Turning photographs, videos and mementos into a unique gift for that special someone has always been popular, but modern technology and online resources provide today's shopper with many more choices when bundling that package of memories.

The following are some of the local and national resources available to help give the gift that says, ``Thanks for the memories!''

THE MEMORY FACTORY

Converting old home movies from film and tapes to DVD is a practical gift and a popular method of preserving memories and moving them into the future without deterioration, says store owner Paul Quentel. Prices start at $15 per tape for less than 30 minutes or $20 per tape for less than an hour. Editing time charges, if desired, are extra. There is a discount for volume.

Slides, negatives and old photos can also be transferred to digital. Image scanning starts at about $1 per image and there is a discount for volume. Color and contrast balancing is included in slide, negative and photo transfers. The Memory Factory can also digitally restore old photos to make them look like new, or even add a missing relative to a group shot. Prices vary based on the work involved.

Having all the family media digitized makes giving the gift of a ''familiography'' easier. First the Memory Factory goes on location to interview family members. Interviews are interwoven with select old photos and videos to take an entertaining look at the family history. Price starts at around $500.

The Memory Factory, 8233 S. Dixie Hwy., Pinecrest, 305-668-1801, and 1390 Weston Rd., Weston, 954-659-9315; www.memory factory.net. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday.

SCRAPBOOK

CENTRAL

Long ago a pastime for young girls who taped fuzzy photographs and well-worn ticket stubs into paper albums, scrapbooking has, in the last decade, gone wild. As a result, more choices in paper, products, embellishments, tools and albums are available for the craftsperson who wants to create a memory gift with pizzazz.

At Scrapbook Central, hybrid scrapbooking has become popular, according to the store's educational director, Andrea Cloutier. Adding a computer, photo editing software and a printer to the usual paper materials gives the scrapbook creator a wider range of artistic options.

To make a scrapbook of 10 sheets, using front and back, plan on spending about $30 or more, Cloutier says. For beginners, Cloutier recommends taking a class, which includes instruction and materials. Two popular gift-making classes are:

• The Princess Album, $45. Working with a bound wooden book in the shape of a castle, crafters add materials to cover the pages with embellishments and photos of their favorite little princess.

• The 2009 Calendar, $30. Using 8-by-8-inch pieces of chipboard for the pages of this spiral-bound calendar, crafters add embellishments and photos or images.

Scrapbook Central, 3700 Coconut Creek Pkwy., Coconut Creek, 954-247-0020; www.scrapbookcentralonline.com. Open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday; 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday and Saturday.

LET'S SCRAP

Though hybrid scrapbooking and classes are also popular at Let's Scrap, mini-books made from brown paper lunchbags are all the rage, according to owner Vivian Perez-Espinosa. For the customer in a hurry, Let's Scrap offers three sizes of ready-made paper bag scrapbooks: small for $19.99, medium for $24.99 and large for $34.99.

Customers can insert pictures, quotes, letters and poems -- or whatever they choose -- into the slots and pockets of the ribbon-bound books, which are decorated and embellished.

While more elaborate handmade custom books can be ordered at $14 for each 12-by-12-inch page, Let's Scrap also offers digital photo books, which cost $4 per page and are presented like a magazine. Customers provide the photos on a CD or a memory stick and Let's Scrap does the rest.

Let's Scrap, 5706 Bird Rd., South Miami, 305-662-9891; www.lets-scrap.com. Open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday.

TIKATOK.COM

Children's' creations are treasured memory keepsakes, but too often their artistic renderings and compositions get filed away. Now an online community dedicated to promoting creativity in ages 13 and under offers young writers and illustrators the chance to create lasting stories published in professionally bound books that contain an author's page and photo. Tikatok.com offers hardcover books for $20 and soft cover $15. Gift cards are also available.

Register for free at www.Tikatok.com.

SNAPFISH.COM

At this popular photo-sharing website, more than 100 products can be custom ordered to preserve and display images. Among the newest offerings:

• Photo stamps. Upload favorite photos to personalize useable, functional postage, $15.99-$38.99.

• Snapfish collage mugs. Choose a variety of shots to adorn a mug, $9.99.

• Picture Me books. Upload a child's photo and have his or her face appear as a character throughout one of four stories, $16.99.

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