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Digitize your old family photos — then give them their story back.
Scanning the shoebox is worth doing, and worth doing once, well. But be honest about what a scan is: a better-organized shoebox. A folder of files named IMG_0042 is almost as hard to search as the box was — and it still doesn’t say who anyone is.
Do the scanning part right
- Scan prints at 600 dpi (300 is fine for same-size reprints only), save as TIFF or high-quality JPEG, and keep the originals afterward — a scan is a copy, not a replacement.
- Phone scanning is acceptable for most snapshots: flat light, no shadows, fill the frame. A flatbed is better for anything fragile or oversized.
- Name files like a human: year, place, people — 1978-lake-house-mom-dad.jpg beats IMG_0042 forever.
- Capture the context now. While someone still remembers, ask who is in the photo, where it was taken, and what was happening. This is the step that cannot be done later, by anyone, at any price.
- Back the scans up in two places before the box goes back in the closet.
What Roon does — and doesn’t
Roon does not scan prints and does not convert tapes or film. Mail-in services do that part well; use one, or scan at home. What Roon does is the step after: bring the digital files in, and Rooney organizes them into named chapters, prompts your family for the context no scan can capture — gently, by text, one specific question at a time — and writes the story around them, so the scans become something your family reads and watches, not a folder nobody opens.
why bother
A scan keeps the picture. A chapter keeps the people.
Digitizing guides end at “files, safely stored.” That’s where most family photo projects quietly die. Roon starts there: your scanned prints sit in the same story as this year’s photos, your parents can answer questions about them by text or voice, and the whole thing is findable by person and place. It’s the difference between preserving files and preserving your family’s photos in full.
plain answers
Questions, answered straight.
Does Roon scan my old photos for me?
No — and any page that implies otherwise would be lying to you. Roon works with digital files. Scan prints at home or use a mail-in digitizing service first; then bring the files to Roon and we’ll help you turn them into your family’s story.
What resolution should I scan old photos at?
600 dpi for prints you care about, saved as TIFF or high-quality JPEG. It gives you room to print larger than the original later. And keep the original prints — a scan is a copy.
How do I remember who is in old photos?
Ask now, while someone can answer. In Roon, family members can be prompted by text or voice about specific photos — who is this, where was this — and their answers are kept with the photo and written into its chapter.
Can old scans and new phone photos live together?
Yes. That’s the point. Rooney builds chapters from everything your family gives it, whether a moment happened in 1978 or last Tuesday.
We're building this with a small group of families first.
Roon isn't open to everyone yet. We're letting in a limited first group — people who'll help shape it, get in at founding pricing, and keep that price for as long as they stay. Add your email and we'll be in touch as spots open.
You're on the list.
We'll email you the moment a spot opens. Thank you for wanting this to exist.