Slide, Negative Film, Photo Scanning: FREE Scanning Tips, Tricks, and Secrets

If you’re going to trust a scanning company with thousands of your slides, negatives, and photos, here’s four tips:

Tip 1:  Get Samples Scans As A Test-Run

It’s better to lose $10 than $1000.  So before you commit all your thousands of slides, negatives, and photos, send ten.  And ten of your worst ones.

Put the scanning company to the test.

What’s the quality like?  Is it worth paying 99 cents for a scan that is worse than the original?  Do they scan them as-is?  Or do they try to improve the quality?

Get a feel of how their process works.  Do they want payment upfront?  Do they care how they handle your slides or photos?  Do they return your slides in the same condition when they left your home?

Again, It’s better to test 10 slides, negatives, photos and lose $10 than send all of them, and find out you paid too much.

And hey, if they try their best with a such a small order, then they will do the same if you come back with thousands.

2.  Ask If Your Slides Are Scanned Overseas

There’s nothing wrong hiring a scanning company, where they ship your slides, say to India.  You’ll get the same quality scans, and prices far lower than they can charge in Canada.

But be sure you are aware of this fact!  Some scanning companies that charge as low as 25 cents per scan hide this fact.

Again, there’s nothing wrong with outsourcing your scans.  But make sure you’re ok with that fact.  And if you’re NOT ok with it, and you’re unsure, one red flag is the price.  If a scanning company advertises as low as 25 cents per scan, and they’re advertising highest quality scans, then they may be outsourcing your scans.

3.  Get A Quote And A 100% Scan Guarantee

The truth is, anybody can buy a scanner, put up a website, and offer slide scanning services.  That’s easy.  What’s not easy, is getting quality scans.

And if you’ve ever tried scanning yourself, you know exactly how much time and effort it takes to get scans that look at least as the original.

A quality scanning company will have no issues giving you a full 100% scan guarantee.  It’s the guys that buy a scanner, put a up a site, and offer cheap scanning that won’t back up their work.

4.  Ask Yourself: “Do I Want Convenient Scans Or Quality Scans”?

This last tip is probably the most important.

Say you’ve tried scanning, and it’s taking too much time.  If you rather have somebody else do this for you, and not not concerned about quality, then I suggest a “bulk” scanning company.

These scanning companies are ofter fast and cheap.  And if you rather save on price and pay in quality, then there’s nothing wrong hiring a “bulk” scanning company..

If you rather have quality scans then look for scanning companies that focus on quality not speed.  They often take longer and are more expensive.   But they will be glad to give you samples of your scans before you commit all of them; they’ll be happy to offer a full 100% scan guarantee; and they’ll treat your family’s originals as if they were their own.

Remember, these are the only copy of your originals.  And if you like to pass on quality scans to the next generation, then find a scanning company that focuses on quality, and not speed or bulk scans.

About The Author

Hey, my name is Konrad.  Thanks for reading.  I’m a digital designer, and I’ve been scanning since 2005.  I’ve also been using Photo shop since it came out.

So, if you like my team and I to scan your family’s slides, negatives, or photos, please visit: http://ScanCanada.ca

Digital ICE can’t give you consistent quality scans like you can in Photoshop.

Here’s a quick video of how I scan my client’s slides, negatives, and photos in Photoshop:

About ScanCanada.ca

We’re a small team of graphic designers, dedicated to slide, negative, photo scanning services. Located in three locations: Toronto, Calgary, and London.

Before you a scanning company, be sure you’re 100% comfortable with somebody else handle your only copy. At ScanCanada.ca, you’re invited to scan a small batch before you decide to commit all your scans.  This is a free service from ScanCanada.ca, and you’re under no obligation.

Please visit, ScanCanada.ca for more info.

When Should You Save Your Slide, Negative, or Photos as TIFF or JPEG

If you’re a commercial artist, magazine, museum, then NEVER scan your slides, negatives, or photos as JPEGs.  Saving your scans as TIFFs will give you file size of around 100 MB. At best, you’ll get around 12 MB from a JPEG scan.

Does 100 MBs mean you have a better quality digital scan?

No.  Don’t confuse file size with the quality of your scan.  The only reason you’d want a 100 MB digital photo is because you have more data to work with.  So if you’re doing any commercial editing, it’s better to have as much digital data as you can.

Also, at 100 MB, you can print your scans at billboard size.

Saving Your Scans As JPEGs Is Safe

JPEG images are great if you have a home scanning project.  And just because you have a JPEG and not a TIFF, does NOT mean the quality of your scans will be worse.

