Scanning film is a convenient way to store unprinted photographs.
Scanning film is a convenient way to convert old pictures to digital format. Scanning film protects the images from degradation over time, and allows you to save space when storing images. If you have an online backup system, converting film to digital format can also protect against loss from fire or other disasters. However, if negatives are not scanned properly, all the advantages of digital format can be lost because resulting picture quality may be poor. Therefore, it is important to scan film properly to ensure quality prints in the future.
Instructions
Scanning negative
1. Locate the appropriate film holders. Most flatbed scanners come in a variety of film holders for different sizes of film. Choose the one that fits your film and place the negatives in the film holder.
2. Place the film holder onto the scanner. Close the lid and press "Preview" to scan a preview image.
3. Look at the preview image. Evaluate the exposure level, color balance and clarity. Adjust as necessary, using scanner software options.
4. Once the color and exposure looks right, set the scanner to a high resolution. Some scanners may give you options to indicate the final size; others may ask for a DPI. Since negatives are much smaller than prints, set the options to indicate that you want the final size to be at least three times the original size. Alternatively, if you are only given a DPI option, scan at the highest resolution available to you.
5. Press "Scan" to scan the picture into digital format. When the scanned file opens, use photo editing software to edit the picture, or simply save the file.
Tags: digital format, Scanning film, film convenient, film holder, film holders, final size, options indicate
