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Memory Fortress is a video, photo and slide scanning service, but we do more than help families digitize their memories. We bring images back to life that otherwise were hidden in closets and storage spaces. We rescue videos that were breaking down and unwatchable for people without VHS players.
Memories are meant to be re-lived and shared. They connect people who experienced similar feelings and events at different points in their lives. A single photo can bring back a flood of emotions and reflections from another time.
If you are sorting through family memories, consider using photos and videos to create unique family memory gifts. Here are a few memory gift ideas to connect with friends, family members, and loved ones.
1. Add Family Memories to Holiday Cards
One of the main benefits of digitizing family photos is that you have both print and online copies of your memories. You can preserve your photo prints if you want to save them or you can turn them into family memories or gifts.
Whenever you send a holiday card, whether you are wishing someone a Merry Christmas or sending Birthday cheers, add a print photo of a fond memory that you share with the recipient. You can send a sibling a photo of the two of you as kids sitting on Santa’s lap. You can send your daughter a 30th birthday card with a photo from her 3rd birthday.
Decide whether you want to send the original prints or take your digital files and create new prints to send out in greeting cards. This is one of many memory gift ideas that only cost a few dollars but have a big impact.
2. Buy a Digital Picture Frame and Upload Photos
Digital picture frames allow you to display multiple photos throughout the day. Instead of framing one wedding photo, you can rotate through an entire album with dozens of photos. Modern digital picture frames are WIFI compatible and even come with their own apps. This means you can change photos remotely and switch out images as often as you want.
This is one of the best family memory gift ideas for people without a lot of space. If your teenager just went off to college, give them a frame where you can share family memories. If a parent moved into assisted living, share fresh photos so they always have something to look at and enjoy.
With this family memory gift, there is no limit to the number of photos you can frame and display at a time.
3. Turn Existing Scrapbooks Into Digital Files
Some of the memory gift ideas you create will involve taking existing memories and making them more accessible. For example, avid scrapbookers might have dozens of books from the past few decades. These can be hard to find and access – especially if they are kept on high shelves. Over time, some scrapbook pages might stick together or the glue might break down, making each page incredibly delicate.
Consider taking these scrapbooks and digitizing them for easy access. At Memory Fortress, we are one of the leading scrapbook digitization firms in the country. We invested in special machines to scan each page without damaging the book itself.
With digital scrapbook files, your relative can flick through books and pages that they carefully curated. This family memory gift is ideal for older relatives who don’t have the space anymore to hold onto their books but still want to preserve the memories.
4. Curate and Edit a Memory Reel
You don’t need to be a professional video editor to create a reel of memories. If you recently digitized several VHS tapes and camcorder recordings, you might have hundreds of hours of video footage stored in DVD format or on a USB drive. Few people have the time to watch all of this footage, which means you can trim it down to create unique memory gift ideas.
For example, pull footage from a newly digitized wedding ceremony to create a video ahead of an important anniversary. Gather family memories from childhood to celebrate a 50th birthday. You can trim small clips from several movies and bring them together to create one video. Most video editing tools will help you create transitions, add text, overlay footage with music and use other tools to turn your memories into a quality family memory gift.
5. Print Your Memories on Various Gift Items
You don’t have to print your photos and videos on paper. There are companies that can take your digitized photos and print them on t-shirts, calendars, mugs, magnets, and various other items. Consider ordering a puzzle that has a family photo printed on it. As your loved one puts together the pieces, they can smile at the memory that they are slowly building – one corner and edge at a time.
These memory gift ideas are also ideal if you need to order items in bulk for a family reunion or major celebration. Everyone in the family can receive matching t-shirts with a family photo or a picture of a relative that you are coming together to honor.
Digitize Your Media to Create Memory Gift Ideas
There are dozens of family memory gift ideas you can tap when connecting with loved ones. However, you need to make sure these photos and videos are accessible and digitized to keep them safe. You don’t want to lose or damage a photo print because you didn’t save it online first.
At Memory Fortress, we help people preserve all kinds of memories. We help families digitize thousands of photos with decades of history but can also turn a few VHS tapes into DVD recordings. Whatever your digitization needs, we can help you.
Learn more about our process and pricing today to start your digitization project.
We digitize everything right here at our facility in metro Atlanta, processed by US citizens.