You can’t share Instax prints without first digitizing them. So if you want to show your images here’s 3 ways to scan Instax photos and share them with the world on Instagram, Flickr or other.
If you need to digitize your Instax photos there are a few ways ranging from expensive to free with varying degrees of annoyance.
Before getting into it, if you have not picked your camera yet and are wondering how to scan Instax photos, the Fujifilm Liplay will save the shot to the memory card so you can always use it as a digital photo.
3 Ways to scan Instax photos
1- Get a dedicated scanner
This is only for those who are dedicated Instax photographers and want the absolute best quality for their scans. The downside here is that you have to get an extra device but it is worth it if you are a dedicated Instaxian.
Because while the two other solutions are more convenient, it is not the absolute maximum quality and because you have to shoot at an angle, this can somewhat distort your images. A great scanner is the Plustek ePhoto scanner.
Just drop the Instax in and it will load on your computer cropped to the correct size. Since this is a scanner you can also use it to digitize any documents you have like awards and paperwork. The minimum size is 1×1 inch so every Instax is compatible.
2- Use your phone and a dedicated app
If you do not want to use a dedicated scanner to scan Instax photos, well there is always your phone. You will essentially take a picture of your Instax, turning it into a digital photo in the process.
There are normally issues with using your normal camera app to do this as in order not to get glare (Instax are glossy) you shoot it at an angle, but you of course do not want your Instax images distorted. These apps automatically will shoot the film and crop it so that it is almost just as good as scanned.
The advantage of a scanner is that it produces light but in this case where you shoot your Instax and how good your phone camera is will play a factor. But the apps are pretty straightfoward and have instructions and are pretty fast.
If you have an iPhone you can use the Snap app to scan Instax photos . If you have Android on the other hand you can use PhotoScan by Google themselves to scan Instax photos.
3- Have someone else do it for you
What if you have hundreds and hundreds of Instax prints? There is one last way to scan Instax photos that do not require you. Order at Ever present and mail in your images. If you like in the Tri-State area like New York you can even have your images picked at the door.
What’s great with this is there is a digital photo storage so you can have access to your images as soon as they are scanned online. The images are cleaned and expertly handled so the results are impressive. This is however an expensive solution as scanning costs can add up.
Or alternatively you can give a child member of your family a few bucks and your phone with a dedicated app to do this for you.
Conclusion
I hope you enjoyed this article about the different ways you can scan Instax photos. The most convenient way is to simply use your phone but your mileage may vary with the light conditions and your phone’s camera.
You can also use a dedicated scanner (that you can then use for other things like paperwork scanning) or you can simply use a digitizing service and do nothing yourself. Lastly if you haven’t picked your camera already, get the Liplay and it automatically saves a digital copy of the image.