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

These 5 Basics Will Help You Control What You Do With Your Slide, Negative, & Photo Scans

To help you better understand what is the best resolution to scan your family slides, negatives, or photos, here are 5 basics to have in mind.

1) Higher DPI Does NOT Equal Higher Detail Scans

The number one myth is that the higher the resolution, the better the quality and detail your scan will be.  That is exactly what I thought– “I will setup my scanner at the highest resolution possible, and I will see detail I could never imagine”.

Except there are limits.  Have a look at your actual slides, negatives, or photos.  When they were developed, the print shop used a certain amount of dots per inch to print them.  A typical 4” x 6” photo was printed at 300 dots per inch.  That means the print shop used 300 colored dots per inch to make up your photos.  So your photo has a limit of 300 DPI.  Same for a 35mm slide or negative.  These guys were printed (emulsion coated on film) using about 1500 DPI.  Quick note: I had arguments with professional photographers saying that slides and negatives have over 1 million DPI– we just do not have the scanners to pickup that detail yet…. but I digress.

You see, your originals have limits.  And once you setup your scanner to go past those limits, you are no longer picking up detail.  All you are doing is making your digital image bigger.  This leads me to my next point.

2) Higher DPI / Resolution Only Makes Your Digital Image Scans Bigger

I just talked about how scanning at a high resolution will not give you more detail.  All you will get is a bigger scan.

This is what your scanner does when you increase the resolution: it will produce the EXACT quality and detail of your original slide, negative, or photo at a bigger size WITHOUT losing quality.

Here is an example. Remember, your physical photo is 4” x 6” at 300 DPI.  When you setup your scanner for 600 DPI to scan that photo, you basically doubled it in size.  So if you bring your 600 DPI digital image to a print shop you can make a physical print that is 8” x 12” WITHOUT losing quality.  So you took your 4” x 6” photo, scanned it at 600 DPI, and now you can re-print it 8” x 12” without losing quality.

You did NOT add extra detail or added quality.  Your scanner just did the math and made sure you got the same quality as your original but at a bigger size.  It all goes back to the quality and amount of detail your original has.  Most people I know used simple cameras, and had their photos developed at generic photo shops.  If that is the case, it is most likely your photos are 300 DPI, and your slides and negatives are 1500 DPI.

3) Your HDTV Will Only Display At 1080 x 1920 Pixels

Lets look at your physical photo again– it is 4” x 6” at 300 DPI.  Now if you convert all those numbers into digital, you would get a 1200 x 1800 digital photo.

How?  Scanner magic*:

4” x 300 DPI = 1200
6” x 300 DPI = 1800

*math.

This number, 1200 x 1800, is your pixel dimension.  Write this down: your pixel dimension is the most important number.  Do not worry about dots per inch, resolution, mega pixels, etc.  Those are just a bunch of numbers that mean the same thing.  Whenever you get a digital image look for the pixel dimension.

Anyway, I just mentioned your HDTV is 1080 x 1920– that is its pixel dimension.  And your 4” x 6” photo scan has a pixel dimension of 1200 x 1800.  Since your digital image will fit perfectly on your HDTV, it is going to be displayed at HD quality.

What if you scanned your 4” x 6” at 900 DPI?  Would you see more detail on your HDTV at this resolution?  This is what you would get:

4” x 900 DPI = 3600
6” x 900 DPI = 5400

You would get a digital image that is 3600 x 5400– that is awesome! But, wait…  Remember your HDTV is only 1080 x 1920.  It has a limit.  So your HDTV is going to re-size it down to 1080 x 1920.  Or it is going to crop most of your digital image, giving you maybe the bottom corner.

But now worries.  Remember how I said that at a higher resolution you get a bigger picture– not more detail or quality.  So when your HDTV re-sizes it down to 1080 x 1920 you are NOT losing quality.  It is just making it smaller so that if fits your screen, but still maintains the same quality.

Are you seeing how all this resolution stuff is coming together so far?

4) How Resolution, DPI, And Pixel Dimension Gives You Mega Pixels

The basics of what your scanner does is this:  it takes the actual physical size of your original and multiplies the amount of DPI or resolution you imputed.

