Genius Scan is a document scanner app that will help convert paper files into an easily stored digital format. Things like paintings, photos, pages from books, posters etc. can be scanned in and stored digitally.
This free version (Pro version is £4.99) will save your scans as either an image or a PDF and your export options include saving to the camera roll or emailing. The Pro version adds the ability to upload directly to a cloud service like Dropbox or Evernote, but you’ll likely find that the free version will suffice if you’re not scanning that often.
To capture a document, just hold the iPad steady and position the camera directly above the paper. The app will automatically try and detect the edges of the document but you can also adjust this manually. Zooming-in will help you find the edges of the document more precisely.
Genius Scan can produce colour or black and white files which you can choose between after a scan has occurred. If selecting black and white, the app adjusts the contrast and brightness to make the file more legible. This works especially well for worksheets and other documents that have black text on white backgrounds. The only key thing to remember is to scan in a room with excellent lightning — the brighter the better!
