How To Scan Your Own Slides, Negatives, & Photos: Free Guide
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Do Not Give Up On Your Home Scanning Project... Free Scanning Tips
Say you are scanning your Dad's slides, but you are not getting the results you expected. How can you get better scans without forking over $3000 for a high-end scanner? How can you get great looking scans without getting into too much technical stuff?
Come along, and I will show you that you do NOT need an expensive scanner, or be in graphic design to get great looking scans you and your family will enjoy.
"Avoid These Three Scanning Mistakes When Scanning Your Own Slides, Negatives, Photos"
Here Is Three Common Scanning Mistakes -- And How To Avoid Them
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1Mistake One: You Are Not Cleaning Your Originals Properly -- Or Not At All
The biggest mistake is to scan your slide or negative without cleaning it. I know, it sounds like a simple tip. But maybe because it is so simple, that people often skip it.
If you just take 10 seconds to properly clean your original, I guarantee it will remove almost ALL the dust and debris. The worst part is to spend 2 minutes scanning, and to find out that the digital image is useless. So some preventative measure goes a long way.
Here is how to properly clean your originals:
First find a lint-free cloth. You can find these in photography stores or eye-glass stores.
DO NOT use any liquid. The moment you put any liquid on a slide or negative surface you are going to smear it. And it will be smeared for good. So liquid is bad.
DO NOT press down hard with your lint-free cloth. If you press too hard, you might scratch the surface.
DO wipe gently. Use an easy swiping motion. If your original is coated with a lot of dust, then maybe press down but only slightly.
It is a very simple mistake. But if you clean your original before you load it in the scanner, I guarantee you will see a big improvement. -
2Mistake Two: You Scan The Wrong Side
If you put your slide or negative the wrong way, then your scans will turn out backwards. Another very simple mistake. But if you finish your scanning project and find a bunch of scans are backwards, you will have to go back.
Here is how NOT to waste your time going back and rescanning-- and how to scan the right side.
Take out a slide. And find a light source-- maybe a lamp or natural light. Flip the slide back and forth. You may notice one side is smooth and shiny. The other side is dull and has bumps. Keep trying. You will eventually notice.
See the dull, bumpy side? That side is called the emultion matte. Basically it is where your slide was printed. The dull side is where you want your slide to face DOWN on your scanner window. And the shiny, smooth side is facing UP toward you, and away from the glass. This way you will always scan the right side.
Negatives are more simple. Take a look closely at your negative strip. You will notice each exposure has a number, and some lettering. Just make sure the number are backwards, facing YOU when you load your scanner. And the letters facing the right way are facing DOWN toward the scanner's glass. -
3Mistake Three: Relying On Your Scanner To Edit Your Scans
This mistake is HUGE, so take notes. It does not matter if you have a $200 scanner or a $3000 scanner. The moment you use all those buttons-- stuff like Digital Ice, Color Fix, and any other fancy sounding names -- your scanner is going to do something wonky with your scans.
You will end up with a scan that is too dark, too light, detail is missing, the colors are too dull or too bright... greens look blue, browns are black, people are missing facial features, etc.
Here is the thing-- scanners are made to pick up pixels. They were not made to edit scans. Do NOT rely on your scanner to handle the editing part. There is actually FREE software than can do a WAY better job.
Even your $200 scanner can give you excellent looking scans your family will love. Just do not use all the bells and whistles. It is a trap. It makes you think you are improving your scans, when really it takes away more than it adds. -
4How To Scan Your Family's Originals Using The Scanner You Have
You know, you do not need an expensive scanner to get quality scans. It took me years to figure this out. And if you like to learn how I scan my own slides, negatives, and photos, I have a step-by-step guide. It is totally free. I do not get all too technical. And it will give you better results. Check it out, and I will show you how to scan your own...
www.HowToScan.ca
Thanks for stopping by!
Konrad M.
