e.g. postcards, letters, photographs, news clippings, certificates, drawings, books, magazines, pamphlets and leaflets.

Where possible these should be scanned as per the instructions below. If you have an artefact that is too big or too delicate to scan, it might be more appropriate to photograph it. If that’s the case please read our tips for photographing successfully.

Scanning flat items:

a. Make sure the scanner glass is clean and dry. It is important that you are not going
to place your artefact on anything that may damage it or make smudges on the scans, so it’s always worth checking before using a scanner.

b. Lay the item down flat in the scanner, with at least 1cm around it so nothing is cut off the edges and remember to keep it straight on the scanning bed so you don’t have to adjust it later. Please don’t try and scan too many items together as overlapping may obscure some interesting details.

c. Scan your image at the highest quality you can, when you upload it we will keep a high quality version of your scan on our server to preserve the object but a low-quality one will appear online.

d. If there is no cover for the scanner, please put a white piece of paper on top of your item to give your scan a white background.

e. Please scan both sides of your item if you feel it is important. You will see many of the postcards in our collection feature the reverse side if it had writing or stamps on it for example. You can save these as separate pictures that share a file name e.g: Beach Postcard 1A and Beach Postcard 1B, Our uploader has help notes as you go through the process, but it is always helpful to save your items with file names that are meaningful to you.

f. If the item is a book or something with multiple pages (like a letter) that should be viewed in sequence; please capture the cover for reference as well so we can record the publication your chosen excerpt has come from and then any further pages. Our uploader has help notes to guide you through the process of adding and saving a multiple page image.

g. If you are scanning a number of items that are all of a similar size – like postcards for instance; it can be useful to put masking tape on the scanner to mark out a consistent place where you can put the postcard, this will help you keep it straight to scan it in and give you a more consistent border around them as you go along.

Photographing flat items:

a. Put the object on a white background so you can see the whole way around it
without getting other objects in the frame – you could use a sheet or a piece of paper.

b. Take the picture straight on so there isn’t any distortion of perspective in your image – doing so will produce a better representation of your artefact and make any text easier to read.

c. Using flash can effect colour and can cause detail to be lost. Try to take your photograph in daylight so that more detail can be seen and the colour of the
object is at its most real. You can always take your white background and object outside if it’s safe to do so.

d. If you do need to use flash, try putting on as many lights in the room as possible too, so that there is light all around the object. This will help you capture as much detail as possible.

e. Make sure your photograph is in focus and that, where possible, it is a clear photograph of one item at a time with a plain background.

e.g. paintings, drawings, watercolours, sketches, posters, photographs

These are usually best photographed, however, if your artefact is fairly small (29.7 x 42.0cm, 11.69 x 16.53 inches) and you have access to a scanner you can often get a lot more detail in with a high quality scan.

Scanning artwork:

a. Make sure the scanner glass is clean and dry. It is important that you are not going to place your artefact on anything that may damage it or make smudges on the scans, so it’s always worth checking before using a scanner.

b. Lay the item down flat in the scanner, with at least 1cm around it so nothing is cut off the edges and remember to keep it straight on the scanning bed so you don’t have to adjust it later. Please don’t try and scan too many items together as overlapping may obscure some interesting details.

c. Scan your image at the highest quality you can, when you upload it we will keep a high quality version of your scan on our server to preserve the object but a low-quality one will appear online.

d. If there is no cover for the scanner, please put a white piece of paper on top of your item to give your scan a white background.

e. If the artwork is in a frame, you may have to take it out of the frame to get all the detail when scanning as the painting should be as near to the scanner glass as possible. If it is under glass you will need to remove the glass to get the best result.

Photographing artwork:

a. If possible put the painting on a surface that faces you, you may find leaving it on a wall is easiest, or putting it on the floor and standing over it. Try to take the picture straight on without creating too much perspective.

b. Try to take a photograph of the painting on a blank wall or white background. Move any objects away from in front of it to get a clear shot of the painting.

c. Using flash can effect colour and can cause detail to be lost. Try to take your photograph in daylight so that more detail can be seen and the colour of the object is at its most real. You can always take your white background and object outside if it’s safe to do so.

d. If you do need to use flash, try putting on as many lights in the room as possible too so that there is light all around the object to get as much detail as possible. Remember that using flash can create white areas in your photographs where the light has reflected off the surface of the artefact, especially with shiny objects and surfaces –these are best photographed in daylight.

e. Make sure your photograph is in focus and that, where possible, it is a clear photograph of one item at a time with a plain background.

These are usually best photographed, however, sometimes scanning can be a good alternative, when you have flat objects like coins or medals.

Scanning small objects:

a. Make sure the scanner glass is clean and dry. It is important that you are not going to place your artefact on anything that may damage it or make smudges on the scans, so it’s always worth checking before using a scanner.

b. Lay the item down flat in the scanner, with at least 1cm around it so nothing is cut off the edges and remember to keep it straight on the scanning bed so you don’t have to adjust it later. Please don’t try and scan too many items together as overlapping may obscure some interesting details.

c. Scan your image at the highest quality you can, when you upload it we will keep a high quality version of your scan on our server to preserve the object but a low-quality one will appear online.

d. If there is no cover for the scanner, please put a white piece of paper on top of your item to give your scan a white background.

