In this guide, we show why you don’t need to print and frame digital photos anymore. There’s another versatile and personalized way to show your most precious photos – and link it up with all your loved ones. It’s a great way to keep your family connected and up-to-date without leaving elderly users out of the loop. Let’s take a look at digital photo frames and why they’re an awesome gift idea – and a fantastic choice for photographers wanting to show off their best work!
Is there a better way to print and frame digital photos?
Printing and framing digital photos seem like an age-old way to safe-keep your memories and decorate your house at the same time. While this is still true today, there are a couple of unique and alluring ways to display your favorite memories in your home without spending a ton of money on printing and framing. Sure, the initial upfront cost is likely to be higher, but you’ll quickly make it back through top-notch versatility and long-term savings.
We’re talking about digital photo frames. They are designed to act like standard photo frames, with the added ability of scrolling and browsing through your favorite photos. Frame like the Pix-Star further enhances this handy feature by adding in features like Wi-Fi connectivity that lets you send photos to the frame through email, a mobile app, a web interface, and the ability to control your frame remotely.
Other features include cloud storage to further protect your pictures and let you control storage for multiple frames from a single user account. Most digital photo frames can receive photos through USB/SD cards and save them to internal storage.
It’s worth noting that the difference between cheap and premium digital photo frames is astounding. While the initial cost is lower for the budget frames, they often have lackluster low-resolution displays and poor functionality/quality control. If you’re going to get a digital photo frame, you’d be far better off saving up a little longer for the massive boost in versatility and functionality offered by premium digital photo frames.
Extra features including viewing weather forecasts, listening to the web radio & music, linking photo albums to the digital photo frames from social media and photo-sharing sites, and watching videos are common among the top premium digital photo frames. You still need to be careful though as not all premium frames live up to their price and expectations – but more on that below.
What are digital photo frames and do I still need to print and frame digital photos?
Digital photo frames are similar in many ways to standard framed photos – but add in the ability to view multiple photos at the same time. You don’t have to print and frame photos. They work off a slideshow function that lets you page through your photos with an attractive transition. In some cases, you can even control the play order and frequency of photos. These frames let you start slideshows of photos from specific folders, or start a slideshow using all the photos on the frame (or a connected USB/SD card).
Using a digital photo frame is better than printing and framing digital photos as anybody in the family can send photos to your frame from anywhere in the world. This is often done through mobile apps, email functions, and web interfaces.
Digital photo frames that use Wi-Fi and cloud storage can directly link to your social media accounts like Facebook and Instagram to display selected albums on your frame. These frames are excellent choices for families and elderly users as many can be controlled remotely and are super-versatile. You can play special videos and send loving voice notes to your family from anywhere.
While they don’t completely negate the need for printing and framing photos, they offer an extremely versatile and modern way to display your favorite moments and share special memories with your loved ones. They’re great for living rooms and master bedrooms, and can be wall-mounted or rested on a flat surface like a mantelpiece or tabletop.
What is the best digital photo frame for digital photos?
Pix-Star created the idea of a digital photo frame with an email address. They have been a leading force in the next step, offering an alternative to the “print and frame photos” issue. Since then, they’ve come a very long way. Today, Pix-Star offers arguably the most versatile and popular digital photo frame on the market.
You get capable features like full Wi-Fi functionality, free-for-life cloud storage, weather & radio functions, the Pix-Star Snap mobile app, access to the web interface, and multimedia support & playback. These features come together to offer a wide range of functions like sending photos and videos to your Pix-Star frame from anywhere in the world.
The large 10 or 15-inch display has a broad viewing angle and slideshows are highly customized. You can create specific folders to play photos and other media from. Alternatively, you can directly link selected albums from social media, photo-sharing, and online-storage sites like Facebook, Instagram, Google Photos & Google Drive, Flickr, Dropbox, and more!
Pix-Star’s mobile app and web interface let you send multiple photos to multiple frames at the same time. It’s excellent for big families and those with elderly users that don’t want to be left out. The remote-control function lets you use the web interface to change settings, start slideshows, adjust the display’s brightness & color settings, and much more.
Ease of use and simplicity are core to the Pix-Star frame. It’s one of the few premium digital photo frames that specifically cater to families and elderly users. Shallow and intuitive menus across all the interfaces are easy to navigate and get used to. You’ll find that the Pix-Star digital photo frame quickly earns a special spot in your home – and enhances how you connect and share special moments with your loved ones!
Can digital photo frames play videos while wall-mounted?
Wall mounts aren’t universally offered on digital picture frames. It’s usually found among upper-mid and high-end digital photo frames. For example, Pix-Star’s digital photo frame supports using a standard VESA mount for wall mounting. This mount lets you choose between landscape and portrait orientations and still gives you access to the USB/SD card ports & power inlet.
Additionally, Pix-Star’s frame has hanging holes if you like moving the frame around the house and don’t want to fully commit to a fixed wall mount in one spot. These hanging holes are still super-secure and offer a balanced and quick way to wall-mount your digital photo frame. Pix-Star’s frames also have an attachable stand that clips into the back of the frame. It’s well-balanced, sleek, and does a great job at hiding the power cable – easily achieving that minimalistic and clean aesthetic.
Do digital picture frames use touch screens?
It’s less common to find digital photo frames that use touchscreens. This might seem weird for 2021, but there are very good reasons for this choice. Touchscreens are far less durable and much more expensive than non-touch panels – especially for any display panel larger than 7-inches. Additionally, touchscreens are gradually ruined by the oil and dirt residue left behind from your fingers. Over time this worsens and harms the viewing experience – especially on matte-finish displays.
It’s not worth paying extra for less durability and a tricker interface to navigate (plus you’ll save money not having to print and frame digital photos). Since frames like the Pix-Star use remote controllers or the web interface to change slideshows, settings, etc., touchscreens are rather superfluous. You need to be directly in front of the frame and the extra cost of the panel is often recuperated by reducing features & functions – or cutting the overall performance of the frame.