"Slide Scanning Tip: Do These Three Things And You Will Get Better Looking Images"
FREE Guide To Help You With Your Home Slide Scanning Project
What is going on?
I figured out something-- when I relied on my scanner's editing software, my Dad's slides came out looking really bad. My biggest mistake was pressing all those scan "enhance" buttons that came with my scanner.
So I figured out a better method. One that gave me better results almost all the time.
Here is what I figured out...
-
1Let Your Scanner Do What It Does Best
Any scanner today will give you a high-resolution scan. It does not matter if it is a $200 scanner, or $3000-- they all can do pretty much the same resolution.
When it comes to picking up pixels, most scanners are pretty much even. Marketers and manufactures know this. So to compete, they add in features like scan enhancements to make your scans look "better". This is what you are mostly paying for when you buy an expensive scanner-- the software that came with it.
I have been in graphic design for 10 years. And I would LOVE to press a few buttons and get a perfect looking digital photo. But right now there is no machine that can do what the human eye can.
That is why I edit all my slide scans using software BUILT for digital photo editing.
But no worries. I will show you exactly how to do this. I will show you how to do it using free software like GIMP, and with Photo Shop. -
2Use Software Made To Edit Images
Forget about using your scanner to handle the editing. All you want is a "raw" slide scan. What I mean here is, do NOT press any of the buttons that came with your scanner. Things like "Digital Ice", "Color Enhance", etc-- leave them alone.
The only thing I want you to change is the resolution. Just make sure your resolution is set at 4000 DPI. -
3How To Use Software To Edit Your Slide Scans And Get Perfect Results All The Time
You can get my step by step guide on how to edit your slide scans. Check out...
http://howtoscan.ca/how-to-scan-slides/edit-slide-scans.html
This guide is totally free, and is brought to you by the team at www.ScanCanada.ca.
Best to you on your home slide scanning project!
Konrad M.
Consumer Awareness Guide: Avoid These Five Things When Hiring A Scanning Company
Read This First Before You Send Your ONLY Copy Of Your Dads Slides To A Scanning Company
You will hear a lot of promises of "quality". You will be told about "high-resolution". You will be offered a "low-low" price.How do you cut through all the clutter, and find a reputable scanning company? One that will give you EXACTLY the results you expect.
Here is how to avoid hiring a lousy scanning company, and recommendations on what to do and ask.
1. Be Careful When You Hear "Resolution"
Just because your slide or negative film is scanned at 4000 DPI, does not mean it will be perfect. Resolution has nothing to do with quality.
Resolution is just bits and bytes. You tell the scanner to pick up 4000 dot per inch, and that is exactly what it will do. If your slide is really faded, scratched, blurry, etc-- the scanner will pick it up.
So just because you hear "4000 DPI" does not mean quality. In fact, even if you have a 1200 DPI slide scan, it is still bigger than the resolution of your 52" HDTV.
I am not going to get technical here. But I want to show you what I mean. Your HDTV has a resolution of 1920 x 1080. That is where you get the 1080 from. Anyway, a 4000 DPI scan has a resolution of 5200 x 3500. That is THREE times bigger than your HDTV.
Or course, it is always better to have too MANY pixels then too little. But do not be fooled when you hear claims of "4000 DPI means highest quality possible!"
2. Digital Ice Does NOT Fix Scans
Ok, so you know that resolution has nothing to do with quality. So how does a scanning company make sure your scans look better than your original?
One way is to use editing software that came along with the scanner. You will hear "Digital Ice", "Color Fix", "DEE", "ROC", and other buzz words.
Here is the thing. All scanners are pretty much made equal. A $200 scanner will pick up the exact number of pixels as a $3000 scanner. Marketers and manufactures know this. So what do they do to compete? They throw in fancy sounding software, and call it "Digital Ice", etc.
I have been in graphic design for 10 years. I have been scanning for a living for 6. And I would love, just LOVE, to press a few buttons and get perfect digital photos. I have tried all the scanners-- cheap, mid-range, high-end. And all of them disappointed me. They do not give me consistent quality scans.