Basically, a JPEG is a compressed version of a TIFF (technically a RAW file).  Instead of a 100 MB file, you can have the same looking image, but at 12 MB or less.  The math involved in the compression “knows” what data it can get rid of and what data it can keep– and you end up with the same looking image, but at a smaller file size.

How To Make Sure Your JPEG Compression Is NOT Too High

There’s one small catch.  Most scanner’s default compression level is a bit too high for my liking.  Sure, at a higher compression level you get a smaller file size.  But at the cost of quality.

Here’s how to change the compression level when you’re saving your cans as JPEGs.

I’ll be using a simple Epson home scanner.  Your scanner might be a bit different.  But you still can follow along because this stuff is bascailly the same, no matter what scanner you have.s

Anyway, here’s a screen shot of my scanner’s settings:

1. Look for something called “File Saving Options”.  My Epson scanner has an icon for this option.

2. Another window will open up.  This is where I choose if I want to scan JPEG, TIFF, etc.

3. Once I choose JPEG, there’s another option just for JPEG format.  Again, your scanner might be different.  And you might have to fiddle and look around to find these options on your scanner– but they’re there.

4. Now I have the JPEG options window open.  This is where I choose what compression level I want my scans saved as.  If I have 0 compression, that means I have the highest quality JPEG I can get. But these means I’m going to get a bigger file size.  At 100 compression, you basically won’t see any detail form your image.  But you will have a very small file size.

So the balance is high quality vs. a reasonable file size.  My Epson’s default is around 10 compression.  Which is way too high for me.  My sweet spot is around 3 or 4.  This gives me a 5 MB digital image.  At 0 compression, I get a 12 MB file.   But sometimes 12 MB is too clunky– say for email or uploading.

Do You Have A DIY Home Scanning Project?

Hi, Konrad here. I’m the owner of ScanCanada.ca and been scanning since 2005.  I’ve scanned over 500, 000 slides, negatives, and photos.  If you have a home scanning project, and you’re not getting the results you expected, then you’re welcome to check out my How To Scan guide.  I’ll show you exactly how I scan my customers slides, film, and pictures.  And I try to be as non-technical as I can.  Check it out here…

How To Scan Slides, Negatives, Photos: http//HowToScan.ca

Or if you like a small team of professionals to convert your slides, negatives, photo into digital, please visit:

Scanning Services: http://ScanCanada.ca

Thanks!

It’s easy to talk about quality.  Here’s a quick video of a comparison between normal scans vs. slide scans edited by ScanCanada.ca:

Slide Scanning: Compare Normal Scan Vs. Edited Scan By ScanCanada.ca

I want to share a simple story with you.

Tess, a customer from Toronto, found some old slides that belonged to her Father.  Here’s a quick video of her story:

Slide, Film, Negative Scanning: Slide Show of 60 Year Old Slide Scans

This scanning blog is just one place  where you can find my articles on how to convert slides, negative film, and photo into digital. Here’s where you can find my stuff…

HowToScan.ca

This is my side project when I’m not scanning for a living.  I will show you exactly how I scan my customer’s slides, negatives, and photos.  I try to make is as non-technical as I can.

Check it out, FREE Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Guide

eZineArticles.com

These articles are a bit more technical, and my major focus is on understanding resolution.  I also have quick scanning tips as well.

Please visit, eZine Article Expert Author on Scanning

Squidoo.com

Here’s where you can get quick, fast tips on scanning your own slides, negatives, and photos.  If you don’t have the time, and want to jump right into scanning, check out, Squidoo: Squidoo Lensmaster HowToScan

Imagine your Dad’s reaction when he sees 60 year old slide scans of himself when he was just a boy.  Convert your family slides, negative film, and photo into HD quality digital images.  Slide, Negative Film, Scanning Services Toronto.
 

Your Digital Images Will Turn Out Backwards If You Do Not Know What Side To Scan

Make make sure your slide or negative film scans do not turn out like this:

Here is 3 quick tips to make sure you scan the right side of your negative film or slide, please check out…

What Side To Scan Your Slide or Negative Film

Most people think you need a lot of resolution / DPI to get high-definition digital photo scans. But the fact is, if you scan your 4”x6” photos 300 DPI, you still get HD quality digital images.  Here is 3 reasons why:

1.  Your HDTV Has A Screen Resolution Of 1080 x 1920

It does not matter if your HDTV is 32 inches or 52 inches– if you have an 1080p HDTV, the “screen resolution” is 1080 x 1920 pixels.  What does screen resolution have to do with your photo scans?

2.  Your 4”x6” Photo Scans Have A Pixel Dimension of 1200 x 1800

Instead of “screen resolution”, your digital photos have what is called “pixel dimension”.  When you convert a photo into digital, you are going to get digital image that has a pixel dimension of 1200 x 1800.

