I'm right in the middle of scanning 400 or so slides from the 80's discovered up at our family cottage so while the scanner is doing it's thing I thought I'd collect some of the lessons I've learned over the years.
There are three basic Do It Yourself (DIY) techniques for getting analog image media (i.e slides, film or prints) into the computer.
For prints you have two options; a flatbed scanner or using a digital camera on a copy stand. For negatives there are two options; a dedicated film scanner or a flatbed scanner with a Transparency Adapter (a light source in the lid of the scanner). For slides all three options can be used; a dedicated film scanner, a flatbed scanner or a digital camera with a slide adapter.
Which method to use is based on preference, desired quality and, of course, budget.
Film Scanners:
For slides & negatives a dedicated film scanner will produce the highest quality output with the highest resolution and dynamic range of tonal values. At the highest price, of course. These typically only support the 35mm format and, sometimes, medium format (120, 5x7", 4x4cm 4x6cm ..). Maximum optical resolution is usually between 4800 and 9600dpi. Katrin Eismann has a good reference on Scanning & Print Resolution.
A number of the major players in this venue have discontinued their scanners such as the Nikon Coolscan & Konica/Minolta D'image. Used versions of the discontinued models are still available on the net but you should verify that drivers for your operating system are available. There are bulk film & slide adaptors for the Nikons that are harder to find but can greatly speed up scanning up to 50 slides or complete rolls of film (APS & 35mm).
Plustek still makes film scanners and the 7600i was recently favourably reviewed by Mark Segal at The Luminous Landscape.
Flatbed Scanners:
A Flatbed scanner can be used to scan prints and, if it has a Transparency Adapter (a light in the lid), negative and slides as well. There is great variation in the quality, optical resolution, dynamic range and prices of flatbed scanners. However, they are the most versatile option for most people and one that most people may already own. A excellent reference for scanning using a flatbed scanner is Wayne Fulton's www.scantips.com site.
If you are considering a flatbed scanner look for at least 2400dpi or 4800dpi optical resolution. This can be difficult to discern without looking at a detailed specification sheet.
Also of importance is the size of the light source in the lid. A small or narrow light source can limit the number of slides or negatives you can scan at once. Not an issue for casual use but of importance if you are looking at starting a big project.
The dynamic range (Dmax) can also vary greatly between models. Dmax is the range of lightness detail the scanner can discern. The larger the number the more tonal information the scanner can capture. A Dmax between 3.8 and 4.0 is desirable for good image quality. Film Scanners typically have Dmax values between 4 and 4.8.
Most flatbed scanners will support 35mm slides & negatives. If you have negative or slide sizes of other film formats to digitize then verify that the scanner and it's bundled software support them. A common format not supported by lower end units is the 126 "super slide" roll film format popularized by Kodak for use in their Instamatic camera. Higher end units may have holders for medium or large film formats.
To see the current discussion on slide & flatbed scanners see these threads:
Digital Cameras:
Digital cameras can be used to digitize slides or prints. For mounted, large, or prints stuck to glass or badly silvered this may be the only feasible method for digitizing images.
Copy Stands are usually constructed with a fixed, heavy base with a adjustable height column that the camera attaches to. 2 or more lights are mounted to the base on arms angles at 45 degrees to minimize reflections.
There are many DIY projects for converting old film enlargers to copy stands.
A wall, tripod and lights may be used to fashion the equivalent of a copy stand. The print to be copied is attached to the wall. A tripod is used to secure the camera at the same height as the print. Lights are placed at 45 degree angles to evenly illuminate the print.
Slide Copiers are devices that sit on the end of a DSLR lens or replaces the lens and holds a slide or negative. They use ambient light to illuminate the slide (think hand-held slide viewer). Nikon makes the ES-1 and many third party models are available for point and shoot digital cameras.
Software:
The bundled software that comes with a scanner (film or flatbed) can make all the difference in quality and ease of batch scanning. Most more expensive flatbed models also come bundled with Adobe PhotoShop Elements which can offset the investment assuming you have use for the software.
There is also third party software for scanning. A popular title that supports many scanners is Vue Scan. LaserSoft imaging produces SilverFast which can be difficult to use but is highly regarded by fine art photographers.
A feature found in some film and flatbed scanners is Digital ICE support. The light source in these scanners has an additional infrared component that the Digital Ice software uses to automagically remove noise, dirt, dust & scratches. This typically greatly increases the time to scan.
