How to Scan Slides and Negatives
Scanning film negatives is a simple task if you invest in a film scanner, but that costs upwards of $200. Another option is to send your film off to a company that can scan all your negatives and put them on a CD for you to access from your own computer. But, if you would like to try to scan them at home with your simple flat-bed scanner, then follow these steps.
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Things You'll Need
- Super white, smooth printer paper or card stock
- "BackLighter" template
- Scissors
- Tape
- Negatives
- Scanner
- Photo-editing software
Instructions
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Print the "backlighter" template from AbstractConcreteWorks.com on your bright white paper. Cut along the solid lines, fold at the dotted lines and tape the edges together. When you are finished, you should have a right, isosceles triangle, the base (or the longer edge, opposite of the right angle) of which should be open (or not covered by paper).
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Place the paper triangle apparatus open side down on the scanner and place the slide or negative you would like to scan under the corner of the apparatus so that three of the sides of the slide are flush with the edge of the opening on your triangle. Scan the image at as high of a resolution as you can and make sure to adjust your scanner software to scan transparencies.
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Using photo editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, adjust the image to remove any graininess or scratches from the scan. You may need a separate program to invert the image--after all, you scanned a negative. Color negatives will invert with a slight orange hue that can be removed with photo editing software.
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Tips & Warnings
If you are unable to remove the orange hue using the photo editing software you already own, consider purchasing software specifically used for inverting negative scans.