Photographing small objects:

a. Put the object on a white background so you can see the whole way around it without getting other objects in the frame – you could use a sheet or a piece of paper.

b. Try to capture the whole item – you may want to take different angles of it if that helps other people see it more clearly. If there are details or close that reveal extra information (e.g. a signature on a sculpture or a name tag on some uniform) please take close ups too. If it is able to open, like a box or bag, you might want to take a picture of the inside too.

c. Using flash can effect colour and can cause detail to be lost. Try to take your photograph in daylight so that more detail can be seen and the colour of the object is at its most real. You can always take your white background and object outside if it’s safe to do so.

d. If you do need to use flash, try putting on as many lights in the room as possible too, so that there is light all around the object. This will help you capture as much detail as possible.

e. Make sure your photograph is in focus and that, where possible, it is a clear photograph of one item at a time with a plain background.

These are probably best photographed to make sure you get the whole thing in one picture to start with. Remember you can always take and upload more than one photograph.

Photographing large objects:

a. Put the object on a white background so you can see the whole way around it without getting other objects in the frame – you could use a sheet or a piece of paper.

b. Try to capture the whole item – you may want to take different angles of it if that helps other people see it more clearly. If there are details that reveal extra information (e.g. a signature on a sculpture or a name tag on some uniform) please take close ups too. If it is able to open, like a box or bag, you might want to take a picture of the inside too.

c. Using flash can effect colour and can cause detail to be lost. Try to take your photograph in daylight so that more detail can be seen and the colour of the object is at its most real. You can always take your white background and object outside if it’s safe to do so.

d. If you do need to use flash, try putting on as many lights in the room as possible too, so that there is light all around the object. This will help you capture as much detail as possible.

e. Make sure your photograph is in focus and that, where possible, it is a clear photograph of one item at a time with a plain background.

e.g. a first aid kit and its contents

These are probably best photographed to account for varying types of items. Remember you can always take and upload more than one photograph.

Photographing multi-part artefacts:

a. First take a picture of all the objects together to give context to the object e.g. if it is a first aid kit; take a picture of the box, a picture of the box open with all the items inside, a picture of all the items laid out together next to the box. 

b. Put the objects on a white background so you can see them clearly without getting other objects in the frame – you could use a sheet or a piece of paper.

c. If the group can be laid out in a meaningful formation, try to show that; e.g. a uniform could be arranged as you would wear it: hat at the top, jacket underneath and trousers under that.

d. If there is a particularly interesting piece within the group (or you may think every item needs recording) take a picture of it individually.

e. Try to take the picture in daylight so that you don’t need to use flash so that the most details can be seen and the colour of the object is at its most real. You can always take your white background and object outside if it’s safe to do so.

f. If you do need to use flash, try putting on as many lights in the room as possible too so that there is light all around the object to get as much detail as possible.

e.g. buildings, places, signs

These should be photographed using the best quality camera or camera-phone that you have available. Remember you can always take and upload more than one photograph.

a. Try to get as much of the place into one picture as possible to make it clear what and where it is – this will help other get a better sense of the place if they are unable to go there themselves. 

b. Then if you wish to take pictures of parts of it or close-ups of details that help show the most interesting parts for recording it, please do. 

For example: If you are taking a picture of a school, try and get a picture of the whole building or as much of it as you can, then you may want to take a picture of the front door or any old signs it may have. This will help people see details of it and get a feel for the place too by seeing what street it is on. 

For example: A gravestone, a sculpture, a signpost or another permanent outside item. Try to record it in its environment and then as a single item so viewers can
see where it is and how big it is, and then look at it closer.

What quality should you use to upload you image?

Please upload your image at the highest possible quality. Our server will keep a high quality version in it’s database but the website will format a smaller one to fit the site properly.

What format or file type should you save your images as?

Our uploader will accept the following formats: JPEG, TIFF, PNG and PDF. PDFs are useful for multi-page documents e.g. a 3-page letter.

My pictures are saved into Word Documents or PowerPoint presentations, how do I use them?

Word document and PowerPoint presentations can’t be uploaded to our website so you must save the picture as a file on its own. In order to save your picture from a Word document or Microsoft programme like this, please following these steps:

If you have a lot of images in a word document:

1. Open the document in Word.

2. Click File from the Standard Toolbar.

3. Click Save As.

4. Specify your Save in location.

5. Select Web Page (*.htm; *.html) from the Save as type drop-down menu.

6. Click Save. When you save the document as a Web page, Word creates an .htm file
and folder containing the embedded images, you can now see all the pictures from your Word document in this folder.

If you want to select individual images from a word document:

1. Open the document in Word.

2. Select the picture in Word, click Ctrl+C (or Right click and select ‘copy’) to copy
the picture to the clipboard

3. If you have and use a design/picture-processing tool such as Photoshop, Paint shop pro or similar, open it and paste the picture by pressing Ctrl+V (or Right click and select ‘paste’).

4. Press Ctrl+V (or Right click and select ‘paste’) to paste the image into the current canvas in Paint. 

5. Unfortunately, the picture is copied in the same size as it appears in Word. If you want a bigger version, you’ll have to resize the image in Word first, copy it again, and paste it again in Paint or the programme of your choice.

If your artefact is of unique significance, we may be able to help you preserve it with three-dimensional scanning. If you feel you may have something worth preserving in this way, or you would like to talk to an expert about your artefact before you add it to the collection, please contact historian@jewsww1.london