Lessons Learnt:
Determine your naming convention before you begin. As some of the negative & prints I have archived don't have a date but usually can be sorted by decade I use a filename like: Slide_195X_<NN> or Scan_195X_<NNN>. For a roll of slides I use Slide_<Index>_<NN> where NN or NNN is a range of numbers with leading zeros for sorting. This works for me but YMMV the important thing is to develop a naming convention then apply it consistently.
Think about how you are going to archive the images (DVD-R, on-line service, Removable Drives).
Use Tags (MetaData, XMP, EXIF ...) to describe who, what where, when & why for the files.
Save your images as TIFFs. You can always resize and save the images as JPEG for display later. The JPEG file format is lossy and every time you open the file for editing you lose detail.
Pixels can always be thrown away but once gone they can not be replaced. Scan at the highest resolution you might need and make sure it is a integer fraction of the maximum resolution. I usually scan slides & 35mm negatives at 2400dpi though my scanner is natively 4800dpi. My printer is 240dpi which will give me a 8x10" print or a 4"x6" print with lots of detail I can crop if I choose.
I always use the histogram to set the white, black & midtones when scanning (see "A Simple Way to Get Better Scans") so I scan using a 8-bit-per-pixel bit depth (i.e. 256 gray shades or 24-bit colour). If, however, you need to adjust the image to correct colour balance (whites are coloured) then you should scan using 16 bits per pixel (65,536 shades of grey or 48-bit colour).
If money were no object and I had unlimited storage and RAM for PhotoShop I would always scan at 16 bits per pixel and the maximum resolution of the scanner.
Turn off the built in "noise reduction", "dust & scratches filter" and other "auto" corrections in the scanning software. These types of functions are better done by your image editing software.
Buy lots of cotton gloves and "Dust Off" to keep the slides clean & minimize the dust you scan. It's easier to clean the dust off the slides and negatives before scanning than to spend time using PhotoShop or digital ice later.
Think about how to store the old media (archival file folders, archival negative & slide holders) and how you will relate the indexes on the storage to the naming convention used for the digital files. This way when Great Aunt Betty wants a copy of that picture of Great Grand Uncle Fester you can find it easily.
There are three basic Do It Yourself (DIY) techniques for getting analog image media (i.e slides, film or prints) into the computer.
For prints you have two options; a flatbed scanner or using a digital camera on a copy stand. For negatives there are two options; a dedicated film scanner or a flatbed scanner with a Transparency Adapter (a light source in the lid of the scanner). For slides all three options can be used; a dedicated film scanner, a flatbed scanner or a digital camera with a slide adapter.
Which method to use is based on preference, desired quality and, of course, budget.
Film Scanners:
For slides & negatives a dedicated film scanner will produce the highest quality output with the highest resolution and dynamic range of tonal values. At the highest price, of course. These typically only support the 35mm format and, sometimes, medium format (120, 5x7", 4x4cm 4x6cm ..). Maximum optical resolution is usually between 4800 and 9600dpi. Katrin Eismann has a good reference on Scanning & Print Resolution.
A number of the major players in this venue have discontinued their scanners such as the Nikon Coolscan & Konica/Minolta D'image. Used versions of the discontinued models are still available on the net but you should verify that drivers for your operating system are available. There are bulk film & slide adaptors for the Nikons that are harder to find but can greatly speed up scanning up to 50 slides or complete rolls of film (APS & 35mm).
Plustek still makes film scanners and the 7600i was recently favourably reviewed by Mark Segal at The Luminous Landscape.
Flatbed Scanners:
A Flatbed scanner can be used to scan prints and, if it has a Transparency Adapter (a light in the lid), negative and slides as well. There is great variation in the quality, optical resolution, dynamic range and prices of flatbed scanners. However, they are the most versatile option for most people and one that most people may already own. A excellent reference for scanning using a flatbed scanner is Wayne Fulton's www.scantips.com site.
If you are considering a flatbed scanner look for at least 2400dpi or 4800dpi optical resolution. This can be difficult to discern without looking at a detailed specification sheet.
Also of importance is the size of the light source in the lid. A small or narrow light source can limit the number of slides or negatives you can scan at once. Not an issue for casual use but of importance if you are looking at starting a big project.