Here is what I mean.  Your 35mm slide’s physical dimensions is 0.85” x 1.30”.   When you tell your scanner you want to scan your slide at 1500 DPI, here is what you get…

0.85” x 1500 DPI = 1275
1.30” x 1500 DPI = 1950

So your pixel dimension is 1275 x 1950.  Remember how I told you to write down “pixel dimension”?  This is why it is important, because all these numbers we are using (300 DPI, 1500 DPI) all equal to the same thing: pixel dimension. Lets have a look again…

4” x 6” Photo Scanned at 300 DPI = 1200 x 1800
35mm Slide Scanned at 1500 DPI = 1275 x 1950

The pixel dimension is pretty close, thus you are getting pretty much the same digital image.  And even though you used different DPI, you still got the same digital image pixel dimension.

Now, I am sure you have heard of mega pixels.  To get your mega pixels, simply multiply your dimensions….

1200 x 1800 = 2.1 million.  In marketing terms 2.1 million is 2 mega pixels.

5) What Resolution You Should Scan Your Slides, Negatives And Photos

The simple answer is, if you want to maintain the same quality, scan your 4” x 6” photos at 300 DPI, and your 35mm slides and 35mm negatives at 1500 DPI.

Even at 2 mega pixels (see above), you are still getting HD quality digital images.  Remember, your HDTV is only 1080 x 1920 in pixel dimension and at 300 DPI / 1500 DPI you get 1200 x 1800 / 1275 x 1950.

But it is always better to have too much resolution than too little.  I scan my photos at 900 DPI and my slides and negatives at 4000 DPI.  This give me a 3500 x 5200 digital image, which is around 18 mega pixels.

Conclusion: A 1200 x 1800 Digital Image Is Enough

I just want you to know that as long as you scan your photos at 300 DPI and slides and negatives at 1500 DPI, you will be safe.  Your digital image will be the SAME quality as your original.  This is good to know because 1) scanning at higher resolutions take way longer so you can save some time, and 2) you do not need to go higher than that if want to view your scans at HD quality.

But if you are interested in “future-proofing” your family’s originals, then I suggest scanning them at 900 DPI for photos and 4000 DPI for slides and negatives.  You never know what future technology will bring.

Good luck with your scans!

Konrad M.

Oh, if you have weird sizes, like 2” x 2” negative film, etc, here is the best resolution to scan them at…

What Resolution To Scan Unusual Size Photos, Slides, Negatives

If You Are Unsure What Is The Best Resolution For Photo Scanning, Here Is What I Use

For your normal 4″ x 6′ photo I use 900 DPI.  But did you know you can use 300 DPI, and you will be perfectly safe?

Here is why.

Take a look at your HDTV.  The actual screen dimension is 1080 x 1920.  Now, if you scanned your 4″ x 6″ photo at 300 DPI, you would get a digital photo dimension of 1200 x 1800.  HDTV = 1080 x 1920.  300 DPI Photo Scan = 1200 x 1800.

You see, your photo scan is technically HD.  That is because it will fit snug on your 1080p HDTV.  And you will not lose any quality.  So why would you want to scan more than 300 DPI?

Well, to be even safer, I rather have more pixels than too few.  You never know what the technology will be like in the future.

One Big Problem Scanning Your Photo Over 300 DPI

Here is the thing– if you go over 300 DPI, say 600 DPI, you will start to pickup unwanted detail.  Minute dust, scratches, the oil off your finger prints– it will all be picked up.

And do not think that sine you doubled your DPI to 600 you will get twice the detail.  When your  physical photo was printed in the photo lab, the printer used 300 dots of colour to make up you photo.  So your physical photo has a limit of 300 DPI.  If you try to scan higher than that, you are just going start picking up surface detail– such as gloss off the photo, dust, etc.

Advantage Of Scanning Your Photo Bigger Than 300 DPI

I mentioned it is better to have too many pixels, than too little.  You never know what the technology will be like in the future.  Maybe HDTVs will be 2160p (2 x bigger than 1080p).

But the best advantage of going over 300 DPI, is that you image will be twice as big.  This means if you want to re-print your 4″ x 6″ photo, scan it at 600 DPI, and the photo lab will be able to print it at 8″ x 12″ without losing quality.

I get more into detail in the following article…

When To Scan Your Photos At 300 DPI, And When NOT To

If These Scanning Tips Helped, Get More…

I have a side project called How To Scan.  All the stuff I learned in 6 years scanning for a living is all in my free scanning tips and tutorials.  Actually, all the stuff to AVOID is in there.  I will show you what to avoid and how to get better quality scans.  You do not need an expensive scanner.  And you do not need to be a graphic designer.

So if you have a home scanning project, and need some quick tips, check out…

A Non-Technical Guide On Scanning Your Family Slides, Negatives, and Photos: Free Guide

Good luck with your scanning project!

Konrad M.

