As high-powered digital cameras now come standard with most modern smartphones, the average person is taking more photos than ever before. Standalone digital cameras have become so powerful that they’re capable of turning an average photo into a work of art – and professional-grade gear is becoming more affordable, too.
With so many digital images being created, shared, and distributed every single day, there’s bound to be some kinks in the process. Unfortunately, when it comes to digital photographs, this could result in the loss of some of the most precious moments and memories of your life.
Thankfully, there are a plethora of digital image recovery options available – some of which are available for free. In fact, there are so many different options that it can be incredibly confusing when it comes time to choosing the right one.
For starters, you can narrow down the field of choices by answering the following questions:
- What file format is your image stored in? The most common formats include JPG / JPEG, PNG, GIF, and HDRi, but there are dozens of possible types. Most free photo recovery solutions only support one or two different file types – paid or premium software often includes support for many different types.
- What device are you trying to recover from? Certain devices, such as Android smartphones with Lollipop 5.0, save images in the DNG (Digital Negative) format. As such, you’ll need to make sure that your chosen software solution supports the DNG extension.
- How large is the file size? Some images, especially those that are high-definition and stored in a raw digital format, can boast incredibly large file sizes. While some free recovery options have limitations on how big of a file they can recover, most paid and premium options will be able to work with files of nearly any size.
- Where is your file stored? While there are some photo recovery apps available for smartphones, there are many more choices for PCs and Mac computers. If your file is stored on a separate memory card or external hard drive, you’ll need to connect to it a functional system – ideally a PC or Mac – in order to access the contents and attempt to recover any lost images.
As you can see, there are plenty of free file recovery options available – it just depends on your exact needs. If you’re trying to recover lost or corrupted images that were taken with the camera on your Android phone, for example, you’ll likely find it much more difficult than simply restoring a deleted image from your laptop computer.
There are also many restrictions to consider – many of them associated with the free software solutions – that will make it easier to narrow down the field and pick the right tool for the job. If you are considering a paid application, try to find one that offers a free trial period. While the functionality of the software might be limited during this trial period, you’ll be able to test it out on your system and make sure that it’s compatible with the digital image formats you’re trying to recover.