image banks for very little cost. With some web sites you can submit your images and text and have them transformed into a bound book or a calendar, or even put your mug on a mug.

Of course, none of this is possible without some gear, so this is what you’ll need.

It’s always preferable to tackle any project involving image transfer with up-to-date equipment, as the less powerful your computer is the slower the process will be. So if this means you’re going to upgrade your computer, pay attention the amount of ram and the quality of the graphics card. If you’re looking at a PC, the new Vista operating system come with a media centre that will handle video and photos.

A Macintosh offers a seamless approach to moving images and files between applications and every new Mac now comes with iLife, a programme that contains everything you need to manage your photos, your movies and your web site.

Assuming you have photos or even slides you want to preserve, look for a good scanner. There are some available that can scan slides and negatives as well as photos. Find out how detailed the reproduction of the image will be – simply put, the higher the dpi, the better. There are some great options to consider at www.ascent.co.nz.

If you’re adding a printer to the line-up, check out the cost of the ink - replacement ink cartridges can cost nearly as much as the printer.

Not so long ago we were all transferring our memories onto video, but today, it’s a matter of transferring video in to your computer. There are a number of products that do this, and after loading the software you simply plug your video player into your computer and transfer the information in real time. You can then edit and tidy up the picture quality.

Not confident? Then try a professional production house. They’ll tackle the transfer of video, vinyl and even cassettes on your behalf. Check out www.expressvideo.co.nz.

If you have lots of material to preserve it might pay to invest in a good external hard drive – that way you won’t slow your computer down by asking it to store masses of information.

Once you have all your material on your computer, there’s no end to what you can do with it. You can share photos and family news by signing up to Facebook (www.facebook.com). Take care of the privacy settings, though, so only the people you want to see your details can check out how well, or how badly, you’ve aged over time.

If you have a Mac you can easily make your own web-site with iWeb. Images and video can simply be dragged and dropped from iPhoto directly into iWeb. And a Mac account will allow you to publish your site with the click of a button. (www.apple.com) Laying out your images and text can be done in programmes like Pages in the iWork suite for Mac, or on some of the on-line scrap bookings sites if you have a PC. (www.scrapblog.com, www.scrapo.com)

Something that you will have to take into account when taking on the task of converting your images and videos is that it will take time. However the pay-off is that you have preserved something that will be very precious to you and your family.

One last thing: if you get stuck at any point, kidnap a teenager, bribe him or her with phone credit and get some help. Most young people are incredibly media savvy and using the processes and programmes we’ve discussed is second nature to them.

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