Here Are 3 Big Problems I Have With Relying On Digital Ice To Improve My Scans

What is the most frustrating part trying to scan your family slides, negatives and photos?Are you wasting time trying to figure out all the scan enhancement features,  only to get lousy scans?

Digital Ice or other scan enhancement software is a great idea. What is better to press a few buttons and get consistent results. Except if you have tried scanning your own slides or photos, you know that it is not that easy.

Here is 3 reasons why Digital Ice will not get you the results you expect…

1) Faded Colours Usually Come Out Looking “Plastic”

I find that whenever I try fix colour, it never comes out like I want. Green grass comes out blue. Red comes out bright orange. Most of the time the colours are so saturated that they look “plastic”.

Sure, I have tried tweaking the colour saturation so it is not so bright. But once I think I have the settings right, there will be a slide or negative that will come out wrong?

Why?

Well, one photo was probably taken in bright or dark light. While another was taken indoors. Not all slides or negatives are shot in the same spot. That means you cannot apply the same colour fix setting for ALL of them.

So maybe you do what I did– compromise. Instead of tweaking the setting for every scan, I found a good medium and scanned them with the same settings. I saved some time, but the results were not consistent.

2) Digital Ice Removes Dust And Scratches, What Else Does It Take Away?

The biggest issue with Digital Ice is it takes away detail– important detail. Sometimes I would get scans with the eyeballs gone! Digital Ice assumed the whites of the eyes were a big dust ball, I suppose.

Actually, the overall digital photo looks a bit blurry. When I compare a natural scan (no Digital Ice) with one where Digital Ice was applied, I notice a lot of blurred edges and smooth textures. Not good if you want to keep as much detail as you can. For example, the date on a license plate might not be legible. Sometimes small things like that are useful to identify a photo.

3) You Will Pay For A Better Versions Of Digital Ice

Digital Ice is owned by Kodak. They designed the technology. And what they do is they license this technology out to scanner manufactures.

So if you have an inexpensive scanner, you are most likely using a light version of Digital Ice. A more expensive scanner will have a better version of Digital Ice with more features.

My Nikon 9000 came with Digital Ice 4. At the time, this scanner cost me $6000. Do not get me wrong. This scanner has great technology at picking up pixels. The pixels are crisp, sharp, and hold a of digital data. But once I press that Digital Ice button, all those nice pixels get ruined.

How To Get Quality Scans WITHOUT Digital Ice

If you like to see how Digital Ice works and how you can get quality scans without using it, check out…

How Digital Ice Works And Why You Should Not Rely On It

This is a free, non-technical guide to help you with your scanning.

Good luck with your scanning project!

Konrad

Avoid These 3 Scanning Mistakes…

1) Thinking “resolution” means quality.

2) Using your scanner to edit your digital images.

3) Not learning how to properly scan.

If you have a home scanning project, and you are stuck, check out…

How To Scan Slides, Negatives, Photos: Free Non Technical Guide

Good luck with your home scanning project!

Konrad
HowToScan.ca

Here Is The Story– I Used Digital Ice To Edit Scans Until One Customer Complained About Horrible Scans

I have been fixing, editing, restoring images in Photoshop since 2000. It is a tedious process. To fix one photo sometimes takes 8 hours.

I also did a lot of scanning work.  And back in the day when scanners did not have all the bells and whistles like today, I had to edit scans in Photoshop.

Then in 2005 I found a scanner with something called Digital Ice 4.  Digital Ice was around for a while, but I read version 4 was a huge improvement.  So I went ahead and bought a Nikon 9000.  And when I tried a scanner with Digital Ice 4, I was impressed. All I had to do was press a few buttons, and in about 4 minutes out came a great looking scan.

So I thought.

I scanned about 100 of my parents slides as a test run. They looked great, so I went full steam ahead and scanned about 2000 more slides and negatives. Then going through digital images after scanning, I started to see a few things I did not like.

Sometimes detail was missing– detail from faces, colour was not right, etc. Digital Ice was OVER correcting things. So I scanned some of the bad images again. I tried playing with all the setting, and they still came out wrong. That is the thing– you cannot rely on a machine. It was better to do a “natural” scan and fix the image in Photoshop.

Out of 2000 scans, about 1000 came out looking good using Digital Ice. That is a 50% success rate. Not good since I paid $6000 for that scanner back then.

But I figured that I continue using Digital Ice, and if any needed fixing I would just open them up in Photoshop.  I used this method for my scanning business.  Things were going fine, I did not have one complaint.  Not until 2 years later.

