How to Scan a Polaroid Photo Using Mobile and PC: Step-by-Step Guide

Do you want to save your old Polaroid photos on your computer or phone? If yes, I would recommend using a Polaroid picture scanner. With a Polaroid scanner, you can easily turn your physical photos into digital files, keep them safe, and share them with friends and family.

However, many people don’t know how to scan a Polaroid properly, but don’t worry—this guide will show you the best way to scan Polaroids on PC and mobile using a simple third-party tool like UPDF. This article will also introduce how to scan Polaroid pictures using INSTAX UP! and the Polaroid app. Keep reading to learn how to use these tools, and don’t forget to click the download button below to get the latest version of UPDF.

Part 1. The Best Way to Scan Polaroid Pictures on PC & Mobile– UPDF Guide

UPDF is an all-in-one PDF editor that can easily scan Polaroids or other documents to PDF on both your PC and mobile devices. You can also use this tool to convert your scans to other formats like JPG or PNG in just a few clicks.

Moreover, it lets you sync your files across devices with UPDF Cloud, and mobile users can integrate it with Dropbox to save and sync scans automatically. After scanning your files, you can share them via email, link, or QR code.  UPDF covers nearly all the essential functions you’d expect from Acrobat Pro, but at a more affordable and cost-effective price.

Under the UPDF free version, all features are available with trial watermarks added. Below, I have mentioned how to use this tool to scan Polaroid pictures on both PC and mobile.

• PC - Scan a Polaroid on a Printer

To scan your Polaroid Pictures on PC using UPDF, you can follow the steps below.

1. Open UPDF tool and click the “Tools” option. Now, choose “Scanner” to begin the process.

2. Now, customize picture settings, such as set resolution, size, and more. Once done, click the “Overview” button to check the settings. After that, click “Scan” to start the process. You can also select the “Combine into a single document” option for the best results.

3. Click the options from the “Auto Selection” section to customize and choose the scanning area. Now, wait until the  scanning is completed.

4. Within a few minutes, you will see the “Scan Completed” message on your screen. Click it to continue, or choose “Scan More Pages” to scan additional pages.

5. After choosing “Scan Completed” view the result and click the “Save” button to save it as PDF file.

Tip: You can also convert your scanned documents into other formats, such as Image, Word, Excel, and more. Click “Tools” and under PDF Converter, select the desired format.

Tip: You can also sync your scanned documents to UPDF Cloud and share them directly via email, by creating shareable links or QR codes, as shown in the image below

• Mobile 

Download UPDF app on your mobile devices from the App Store or Google Play. Once you have downloaded the app, follow the steps below to scan Polaroids on your mobile devices.

1. Launch your UPDF mobile app and click the “Scan” button.

2. Upon accessing the camera screen, tap on the “File” option and hit the “Three-Dots” icon to enable the “Auto-Capturing” and “Auto-Cropping” modes. You can also enable the flashlight based on the lighting.

3. Now, to capture multiple images, keep tapping the “Capture” button. When finished, tap the “>” icon to go to the “Adjust & Edit” screen.

4. On the screen, you will see the following options, arranged from top to bottom and left to right:

• Organize—  Organize images in one place
• Save Button— Save your scan image
• Add – Insert another image
• Rotate – Turn the image clockwise
• Crop – Trim or adjust the edges
• Size – Resize the page dimensions
• Filter – Apply visual effects
• Delete – Remove image

5. Next, to crop the image, click “Crop” and choose the area which you want to trim.

6. To adjust the image size, click “Size” and adjust width, height and other settings as shown in the image below.

7. You can also apply visual effects by choosing the “Filter” option.

8. After applying all the changes to your Polaroid Pictures, click the “Organize” button and click the checkmark (✓) icon in the top right to select your images that you want to use.

9. Then, you can extract, rotate, adjust the size, apply a filter, or delete the images. Once you have finished, click the “Done” option.

10. After saving your scanned image, click “Rename” to change its name, or select “Convert to PDF” to convert it to PDF.

11. After clicking the “Convert to PDF” option, you will be redirected to a new screen where you need to choose the “Select Here” option.

12. After converting to a new format, click the three-dot menu to Save or Upload your scanned document. You can also Share or Email it.

Part 2. How To Scan a Polaroid Using INSTAX UP! 

INSTAX UP! is a free smartphone app that allows you to scan and save  film photos digitally. However, you can also use this app to scan  Polaroids. The app is available on both Android and iPhone devices, so you can easily download it from  Google Play or  App Store. Once you have downloaded the app, follow the steps to scan a Polaroid using INSTAX UP!

1. Launch the app and click the “Scan” button to start the process.

2. Next, choose the scan mode and place your Polaroid image under good lighting, and hold your phone over it so the app can capture the whole frame.

3. Once your image is scanned, it will go into a preview mode with some options like adjust corners,  edit, and info. However, the app will automatically adjust the corners for you as shown in the image below.

4. Also, you can click the edit button to edit your image, such as adjust brightness, color temperature, contrast, and more. Once you are done with the settings, click the “OK” button.

5. Now, click the “Download” icon to save the Polaroid image in your gallery.

6. Next,  click the “Share” option to share your scanned image. You will also get other options, like changing the background. You can choose different colors or add your own pic as a background.

Part 3. How To Scan a Polaroid Using Polaroid

Polaroid app is the official smartphone application by Polaroid. With this app, you can easily improve your instant photography experience and use a built-in scanner to scan your Polaroid photos right from your phone. You can easily get this app from App Store or Google Play. Below, I have discussed how to scan a Polaroid using a Polaroid app.

1. Download the app on your mobile and launch it. Now, click the “Scan” button.  

2. Click the “Scan Now” button to start the scanning process.

3. Next, click the “Allow” button to give camera and storage permissions.

4. Now, place your Polaroid on a flat surface and press the hold button. The app will automatically detect the edges and capture the photo.

5. Once scanning is done, click the “Save to Album” button to save your image. You can also use the Crop icon to adjust framing, the Magic Wand to enhance the image, and click the “Share” button to send your photo.

6. To save your image, click “Allow” to give access to your phone.

7. After giving permission to save a photo, select a sharing format and you are done.

Part 4. FAQs

Conclusion

Scanning your  Polaroid photos is not easier if you don’t know the right techniques and apps. However, by following the above methods, you can quickly scan your Polaroid photo and preserve your memories digitally. Among these best ways to scan polaroids, I would recommend using UPDF because it is easy to use and offers a wide range of additional features, including organizing, editing PDF, and converting images to PDF.