How to Copy Photo Slides to Digital
Copying photo slides to digital involves a process called scanning. A scanner works with technology similar to a photocopier to create a digital copy of a picture that can then be stored on the hard drive of a computer, on an external memory device, or burned to a media disc. Most scanners are designed to copy multiple slides at once, speeding up what would otherwise be a tedious process of placing one slide at a time on the scanner plate.
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Things You'll Need
- Computer
- Digital scanner
- Photo slide template for use with a flatbed scanner, available at photography and computer stores (this is sometimes referred to as a transparent materials adapter, which comes with some, but not all, scanners).
Instructions
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1
Arrange slides to be scanned in the template, orienting each cardboard slide mount in the same direction to save time later when working with the digital copies on a computer (it won't be necessary to rotate pictures right-side up, for example). Slides fit snugly in the rubberized template.
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2
Place the template face-down on the scanner glass and close the cover.
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3
Open the scanner software on the computer by clicking the Start button in the lower left-hand corner and choosing All Programs. Double-click on the scanner software to launch the program.
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4
Click Settings and choose the Scan Slides option to set the scanner for multiple pictures. This way, each digital copy of the slides can be selected individually for color adjustments, cropping, and printing.
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5
Press the Scan button on the scanner control panel or click the Scan button on the computer screen to begin scanning the slides.
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6
Click the File tab at the top of the computer screen and choose Save As, then type a name for the group of slides that have been scanned and digitally copied.
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7
Click OK to save the copied slides to the folder created in Step 6 on the computer's hard drive.
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Tips & Warnings
Use digital imaging software such as Adobe Photoshop to adjust the scanned slides for best image quality.