You know why?
Because scanners are made to scan, not edit digital photos. The minute you rely on the scanner to fix the digital photo, it is going to do something wacky to those pixels. Greens will be almost blue, peoples faces will lose detail, the shadows will be too brown.
So when you hear a company advertise how they edit your scans using Digital Ice, be weary. What they are really doing using the editing software as a short cut. They click a few buttons, and zip through your scans. Why? Because they want to get as many of your scans done in an hour. Time means money.
3. Here Is How The Scanning Industry Works
There is two types of scanning companies. The ones that advertise on cheap prices. In order to make a profit, they scan by the "hour". They try to scan as many as they can by the hour. The more they can scan in the hour, the more they make.
And to do this, they find short cuts. And guess how they can speed up the process? That is right. They use Digital Ice and other scan enhancements. Couple clicks here, load up your slides, hit the button... finished... next.
What you save in price you will pay in quality. You may as well buy your own scanner and do it yourself.
The second way is, a scanning company takes time with your scans. The companies that know what they are doing do worry about scanning by the hour. They will use a high-end scanner, but only to get as many pixels as possible. Then they will edit the "natural" digital photo in Photo Shop, or other software MADE for editing.
The down side with these scanning companies is that you will pay for real quality. But just like everything else out there-- quality products are worth the cost.
4. Why Getting "Cheap" Scans Will Cost You More
You may think that you still can both worlds-- affordable scans at quality. I have nothing against efficiency and ways to improve the cost for the customers. But, if you ever tried scanning, it takes a while.
For instance, my Nikon 5000 takes 4 minutes to scan ONE slide. So it takes one hour to scan 15 slides.
So lets say a company is charging 50 cents per scan. In one hour they have made $7.50. Now, tell me, would you work for $7.50 per hour?
Neither would a scanning company. But there is many ways to shorten the scanning time. One is to use Digital Ice and other editing features that came with the scanner. But not only that, they will not use them at the full level. Digital Ice has different levels. The lowest setting will give you faster scans. So even if the scanner came with all the bells and whistles, the scanning company will not use them all because it will slow down their scan time.
You see, scan time is the only thing that is important to them. And to attract you they will offer you affordable scanning services, and promise you "quality" scans. And they are hoping that when you get your scans, you will not ask for your money back.
That is why you will "pay" for cheap scans. You might save a few bucks, but at the end of the day, who cares if your scans are useless.
Here is what you can do about all this...
Four Recommendations To Help You Find The Best Scanning Company
Recommendation One: Do Something NOW
Commit to yourself that you will do something about your slides, negatives, and photos. The longer they sit there, the higher the risk something can happen to them.
And commit to yourself, either 1) find a reputable scanning company. Or 2) if you do not want to pay for quality, you may as well learn how to do it yourself.
Recommendation Two: Get Samples
Once you found a company that looks good, ask for samples. Your OWN samples. A great company will be happy to scan as many samples for you -- FOR FREE.
If they hesitate to do this for you, then most likely they only care about getting your scans done as fast as possible.
Recommendation Three: Ask These Questions
Make the company qualify themselves to you by asking questions. Ask them, what is the process they go through with YOUR scans? Do they personally edit your scans? Do they say "scanned by hand", but really mean they just load your scans one by one? Do they rely on short cuts like Digital Ice?
Be smart and do not fall for their marketing. Before you commit to scan ALL your originals, make sure you see a batch of your own scans, and make sure they care more about quality not speed.
Recommendation Four: Get a 100% Guarantee
These are your ONLY copy of your originals. The worst feeling is to get your DVD of your scans, and find out you just paid all that money and got a bunch of useless scans.
And the funny thing is, even if you do get bad scans you may not do anything about it-- to much hassle.
But I STRONGLY recommend that you get a formal quote, and find a company that is more then eager to let you know that if you are not happy with one single scan, they will be glad to offer you a refund.
