Okay, I have to talk about FOREVER digitization.
It’s a mail-in service. You pack up your prints, slides, film, and tapes. They come back digital, saved right into your FOREVER account, and you get your originals back too. If you’ve got a stack of tapes and nothing left in the house that plays them… I promise this was made with you in mind.
New to FOREVER storage? Here’s my honest take on it, and the PC crash that got me there.
Why am I digitizing our wedding video?
Here’s the thing. Our wedding video started on one of those little camcorder tapes. Then it moved to VHS. Then to DVD, because that felt like the future.
We had two or three copies on DVD. Now I can only find one (my mom’s copy).
My mom watches that video every year. One disc is too thin a thread for something she loves that much. So…into the box! Once it’s digitized, we can watch it, the kids can watch it, and someday my grandkids and great-grands can too.
Who should digitize old photos and videos?
Anyone with tapes, film, slides, or albums they can’t bear to lose. Anyone who inherited a box of “somebody should do something with these.” If you’ve ever thought “I’ll get those converted before it’s too late”… hi. This one’s for you.
Do old tapes and photos really fade?
They do. Tapes, discs, and prints were not built to last forever; they degrade a little every year whether you watch them or not. And copies wander off (see above). Before: our wedding lived on a format with an expiration date and a disappearing supply of discs. Soon: it’ll live in FOREVER, where everyone can reach it.
One of my customers put it better than I could. She’d been widowed, and the sorting, the boxes, and the decisions about what to keep had all landed on her at once. When her daughter told her about digitizing, she said:
“Well, if I have to go through all this stuff, it’s going in the garbage. But if you can put it where you and your sister and kids will have it, then we may as well send it in. That’s worth it. I don’t want to lose it. I just can’t do it all.”
What should I do before sending photos to be digitized?
A few things I’ve learned:
- You don’t need to sort it all first. You just need to select a box size.
- Start with the most fragile items (tapes and film), not the easiest ones.
- Label each packet with who and roughly when. Your future self will thank you.
While you should start with the most fragile, you should know that FOREVER can digitize VHS tapes, DVDs, film reels, slides, and negatives, as well as your regular prints.
Ready to stop waiting on someday?
Tell me what’s sitting in your closet and I’ll help you figure out what to send first.
Or come to The Someday Hour, a drop-in session to watch me work on my own storage and digitizing projects live. Bring your questions and your own projects.
Ready to shop? See this month’s FOREVER deals on storage, digitizing, and more.
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