I guess what happens is when you do something over and over, you get lazy.  And I admit, I got lazy.  My quality assurance went down over time.  I stopped looking over the images and fixing them in Photoshop.  Then I a few complaints started to trickle in.  Then I scanned about 3000 scans for one customer.  After she got her scans, she refused to pay.  At first I blamed her for taking advantage of my hassle free guarantee.  But when I looked over the scans, I new I was wrong.  They looked pretty bad.  And that is because I relied too much on the machine rather then on my skills.

Today I scan all my customer’s slides, negatives, and photos using high-end scanners, but NEVER touch the scan enhance buttons like Digital Ice. I create a “natural” scan, and edit every scan by “hand” in Photoshop. It is the only way I can guarantee my work.  And keeps me on my toes not to get lazy.

Like To Learn EXACTLY How To Scan Like A Professional?

If you like to learn how I edit my scans, check out my FREE guide.  I will show you how using Photoshop and Gimp.  What is Gimp? It does the same thing as Photoshop, but it is free.  Click the link below to get the tutorial…

How To Edit Your Slide, Negative, Photo Scans: Free Step By Step Guide

This is Konrad,
Professional Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Services

If You Want To Scan Your Slides, Negatives, And Photos Like A Professional, Read This…

Thinking of scanning your own family’s originals? Do you know something about Photoshop? Then here is how my team and I do it.

Right now you can get the step by step guide on scanning your own slides, here…

Scan Your Slides Exactly Like The Team At ScanCanada.ca

I will post how to scan your negatives and photos soon.

Good luck with your scanning project!
Konrad M.

How Do You Get Better Looking Slide Scans?
Here Is A Step By Step Guide To Help You With Your Home Scanning Project

My biggest scanning mistake was when I relied on my scanner software to edit my images. Even with my high-end scanners, I still end up with a bunch of scans that are useless.

But I did figure out a way to get better looking scans. You do not need an expensive scanner. And you do not need to be a pro at digital image editing.

Here is what I figured out…

1. Let Your Scanner Do What It Does Best

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”, “Colour Enhance”, etc. Do not use them.

That is why you do not need an expensive scanner. Today’s technology is good enough to give you a high-resolution scan. And when you do buy an expensive scanner, you are really just buying the editing software that came with it.

Most scanners today are pretty much built even– they can all scan at very high resolutions. So to compete, the manufactures add bells and whistles. So you start seeing scan enhancements like dust removal, color fix, etc.

I am a graphic artist. I have never in my 10 years experience came across a machine where I press a few buttons and I get perfect looking digital images. I would LOVE that, believe me. But when you rely on a machine to edit your scans, you will be disappointed.

The human eye is always better than a machine. So it is better to get a raw scan, and use editing software BUILT to fix digital images.

But do not worry. You do not need to be a pro. I will show you the exact steps on how to edit your slide scans using free software.

2. Free Guide On How To Get Better Looking Slide Scans

I put together a step by step guide to help you with your home scanning project. You can get all the steps by clicking on the link, here…

Complete Guide On Scanning Your Own Slides

This guide is free, and is brought to you by the team at ScanCanada.ca.

Good luck with your scanning project!
Konrad M.

If you are scanning slides or negatives that are NOT the standard 35mm size, then your scans might get cropped.

I have a list of all the different types of slides and negative film sizes here:

The Different Types Of Slide And Negative Sizes — And What Resolution To Scan Them

Now you can tell your scanner what you are scanning, and they will not be cropped.

Good luck with your home scanning project!
Konrad M.

Scanning Tips To Go! More…
Twitter/HowToScan

Here Is Three Tips To Help You Scan Your Own Family Collection Of Slides, Negatives, & Photos…

Tip One: Get Rid of 89% Of Dust And Debris

Before you even load your originals into your scanner, try this. Clean them!

I know, it sounds simple. So simple, many people skip this. But try it. Take a lint-free cloth and wipe your slide, negative, and photo.

But hold on! Make sure you do not wipe too hard. Use a light sweeping motion. If you press too hard you might scratch the film.

Oh, DO NOT use water or any kind of liquid on your slide or negative. If you do, you will smear the surface for good.

Tip Two: Avoid Scanning The Wrong Side

If you scan the wrong side, your image will be backwards. How do you make sure you scan the right side?

Well, take a look at your slide. One side will be bumpy, the other will be smooth. You will need to look under a light to see this. But eventually you will notice a difference.

If you have a flat-bed scanner, you need to keep the bumpy side UP, and the smooth side DOWN.

