Scanning negatives

  • Thread starter Thread starter Moo
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Moo

I'm using an Epson Perfection V200 and I want to scan in my negatives
and slides to keep a digital copy of them both so I can post them on the
internet (i.e. facebook) but also keep a backup incase something happens
to the original photos.

Now, I understand that with this particular scanner, there's only so
much I am going to be able to get quality wise as it is an entry level
scanner, but what can I do to maximise what I am getting without silly
file sizes (I don't have the space for 8 meg tiffs per picture, there
are a lot of pictures).

Thanks for any info!

Oh, btw, hypothetically, what kind of setup would be needed to scan in a
photo to the PC and then reprint it as a 6x4 inch glossy photo and not
be able to tell the difference between the original photo and the reprint?
 
Moo said:
I'm using an Epson Perfection V200 and I want to scan in my negatives
and slides to keep a digital copy of them both so I can post them on the
internet (i.e. facebook) but also keep a backup incase something happens
to the original photos.

Now, I understand that with this particular scanner, there's only so
much I am going to be able to get quality wise as it is an entry level
scanner, but what can I do to maximise what I am getting without silly
file sizes (I don't have the space for 8 meg tiffs per picture, there
are a lot of pictures).

Thanks for any info!

Oh, btw, hypothetically, what kind of setup would be needed to scan in a
photo to the PC and then reprint it as a 6x4 inch glossy photo and not
be able to tell the difference between the original photo and the reprint?
Click to expand...

I've put a couple of pictures up on facebook just as a test (mainly
because I don't have time to put them anywhere else at the mo)

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=403571&l=71a4b&id=556006259

I understand that the quality of the pictures on facebook in general is
rather poor and doesn't reflect the quality of a full-size scan.

Please ignore the dust in the first shot, as you can see from the photo
scan it has been removed, the glass needed cleaning (it wasn't on the
negative).

I'm prefer to scan the negatives a it's easier to do as it does 4 at a
time and automatically finds the edges etc and you can adjust the
settings for each photo before scanning. I'd like to get the same kind
of image as I do when I scan the actual photo which I clearly haven't
here, the negative picture looks all washed out.

Is it a case of adjusting the histogram and tones or is there more to it
than that?

Many thanks,

Moo
 
How much do you know about photography in general and digital image
processing?
How much are you willing to learn?
How finicky are you?
What quality are the negatives? What kind of camera were they taken with:
P&S, SLR? Are they in good physical condition?
In general you will get better prints from a well scanned negative than a
print.
These Epson flat beds are capable of very good results. As you have not seen
scans from a higher end dedicated film scanner you will not know what, if
anything, you are missing.
A general recommendation is to scan your negatives at 2000-2400 dpi and use
dust/scratch removal if your scanner has it. If you do not understand at
this point how to manimpulate the scanner settings then use the automatic
functions.
For 35 mm that should generate a file of 20-24mbs per scan. If the negative
and scan are of decent quailty you should easily be able to print 8.5x11 at
300dpi from a file of this size.
Save you scans in a lossless mode like tif.
However rarely, even in experienced hands using premium quality negatives,
can an image go from scanner to printer without some intervening processing
(hue, contrast, sharpening, etc): digital image processing, if you want good
results. Adobe Elements is an excellent starting point, if you are willing
to learn (it has many autopilot features as well).
 
For Facebook, a truly "crappy" scan is going to be more than good
enough, almost anything will meet the needs of this (very modest)
application.

For archival personal use, while you may get good results with a flatbed
scanner that has transparency scanning capabilities, the best results
are with a dedicated film scanner. While these can cost $500 to $1,000,
you can pickup something like a used Nikon LS-30 in the $150 to $220
range (you can actually find them for a lot less, under $100, but those
are usually both incomplete and not working).
 
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