How to Convert Photos and Slides to a CD
Converting old photos and 35mm slides to digital files can help preserve priceless memories for years to come. Transferring the images to CD is usually the most convenient way to share family pictures with others. Most scanners include software to edit, crop and resize your photos. The challenge is transferring slides without investing money in expensive slide scanners. With a do-it-yourself "back-lighter," you scan both photos and slides on an ordinary flatbed scanner and use a computer to burn the files to a CD.
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Things You'll Need
- Flatbed document scanner
- 35mm slide back-lighter device (see link in Resources)
- Recordable CD
- CD burner and software
Instructions
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Install the device drivers for your scanner if you have not already done so. If no CD was provided with the scanner, download and install the drivers and utility software from the manufacturer's website.
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Connect the flatbed scanner to your computer via a USB port.
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Place a photo on the glass surface of the scanner and push the "Scan" button. Or place a 35mm slide onto the surface of the scanner, cover slide with the back-lighter device, then press the "Scan" button.
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Save the image files to a folder on your computer's hard drive.
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Insert a recordable CD into the CD burner and click the "Burn" icon in the burning software to begin transferring the image files to CD. The CD will eject when the transfer is complete.
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Tips & Warnings
To increase the quality of the saved images, adjust the resolution from the typical 150 dots per inch (DPI) to 300 DPI or more. Higher resolution images will result in larger image files but will provide better quality should you decide to print copies of the images from the CD at a later time.
Do not exceed the 700 MB capacity of the CD disc. You may need to burn several discs, depending on the size of your photo and slide collection.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit cd"s image by Dianne Burridge from Fotolia.com