The good scanning companies have nothing to hide. They are willing to tell you exactly how they operate. They will want to show off your scans before you commit to any scanning. The ones that "promise" quality, but are not cooperative, just want your money and hope you do not complain about poor scans.
Thank you very much for taking the time to read my guide.
If you have questions or comments please contact me at info@scancanada.ca
Konrad M.
www.HowToScan.ca
"Why I DO NOT Use Digital Ice To Edit My Slide & Negative Scans"
Here Is A Story Of How I Spent 58 Hours Of Scanning When It Should Have Taken 25
Since 2000 I have been editing, manipulating, restoring digital images using Photoshop. And back then, scanners did not come with all the bells and whistles that you see today. So if I wanted scans that looked even all right, I had to edit them by "hand" in Photoshop. Sometimes it took 8 hours to edit one scan.But in 2005, Digital Ice 4 came out. Digital Ice is software that comes with scanners. It is designed to help you get better scans by pressing a few buttons BEFORE you scan. And the more expensive the scanner, the more the software can do.
So I went ahead and bought a $6000 Nikon 9000 and set out to scan my parents slides and negatives. I did a test run of about a 100 slides using my new scanner hoping it would be my quick fix. And was I was impressed! Here I can press a few buttons, wait about 4 minutes, and let the scanner do all the heavy lifting. I did not have to go back to Photoshop and spend lots of time editing scans. The scanner did all the work!
So I thought...
My test run was a success. So I went full steam ahead and scanned about 2000 slides and negatives. My family scanning project was done. I was happy. I spent about 25 hours scanning 2000 slides and negatives, but it was worth it?
When I looked over the scans, I was VERY disappointed. About half of the 2000 digital images looked horrible. That is a 50% success rate for a $6000 scanner. I was no longer impressed.
I went back and rescanned the bad images in question. I tried all the buttons and settings-- I adjusted everything but still got bad scans. So I opened up the bad scans in Photoshop and had no problem fixing them there.
It should have taken me 25 hours to scan 2000 images. But after all the re-scanning and editing, it was a total of 58 hours!
Scanning is a big job. And if you have tried it yourself, you know all the frustrations and time it takes to get consistent results. But I had a big "ah-ha" moment. What I figured out is that you cannot rely on your scanner to get good scans. Sure you need a great scanner to pickup all those pixels. But when it comes to editing the scans, do not think your scanner's software is your shortcut.
I scan for a living. And since 2005 I have scanned close to 500,000 slides, negatives, and photos. And after 6 years I have learned and figured out how the best way to scan. Now I can even use a $200 scanner and still get really great scans. How? I DO NOT use the software that came with the scanner. Of course I still use high-end scanners when scanning customer's originals. But if you do not have a $6000 scanner, you still can get really great results. Here is how...
If you would like to learn how I scan all my customer's slides, negatives, and photos, check out my free guide...
HowToScan.ca
I will show you how get better scans using Photoshop and Gimp. What is Gimp? Gimp does the same things as Photoshop, but it is free. So you still can get great scans even if you do not have Photoshop.
This is Konrad,
Did You Know Your HDTV Is Only 2 Mega Pixels!?
A Non Technical Guide In Understanding Resolution
Once you learn the basics of resolution, your slide, negative, photo scanning project will be easy. So let's begin at looking at your HDTV to grasp what resolution is.
It does not matter if you have a 32" or 52"-- all 1080p HDTVs have the same resolution. The resolution of a HDTV is 1080 x 1920. What does this mean? It means that there is 1080 pixels going up and down, and 1920 pixels going left and right. In other words, 1080 height x 1920 width.
What does this have to do with your scans? Well, say you are scanning your typical 4"x6" photo. When you turn on your scanner, it is going to ask you what "Resolution" or "DPI" you want to scan your photo. The standard is to scan your photos at 300 DPI.
