1. Lay your photograph face down onto the glass 'bed' of the scanner. Position according to the manufacturer's instructions. Close the lid.
2. Back at your computer, open the scanning or image-editing programme. This may open automatically.
3. Click on the 'preview' button. (Some programmes may use terms other than 'preview' and 'scan'. If so, follow the instructions provided by the software manufacturer.
4. A preview scan of your photograph should appear on the computer screen. Check that you are happy with the preview before proceeding.
5. If you have the option, check the scan resolution. Make sure you are scanning at between 72 and 75 dpi (dots per inch) or 28 dcpm (dots per centimetre). This is the optimum resolution for images viewed on computer screen. Lower resolutions may result in poor quality images, while higher resolutions mean your images will download more slowly.
6. When you are sure your settings and the positioning of your photograph are correct, click on 'scan'. (This does not mean that your scan is saved on your computer - that's the next step!)
7. Once your photograph has been scanned, you need to make sure that the scan is saved as a .jpg (JPEG format is the appropriate file type for saving digital images). Choose a suitable name for your scan when saving, and be sure to remember where on your computer you put it (your desktop is a good place), as this will help you find it later.
8. Please note we can only accept .jpg files of 1.5 Mb or less, so ensure you check the file size before you save, or your image may be rejected.
9. Please ensure your images are minimum height 250 pixels and minimum width 250 pixels. Resizing of your scans be done in your image-editing programme by following the manufacturer's instructions.

• The 'aspect ratio' of an image is the ratio of its height to its width.
• Portrait images must not exceed a height-to-width ratio of 2:1. Landscape images must not exceed height-to-width ratio of 1:3.
• The BBC Digital Picture of Britain team will be able to resize oversize images to fit the gallery, but please ensure your images still conform to the aspect ratio limits above.
• Please note we will not be able to resize an image with a height or width less than the following dimensions: minimum height 250 pixels and minimum width 250 pixels.

• Follow the manufacturer's instructions to resize your photograph using your image editing programme.

or

• You will need an image-editing programme to resize and save your images, for example, Adobe Photoshop, Jasc Paintshop Pro or Microsoft Photo Editor. Alternatively, you may have appropriate software that came with your digital camera.

• To add a photo from a digital camera, you will first need to make sure that it is saved onto your computer at between 72 and 75 dpi (dots per inch) or 28 dcpm (dots per centimetre). This is the optimum resolution for images viewed on computer screen. Lower resolutions may result in poor quality images, while higher resolutions mean your images will download more slowly. Please note we can only accept files of 1.5 Mb or less, and minimum height 250 pixels, minimum width 250 pixels.
• Make sure that the scan is saved as a .jpg (JPEG format is the appropriate file type for saving digital images). Choose a suitable name for your photographs when saving, and be sure to remember where on your computer you put them (your desktop is a good place), as this will help you find them later.