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.

The Purpose Of A Free Scan Test-Run Is So That You’re 100% Satisfied
Before You Hire A Scanning Company

How it works is, send us 30 of your favourite slides, negatives, and photos, and put us to the test.

If you’re happy with your scan test-run, 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.

It’s easy to talk about “quality”.  But all your scans are professionally edited  in Photo Shop, and we want to prove our quality first before you hire us.

Feel free to contact me at 647-726-2265, or info@scancanada.ca to get started with your test-run scans.

In the mean time, check out some of our work…

Slide, Negative, Photo Scanning Gallery: ScanCanada.ca

Thanks!

Konrad M.

ScanCanada.ca: Professional Slide Negative Scanning Services

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

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!

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.