Options for Burning a Photo to CD Format

The CD is by far the most convenient form for digital pictures. Photo CDs can be easily copied, shared, and stored. However, photos do not automatically come on CD. Whether you shoot digital or film, you will have to burn a photo to CD format in order to enjoy this convenience. Here are some options you have if you wish to have this done.

Order a CD at the Time of Developing

If you are still shooting with a film camera, you can order a CD of your pictures when you have them developed. Most film developing labs have this technology, or they can send your film out to have a CD made if they don't. Some of these CDs require special Fuji or Kodak software to view the images, but if they do, the software can be downloaded for free from the imaging company's website. These CDs are not the highest resolution, but they work well for sharing the pictures on the web or making small reprints.

Burning a CD at Home

If your computer is equipped with a CD burner, you can burn a photo to CD at home. The first step is getting a digital image of the photograph. If you are working with a digital camera, this is not difficult. However, if you have a paper photograph, you will need to scan it. Make sure you use a high quality scanner so that you get a quality copy of the image. Remember that any damage on the original will show up on the scanned image as well.

Once you have your digital file, find the software on your computer to use for burning CDs. Since the computer has a CD burner, it will have this software. Choose the file format you want on the CD, and follow the instructions in the software. Be sure to label the CD when you are done so you can remember what is on it.

Burning a CD yourself is not difficult, but if you do not already have a digital image of the picture, you will lose quality. The flatbed scanners most people have in their homes will sacrifice quality when scanning an image. Also, if all you have to work with is a negative, you will first have to make a print and then scan that print. This is time consuming, and if you have several images to do you will spend a lot of money on reprints that you do not need just to get a photo on CD.

Having a CD Professionally Made

The third option is to have a photo scanning company put the photo on CD. This is ideal for people working with film, negatives, or paper photos. You send your images to the company, and they will scan them using a professional high-resolution scanner. Enhancements can be made to make the images look a little better if they are damaged or aged, and a convenient CD is sent back to you, along with the original images. You do not have to spend your time scanning each picture individually, and then burning it onto the CD. Having a professional scanning service do the work for you is an efficient and often cost-effective way to deal with photos that need to be put onto a CD.