I know, it’s an irrational thought.  But that’s the BIGGEST reason why I scanned my parents slides, negatives, and photos.  I was afraid all those images would get ruined, or even destroyed in a fire.

Let me tell you how I learned how to succeed with scanning slides, negatives, and photos…

About 7 years ago I was scanning my parent’s originals, and got very frustrated with the quality of scans I was getting from my scanner.  It was the most expensive scanner out there, and it promised to “bring back colours to their original luster”.  But no what I tried, no matter how much I played with the setting, I was still getting bad scans.

Then I tried to contact a scanning company.  At the time there were only 2 scanning companies,  and they all used EXACTLY the same scanner I hae: Nikon 5000 film scanners, with Digital ICE 4.   I wasn’t going to pay for the same results I was getting at home.

Well, after a lot of hard work, trial and error, I finally figured it out — and kind of by accident.  One day I forgot to press all the scan enhancement features (Digital ICE, ROC, DEE, etc.).  What I had was one ugly natural scan.  Then it hit me! Why not use Photoshop to fix the scan!?  Photoshop doesn’t have Dust Removal and Color Fix, but it’s worth a shot.

I finally figured out what the common problems are with a scan (dust, colour cast, RBG values not level, exposure mid-tones too low or high, etc). And got far better results than if I would have used Digital ICE.

Now I have a system.  I scan and edit each slide, negative, or photo individually in Photoshop.  And I can get ANY scan to look brand new.

I guess my system works.  I’ve been scanning since 2005.  I now have 4 employees, in three locations.  I’ve helped scan for all types of people — from an 84 year old gentleman with 1 slide to a diamond mine up North with 35,000 photos, slides, and negatives.

I Know Offer Free Trial Scans

It’s easy to talk about my business and how I get perfect scans.  But there’s a lot of claims on the internet talking about “quality”.  Who cares.  I want to prove it.

That’s why I want to scan 30 of your slides, negatives, and photos as a FREE trial.

I know you’ll love your scans.

To start your trial scans, email me at info@scancanada.ca and ask me about “Free Trial Scan”.

Your friend,

Konrad Michniewicz

Learn How Your Own Scans Will Be Edited Into Hight Quality Images

In this article, I’ll show you what it takes to turn a 57 year slide and make it look brand new.  This is exactly the editing process I’ll go through with your own slides, negatives, and photos.

Let’s begin…

1.  Getting A “Natural” Scan Means I Won’t Lose Detail

My scanner’s use 6 line, CCD optical lenses that can get a 16-bit pixel.  Basically, what this means is that the pixels are going to be as sharp, as defined, with as much contrast as possible.  I don’t apply any scanner editing processing such as Digital ICE, Dust Removal, etc.  Remember, I want as much detail as possible — this means all dust and scratches too.

Anyway, here’s the natural scan I’m working with:

My goal is to achieve the highest quality scan — something like this:

Follow along, and I’ll show you how I achieve quality scans using Photo Shop.

2. Color Balance Tool To Correct Cast

Whenever I scan a slide, negative, or photo there will always a be a colour casted over the image.  That’s because my scanner also scans the glossy surface of a scan.  Using the Color Balance tool, I adjust the RGB values according to what colour is casted over the scan.  In this slide scan, there’s a yellow cast to it.  Here’s a before and after…

 

3. Noise Filter To Fix Film Grain

Because I get a natural scan, I’m going to get a lot of noise.  But that’s good.  Noise means detail, and sharper pixels.  But I do need to remove some grain — especially if your slide, negative or photo was shot using a high iso speed.

Using the Noise Reduction filter, I can remove grain WITHOUT messing with the detail.  Here’s a before and after…

4. Heal Brush, Clone Stamp — Tool To Remove Dust And Scratches

Noise reduction gets rid of grain.  But to get rid of the larger dust and scratches, I need to do this “manually”.  Photoshop has a lot of great tools like Heal Brush tool to clean up artifacts like dust and scratches.  This takes a while.  But it’s the only way to maintain detail. Here’s a before and after…

 

5. Fix Faded Colours Using Hue/Saturation And Exposure Levels

The last step is to brighten faded colours, and to even out the mid-tones.  Here’s the before and after…

Final Image: Slide Scan Edited Using Photo Shop

Here’s a before and after…

 

Put Us To The Test With A Free Scan Test-Run

At ScanCanada.ca, my team and I dedicated to our craft, and are more than happy to show off our work.

But don’t take my word for it. Put us to the test. Send 30 of your slides, negatives, and photos for a scanning test-run.

If you’re happy with the quality and service, then send the rest of your scanning project.

If not, you can keep your scans, and your originals are returned in the same order and condition they left your home. A scan test-run is a free service from ScanCanada.ca.

To start your scanning test-run contact me at info@scancanada.ca, or visit:

Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Services Guaranteed 100%

My name is Konrad, and I’ll be happy to help you with your slide, negative, photo scanning project.

Thanks for dropping by!

Konrad M.

Our Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Equipment And Software

1.  Best Scanner For 35mm Slide And Negative Scans

I found that for 35mm slides, the Nikon Super CoolScan 5000 ED film scanner  does a great job.  But one problem.  They don’t make them anymore. Nikon advertised them to the home scanning crowd, but I guess only scanning companies bought them.  If you do find one on Amazon, watch out.  I paid about $1200 for mine, but they’re going for $3000 due to the fact that they’re great scanners and there no longer made.

 

2.  Best Scanner For 120, 220 Slide And Negative Scans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For other slide or negative formats (120. 220, etc.) the Nikon Coolscan 9000 film scanner works great.  But again, one problem — they don’t make them anymore. I paid $3200 for mine.  So watch out if they’re selling them for double that on the net.

 

3.  Best Scanner For Photo Scanning

For all photo scanning, I use the Epson Expression 10000XP.  It’s about $3000, and you can purchase them at any photography store.  Or check out… Epson 10000xl Photo Scanner, Vistek.ca

4. Scanning Software To Edit Slide, Negative, Photo Scans

 

All our scanning is edited personally in Photoshop.  I avoid using Digital ICE and other scanning features that came with the scanner.  I have nothing against Digital ICE.  I just get better results when I edit scans in Photoshop and not use the software that came with the scanner.

If You’re Looking To Buy A Scanner Here’s What I Recommend

To be honest, you don’t need a high-end scanner if you’re scanning your family’s slides, negatives, or photos.  In fact, a simple $200 – $500 photo scanner like the Epson V500 is good enough to scan photos, negatives, and slides.  But be careful — don’t rely on the scanning features such as dust removal, etc.  You’ll need to get a natural scan, and edit your scan in software designed to fix images (i.e. GIMP, Lightroom, Photoshop).

You Don’t Need An Expensive Scanner To Get Quality Slide, Negative, Photo Scans — Here’s How

If you have a photo, slide, or negative scanning project, I invite you to visit…

Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Tips: Professional Advice From ScanCanada.ca

In the scanning guide you’ll learn how to:

• How To Use An Inexpensive Scanner To Get Quality Scans
• Best Software To Use When Editing Slide, Negative, Photo Scans
• Step-By-Step Tutorial On How To USE The Software
• How Resolution Works So You Have More Control Over Your Scans

And bunch more tips. Check it out…

It’s exactly how I edit my client’s scans, and I’m more than happy to share my scanning “secrets”.

Thanks!

Konrad M.

ScanCanada.ca: All Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Guaranteed 100%

 

 

 

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.