How to Scan Multiple Photos at Once (and Get Separate Files)

A flatbed scanner's glass is usually about the size of a letter or A4 sheet. A standard 6×4-inch print covers less than a third of that. Scanning one photo at a time means most of every pass is spent capturing empty glass — and the slowest part of scanning, the pass itself, is repeated for every single print.

Batch scanning fixes that: put several prints on the glass, scan once, and split the result. Here's how to do it well.

How many prints per scan?

On a letter/A4 scanner you can comfortably fit:

• Three to four 6×4-inch (10×15 cm) prints,
• Two 7×5-inch prints,
• Six to nine wallet-size or instant-style prints.

Don't pack them edge to edge. Leaving a gap is what makes it possible to separate them reliably later.

Lay out the prints

1. Clean the glass — every speck of dust appears in every photo.
2. Leave a gap of at least a few millimetres between prints and from the edges of the glass.
3. Square each print roughly to the edge of the glass. AI Auto Cropper straightens tilted prints on export, but squared prints keep the most detail.
4. Close the lid. The white lid gives an even background that contrasts well with most prints. For very light prints, a sheet of black paper over them can give better contrast.

Scan settings

Use the same settings you'd use for single photos — typically 600 DPI, 24-bit color, saved as high-quality JPG or PNG. Remember that each photo's final resolution comes from this one scan. (See what DPI to use.)

Some scanner software has its own "multi-photo" or "auto-separate" mode. When it works, great. In practice it is often hidden, inconsistent between models, or available only in certain modes — and it doesn't help with scans you have already made. Scanning the whole glass and splitting afterwards works the same with any scanner.

Split the scan into separate photos

Drop the scan into AI Auto Cropper. Each print is detected and outlined with a numbered box. You can:

• move or resize any box,
• add a box for a print that was missed,
• remove a box you don't want.

Then export: a single photo downloads directly, several photos arrive as one ZIP. Files are numbered after your scan's name, so a batch named box1_scan07.jpg produces box1_scan07_1.jpg, box1_scan07_2.jpg, and so on.

Detection runs in your browser, so the photos never leave your computer.

A rhythm that works

For larger collections, a steady loop beats occasional marathons:

1. Fill the glass and scan.
2. While the next sheet scans, split the previous one and download its ZIP.
3. Move the scanned prints to a "done" box.

At four prints per pass, a few hundred photos becomes an afternoon rather than a week of evenings.

When batch scanning is not the right choice

• Prints with writing on the back you want to capture: scan the backs separately or one at a time.
• Curled or damaged prints that won't lie flat: scan them individually under gentle pressure.
• Prints that are almost the same color as the background (for example, very light prints with white borders on a white lid): put a dark sheet behind them so the edges are visible.

Batch scanning plus automatic splitting is the fastest reliable way to digitize a shoebox of prints. Try it on your next scan.