So when you scan your 4"x6" photo at 300 DPI, this is what happens: Your scanner is going to "squeeze" 300 dots (or pixels) for every inch. It is going to squeeze (multiply) 300 pixel dots in 4 and 6 inches. Here is what you get...
4 inches multiplied by 300 DPI = 1200
6 inches multiplied by 300 DPI = 1800
Or, 1200 x 1800!
Now, remember your HDTV? It is 1080 x 1920. And your photo scan is 1200 x 1800. That means your photo scan will fit perfectly on your HDTV.
Say your photo was scanned at 72 DPI. Here again is what happens in the "squeeze"...
4" x 72 DPI = 288
6" x 72 DPI = 432
Or, 288 x 432
If you put that digital photo scan on your HDTV, it is going to look pretty bad. Your HDTV is going to stretch 288 x 432 in a 1080 x 1920 screen, and it and it is going to look pixelated.
Sow What Is Resolution Exactly?
Resolution is confusing because there is a lot of numbers thrown around. But here is how I look at it.
You know how I talked about DPI? DPI means dot per inch. Back in the day when you had your photos developed, the print shop actually printed 300 dots of colored ink on your 4"x6" photo. That is where you got DPI from. Why 300 DPI? Well, that was the standard back then. There were printers that could do more then 300 DPI. But 300 DPI was enough "resolution" to give you a quality, detailed photo.
Then we moved into digital. And instead of dots we now have pixels. Really we should be saying PPI (pixels per inch), not DPI... but whatever.
So, resolution is the INPUT. You tell the scanner (or printer) how many dots / pixels you want to squeeze in every inch.
The OUTPUT is the "Dimension". Again, when you tell your scanner to squeeze 300 dots or pixels into a 4"x6" photo, it is going to give you a 1200 x 1800 digital image. So the dimension of your digital photo is 1200 x 1800. And since your HDTV is 1080 x 1920, your photo scan is considered HD.
Then How Do You Get Mega Pixels?
Easy... take your "Dimension" and multiply that.
So your 1200 x 1800 photo scan is really 2.1 mega pixels. When you multiply 1200 x 1800 you get 2.1 million. And in marketing terms 2.1 million pixels is 2 mega pixels.
And so is your HDTV: 1080 x 1920 = 2.1 million or 2 mega pixels.
You might be asking, "isn't 2 mega pixels pretty small?".
This is where marketing confuses everything. When they market HDTVs, 1080p sells way better than 2mega pixels. But it is all the same thing. And THIS is why resolution is confusing. I blame marketing.
How Does This Help With Your Slide, Negative, And Photo Scans?
When I scanned my parent's photos about 9 years ago, I scanned them at 72 DPI. At the time 72 DPI was enough because my computer monitor was pretty small. I couldn't tell if the digital photos looked bad-- because my monitor was small.
But then when the monitors improved and got bigger, and HDTVs came out, my 72 DPI photo scans looked horrible. I had to rescan them again. I scanned them at 600 DPI this time. Even though 300 DPI would give me HD digital photos, it is always better to have too many pixels than too little. Maybe someday they will come out with a 2160p HDTV and my 600 DPI scans will fit perfectly on that screen.
And that is the point-- once you understand what resolution is, then you can start controlling it. For instance, what about a 35mm slide? What resolution would you scan that?
In my next post I will show you what resolution you should scan your slides, negatives, and photos that are all different size and formats. You may have 35mm slides, or 120 negatives. And different sizes need different DPI.
Anyway, stay tuned and I will have that for you soon.
Need More Tips?
I have a free step by step guide showing you how to scan your family's slides, negatives, and photos. Find more tips like these by following the link below...
Free Tips On How To Scan:
http://howtoscan.ca
This is Konrad,
Thanks!
3 Big Issues When Using Scan Enhancement Features To Fix Your Slide, Negative & Photo Scans
How Do You Get Better Quality Scans? DO NOT Use The Editing Software That Came With Your Scanner!