The dynamic range (Dmax) can also vary greatly between models. Dmax is the range of lightness detail the scanner can discern. The larger the number the more tonal information the scanner can capture. A Dmax between 3.8 and 4.0 is desirable for good image quality. Film Scanners typically have Dmax values between 4 and 4.8.
Most flatbed scanners will support 35mm slides & negatives. If you have negative or slide sizes of other film formats to digitize then verify that the scanner and it's bundled software support them. A common format not supported by lower end units is the 126 "super slide" roll film format popularized by Kodak for use in their Instamatic camera. Higher end units may have holders for medium or large film formats.
To see the current discussion on slide & flatbed scanners see these threads:
Digital Cameras:
Digital cameras can be used to digitize slides or prints. For mounted, large, or prints stuck to glass or badly silvered this may be the only feasible method for digitizing images.
Copy Stands are usually constructed with a fixed, heavy base with a adjustable height column that the camera attaches to. 2 or more lights are mounted to the base on arms angles at 45 degrees to minimize reflections.
There are many DIY projects for converting old film enlargers to copy stands.
A wall, tripod and lights may be used to fashion the equivalent of a copy stand. The print to be copied is attached to the wall. A tripod is used to secure the camera at the same height as the print. Lights are placed at 45 degree angles to evenly illuminate the print.
Slide Copiers are devices that sit on the end of a DSLR lens or replaces the lens and holds a slide or negative. They use ambient light to illuminate the slide (think hand-held slide viewer). Nikon makes the ES-1 and many third party models are available for point and shoot digital cameras.
Software:
The bundled software that comes with a scanner (film or flatbed) can make all the difference in quality and ease of batch scanning. Most more expensive flatbed models also come bundled with Adobe PhotoShop Elements which can offset the investment assuming you have use for the software.
There is also third party software for scanning. A popular title that supports many scanners is Vue Scan. LaserSoft imaging produces SilverFast which can be difficult to use but is highly regarded by fine art photographers.
A feature found in some film and flatbed scanners is Digital ICE support. The light source in these scanners has an additional infrared component that the Digital Ice software uses to automagically remove noise, dirt, dust & scratches. This typically greatly increases the time to scan.
Lessons Learnt:
Determine your naming convention before you begin. As some of the negative & prints I have archived don't have a date but usually can be sorted by decade I use a filename like: Slide_195X_<NN> or Scan_195X_<NNN>. For a roll of slides I use Slide_<Index>_<NN> where NN or NNN is a range of numbers with leading zeros for sorting. This works for me but YMMV the important thing is to develop a naming convention then apply it consistently.
Think about how you are going to archive the images (DVD-R, on-line service, Removable Drives).
Use Tags (MetaData, XMP, EXIF ...) to describe who, what where, when & why for the files.
Save your images as TIFFs. You can always resize and save the images as JPEG for display later. The JPEG file format is lossy and every time you open the file for editing you lose detail.
Pixels can always be thrown away but once gone they can not be replaced. Scan at the highest resolution you might need and make sure it is a integer fraction of the maximum resolution. I usually scan slides & 35mm negatives at 2400dpi though my scanner is natively 4800dpi. My printer is 240dpi which will give me a 8x10" print or a 4"x6" print with lots of detail I can crop if I choose.
I always use the histogram to set the white, black & midtones when scanning (see "A Simple Way to Get Better Scans") so I scan using a 8-bit-per-pixel bit depth (i.e. 256 gray shades or 24-bit colour). If, however, you need to adjust the image to correct colour balance (whites are coloured) then you should scan using 16 bits per pixel (65,536 shades of grey or 48-bit colour).
If money were no object and I had unlimited storage and RAM for PhotoShop I would always scan at 16 bits per pixel and the maximum resolution of the scanner.
Turn off the built in "noise reduction", "dust & scratches filter" and other "auto" corrections in the scanning software. These types of functions are better done by your image editing software.
Buy lots of cotton gloves and "Dust Off" to keep the slides clean & minimize the dust you scan. It's easier to clean the dust off the slides and negatives before scanning than to spend time using PhotoShop or digital ice later.
Think about how to store the old media (archival file folders, archival negative & slide holders) and how you will relate the indexes on the storage to the naming convention used for the digital files. This way when Great Aunt Betty wants a copy of that picture of Great Grand Uncle Fester you can find it easily.