Negatives are easy. If you look closely, every exposure has a number. When you load your negative, make sure that number is backwards, toward you and facing up. The correct letting will be facing the glass.

Tip Three: The Best Resolution To Use

When you are scanning 35mm slides and 35mm negatives, use 4000 DPI. DPI can also be called PPI. At 4000 DPI you will get an 18 mega pixel scan! This means that you can print your digital image at billboard size. Why this big? It is always better to have too many pixels, then too little.

Scan your 4″ x 6″ photos at 900 DPI. This too will give you an 18 mega pixel scan.

But sometimes that is too big for your HDTV. So to make sure your scans fit your HDTV, scan your slides/negatives at 1200 DPI. And scan your 4×6 photo at 300 DPI.

Need More FREE Tips?

I hope these quick tips helped you. But if you truly want quality scans that look better than the originals, I have more tips for you. Check them out here…

How To Scan Slides, Negatives, Photos: A Non-Technical Guide

I’m always putting up new articles, so visit my Twitter if you wan to keep up…

Twitter/HowToScan

Thanks for stopping by!
Konrad

Hi, this is Konrad. Thank you very much for taking the time to read my guide. I am grateful for the opportunity to educate you a bit about scanning services. In a moment you will learn a few things about scanning and digital images. This will help you find the best scanning company.

I am the president of a scanning company. And five years ago when I started it was basically me. Today there is a lot more scanning companies popping up. That is fine. What is not, is that I am getting a few customers who need rescans. This is good for my business, of course. But I personally get annoyed when I waste time and money with any business. So I am writing this guide to make sure you, 1. Do not waste time and money and 2. Learn a little more about digital imaging.

So, here we go:

1. Resolution does not mean quality

Today’s scanners can all do 4000 DPI. So when you see 4000 DPI, it means it is picking up 4000 dots or pixels per inch. But DPI has nothing to do with quality. It just picks up the details off your slide or photo. If the colour in your slide is faded, then the 4000 DPI will pick up the faded image. What you need then is software to fix your scans.

2. Digital Ice does not fix bad scans

Many places emphasize “Digital ICE”. It is easy to scan 4000 dpi, and press the Digital Ice button. But you cannot get good scans by pressing a few buttons. When you see Digital Ice, it means they are trying to go through your scans as fast as possible.

It takes me about 3 – 4 minutes per a normal scan. Scans that need more attention takes me, well, whatever it takes. Sometimes I will have to spend more than 5 minutes. It takes so long because I go through every image in Photoshop.

So ask the scanning company if they just zip through your scans. The worst is getting your disc and finding out most images are useless. Digital Ice is a short cut. There is no substitute for the human eye.

3. There are two ways to scan your originals

First I will explain the bulk scanning process. The companies who scan by bulk use scanners based on speed not quality. They use flat-bed scanners that you can place more than one slide, negative, or photo. They do use Digiatal Ice, ROC, DEE and all that jazz to fix a bit of the quality. But speed is more important then quality. The advantage is the price is really low.

The other process uses slower but high-end film scanners. They are most likely graphic designers who know something about Photoshop and photo editing. And they do not treat your scans like a commodity. The advantage with finding these companies is you will not waste your time and money. You may pay a bit more, but at least you will know that you will get the best scans possible.

Four recommendations to help you find the best scanning company

1. Make a commitment to yourself to do something about your slides, negatives and photos. Time is not on your side. The longer you wait, the worse your originals will get. Converting them into digital images is the best way to save your family collection.

2. You found a company, now get samples. Send a batch of your worst slides, negatives, and photos. Ask to see their work. If they hesitate or do not offer this, you know they just want to zip through your scans. If you are looking for a bulk scanning company, ask anyway. Maybe the quality you get is something you can do with your own scanner from home.

3. Ask questions. Ask what sort of equipment they use. Do they use flat-bed scanners, or film scanners. Ask if they only use Digital Ice. Or do they take time with your scans in Photoshop.

4. Get a 100% guarantee. So you think you found a great scanning company.  And they emphasize quality.  But do they offer 100% guarantee? Of course not all scans can be brought back to their original luster. But the company should be happy to offer the best service possible, and give you your money back for bad 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

P.S. There is no obligation if you would like to scan a batch with my company. Send about 30 of slides, negatives or photos. I will scan them, and upload or ship you the results. If you like the quality and service, send the rest. If not, I will send everything back, at no cost to you. Visit www.ScanCanada.ca for more info on scanning services.