What is the biggest frustration you have when scanning your family's slides and photos? Is it sitting there, playing around with all the settings, only to find out your scans are still lousy?What I figured out was that trying to adjust all those settings and features were wasting my time. And after many years scanning for a living, I slowly came to realize that all these fancy sounding names -- Digital Ice, ROC, DEE, Colour Enhance, etc. -- were all marketing.
I use a Nikon 9000 film scanner. It is amazing at picking up pixels. The pixels are sharp, crisp, and hold a lot of detail. But once I press the Digital Ice button, my scanner messes up my perfect pixels.
Here Are 3 Issues I have With Digital Ice And Other Scan Enhancement Features
1) Dust And Scratch Removal Also Removes Detail
There is no way your scanner can tell if a white speck on your slide or negative is important or not. I sometimes would get scans with eyeballs missing! That is because my scanner thought the whites of the eyes were dust.
Also, the whole digital photo just looks a bit more blurry. Even when I use the lowest dust / scratch removal setting, my scans still come out a bit blurry.
You might be asking, "why don't you just figure out how to use all the features right". This is true. My Nikon has a lot of great features where I can adjust the image just right, before I scan. The preview looks perfect! But once I hit that scan button, I still do not get the results I expect.
And if you have ever tried scanning you know the frustration and time it takes to adjust one scan. Then to scan another and find that those settings did not work.
2) Color Enhance Software Will Over Compensate Faded Color
Your scanner might promise to bring back faded color back to its original color. But in my experience, I always end up with colors that are too saturated.
For example, green grass is blue or reds that look "plastic".
This is because you cannot use one setting for every scan. Every slide or negative is different. One photo was shot in bright light, or dark. Another was indoors. If you use the same setting for every scan, you will get wonky results. So this means you have to keep adjusting and tweaking the color for every scan you setup.
3) If You Want Quick Fixes And Short Cuts, You Will Pay -- But Is It Worth It?
The reason my Nikon 9000 is so expensive is because it uses Digital Ice 4. Look at your scanner. What version of Digital Ice do you have?
You see, Digital Ice was made from Kodak. They own the technology. So what they do is they licence this technology out to scanner manufactures. If you have a cheap scanner, well then the manufacture only paid for the cheapest version of Digital Ice. If you have a more expensive scanner, the chances are you probably have a better version of Digital Ice with more features.
But is it worth it?
If you like to see actual scans and comparisons, check out....
http://howtoscan.ca/scanning-basics/does-digital-ice-work.html
It will show you how Digital Ice works. But most importantly I will show you how you can get better scans WITHOUT using Digital Ice.
Konrad
www.HowToScan.ca
"What Resolution Should I Scan My Slides, Negatives, & Photos?"
This Depends On What Size Your Slides, Negatives, & Photos Are -- Here Are All The Different Types And Sizes, And What Resolution You Should Scan Them At...
Have a look at what you are scanning. Do you know if your slide is 35mm or 120? Is photo a 4x6 or 8x10?
Why does this matter? Well, if you know the size of and type of what you are scanning, then you will not get digital photos that are cropped. If you have a 120 negative, and setup your scanner to scan a 35mm negative, then the top and bottom will be cut off.
Here is a list of the most common types of slide, negative, and photo size and formats.
Slide and Negatives - And What Resolution To Scan Them At
35mm Slide or Negative
Technical Stuff:
Approx. Size: 1.3" x 0.85"
Max Scan Resolution: 4000 DPI
What You Get:
When you scan a 35mm slide at 4000 DPI you will get a 5200 x 3200 digital photo. What this means is your 5200 x 3400 is about 3x bigger than HDTV resolution. HDTV resolution is 1080x1920.
Also, at 5200 x 3400 pixel dimension, you get an 18 mega pixel digital photo (5200 x 3400 = 18 million, or 18 mega pixels.)
And why is the max resolution at 4000 DPI? There are a few scanners that go higher than 4000 DPI. But most scanners on the shelf can scan at 4000 DPI. But this resolution is for slides and negatives, not photos.