3.  Always Look At Pixel Dimension As A Yard Stick

Resolution is always confusing because there is so many terms: DPI, mega pixels, pixel dimension, screen resolution, etc.  To make it easier for you, always look at the pixel dimension or scree resolution.  Forget about DPI, mega pixels, 720p, 1080p– those are all fancy marketing terms that mean the same thing.

Anyway, back to your photo you converted to digital.  Remember I said that it has a pixel dimension of 1200 x 1800.  Now, if you look at your HDTV, it has a screen resolution (same thing as pixel dimension) of 1080 x 1920.  This means when you put your digital photo on your HDTV, it is going to fit perfectly.  Your HDTV won’t have to crop it, size it down, stretch, etc., to make it fit on the screen.  Your 4”x6” photo scan at 300 DPI is considered HD quality.

Always try to find a number like, 1080 x 1920.  And use your HDTV as a yard stick.  If, say your digital camera is 2 mega pixels, check and see the pixel dimension of the digital photos.  If your digital photos from your camera are 1200 x 1800 (give or take), then you know they are HD quality.  Always use pixel dimension or screen resolution as the yard stick.

Learn More About Photo Scan Resolution So You Can Have More Control Over Your Digital Images

Choosing the right DPI for photo scanning is just the start.  If you like to learn more on how to get better looking photo scans, please read my eZine article:

Get Excellent Quality Photo Scans: Three Tips

Good luck with your photo scanning project!
Konrad M.
ScanCanada.ca

I want to show you a short series of slide scans from Tess O’Neal, a customer from Toronto.  These images you see below are 40 years old slides!

Slide Scan From 1951 – Tess’ Mother.

Slide Scan 1951 –  Baby Tess with her Mom.

Slide Scan 1953 –  Tess has a sister, Angela!

Slide Scan 1957 – And then another sister, Marge!

Slide Scan 1957 – Tess’ sister Marge with Mom.

Slide Scan 1958 – The Family, Including Grandpa and of course Dad taking the photo.

Do these remind you of your own collection of family slides, negative film, or photos?

Is there a reason you’re NOT converting those slides sitting in your closet into digital? Do something about your Dad and Mom’s collection of film and slides, and convert those memories into digital.

We’re a small team of graphic designers that make up ScanCanada.ca.  We have been converting film, slides, and photos since 2005, and have been editing digital photos since 2000.   And our number one goal is TRUST. This is why my team and I invite you to try a FREE test-run.  Here’s how it works…

Get FREE Scans Before You Decide On Scanning ALL Your Slides, Film And Photos

Let our work speak for itself.  I’m confident in our work, so that’s why I invite you to ship or drop off, say, 25 – 50 slides, photos, or negatives.

I’ll scan them, at no cost.  If you’re completely happy with the quality, send the rest and my team and I will be glad for the opportunity to scan the rest of your family’s originals.

Also, my team and I guarantee all scans.  If you’re not happy with the results, no problem– we’ll either re-scan, re-edit, or not charge you for them.

To start your FREE Test Run, please visit: ScanCanada.ca: Professional Slide, Film, Photo Scanning Services

At 1500 DPI, You Will Get HD Quality Digital Images

If you’re converting your negatives or slides into digital, and want true HD quality digital images, you don’t need to scan them at 4000 DPI.

Scanning your originals at 1500 DPI will give you true HD digital images.  Also, scanning at 1500 DPI is going to save a lot of time.  At 4000 DPI, it takes me about 3 minutes to scan a negative.  At 1500 DPI, it takes about 45 seconds.

How can 1500 DPI be true HD?  Well, have a look at your HDTV.  Did you know the resolution of your HDTV is only 1080 x 1920.  Have a look…

Or take a look at your computer monitor– in my case it is only 1366 x 768.  Check it out…

How about an iPad? The screen resolution on that thing is 1024 x 768.  Here is the big picture…

What’s do these numbers have to do with your slide or negative scans?  Well, if you scan a 35mm slide or 35mm negative at 1500 DPI, you are going to get a digital image that is 1275 x 1950.  Look here…

You see, at this pixel resolution, your digital images are bigger than your HDTV.  1500 DPI is all you need!

Learn More About Resolution So You Can Have More Control Over Your Digital Images

This stuff is just the begining.  If you want to learn more about resolution so you can do a lot more with your scans, check out…

Understanding Resolution For Better Slide, Negative Scans

Good luck with your scanning project!

Konrad M.

ScanCanada.ca: Professional Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Services Toronto