If you do not have the typical 35mm slide or negative, here are all the other types...
127 Slide or Negative
Approx. Size: 2" x 2"
Max Scan Resolution: 2600 DPI
Mega Pixels When Scanned at 2600 DPI: 18
Pixel Dimension When Scanned at 2600 DPI: 5200 x 3400
126 Slide or Negative
Approx. Size: 1.04" x 0.98"
Max Scan Resolution: 4000 DPI
Mega Pixels When Scanned at 4000 DPI: 17
Pixel Dimension When Scanned at 4000 DPI: 4160 x 3920
110 Slide or Negative
Approx. Size: 0.63" x 0.47"
Max Scan Resolution: 4000 DPI
Mega Pixels When Scanned at 4000 DPI: 5
Pixel Dimension When Scanned at 4000 DPI: 2520 x 1880
Medium Format Transparencies - Positive (Slide) or Negative
These come in many different format sizes, and are usually labeled as 6 x 4.5cm, 6 x 6cm up to 6 x 9cm. To get a 18 mega pixel scan you, scan these guys using a resolution of 2400.
Large Format Transparency - Positive (Slide) or Negative
Also known at sheet film, these guys will need to be cut. Once cut they are about 4"x5". To get an 18 mega pixel scan, set your resolution to 900 DPI.
Disc Film
These are odd-balls for sure. They were use to be called "butterfly film". And they look like what you would put in a view finder. If you have these guys, here is the technical stuff...
Approx. size in inches: 0.43" x 0.31"
Max resolution you can scan: 4000 DPI
Mega pixels when scanned at 4000 DPI: 2
Pixel dimension when scanned at 4000 DPI: 1720 x 1240
Photos
Also called reflective or gloss. These are your basic 4" x 6" or 8" x 10" photos everybody has. But you may also have older photos that are 2" x 2".
Here is the rule of thumb-- to get an 18 mega pixel digital photo, I scan my 4" x 6" photos at 900 DPI, and 8" x 10" at 600 DPI.
For anything smaller than 4" x 6", I use 1200 DPI.
How Resolution Works
Here is a crash course on how I get all these numbers. Look at an 35mm slide. The actual size is about 1.35" x 0.85. So when I set my scanner up for 4000 DPI, here is what happens...
1.35" x 4000 DPI = 5200
0.85" x 4000 DPI = 3400
Or, 5200 x 3400 pixel dimension. If you take it one step further, 5200 x 3400 = 18 million, or 18 mega pixels.
Now lets look at your 4" x 6" photo. I set my scanner to 900 DPI. Here is what you get...
6" x 900 DPI = 5400
4" x 900 DPI = 3600
Or, 5400 x 3600 pixel dimension, and 18 mega pixels. The same as your 35mm slide! This is why resolution is tricky to grasp.
Did These Tips Help? Get More...
Get Help With Your Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Project: Free Scanning Tutorials, Check Out:
HowToScan.ca
Hope these tips helped. Good luck with your family scanning project.
Konrad M.
Did These Scanning Tips Help?
Check Out More Tips Like This By Following Us On Twitter...
Did Digital Ice Help With Your Scans?
When you tried scanning your slides, negatives, and photos, did the editing software help?
When I scan my originals, I never use scan enhancement software. I find it takes away more than it adds. Instead, I edit my scans in Photoshop or Gimp.
How about you? Do you think scan enhancement software is good enough? Did it help you or was did you find it gave you lousy scans anyway?
Did The Scan Enhancement Software Your Scanner Has Help Improve Your Scans?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byYes, Digital Ice and other scan enhancement software was not at all frustrating and gave me consistent qualty scans.
No, not at all. It was frustrating and I wasted my time trying to use it.
by howtoscan
How To Scan Your Slides, Negatives, & Photos
If you are stuck trying to scan your Dad's slides, I will show you why you do NOT need an expensive sc...
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