Converting your Kodak slides into digital images
Kodak slides can be converted to digital images by scanning each slide. If you don't have many slides to scan, you may want to consider having them scanned by a professional photo lab. The second option is to scan them yourself. The benefits include lower costs, the ability to scan at your own pace and quality assurance. The drawbacks include the need to buy a quality scanner, allocation of the time necessary to scan and correct each image and the task of backing up the scanned images.
Instructions
1. Purchase a quality scanner. Two types are available: the flat-bed multi-slide kind and the single-slide scanner. Single-slide scanners tend to produce better quality results but are slower, while flat-beds can process several slides at once, but the scan quality may be lower.
A variety of high-quality film scanners are available from several manufacturers. Stay away from the cheaper scanners from any manufacturer, because the quality just isn't there. Look for a scanner that has high resolution (more pixels per inch), because lower resolution scanners can make your slides look blurry, and includes a stable and secure method to hold your slides while they are being scanned. A quality scanner will also come with more advanced software to make fixing any problems, such as scratches and dust spots, easier.
2. Check the slide for dust.
Inspect each slide for dust and dirt. Clean each side of the slide with a shot of compressed air. If compressed air does not remove the dust or dirt, gently clean the slide with a soft, lint-free cloth, such as chamois.
3. Scan your slides, and apply any scanning software-provided functions, such as dust removal, color correcting and sharpening, that might be necessary. Always use 240 pixels per inch or higher for the scanning resolution. This setting will allow you to make high-quality prints from the scans. Avoid the 72-pixels-per-inch setting, which is suitable only for the Web.
4. Place the scanned images into date- and subject-appropriate folders for easy cataloging. Placing the images in date- and subject-specific folders will make them easier to find and easier to back up.
5. Back up your newly scanned images onto recordable media, such as CDs or DVDs. If you have a PC, use the CD/DVD backup programs that came with your computer. These are usually "lite" versions, but they will do the job. If you use a Mac, simply drag the image file or folder onto the desktop folder representing the blank media, and click the "Burn" button when you've completed your selection.
Insert the blank media into the DVD drive, and wait for the program to acknowledge that it sees the media or a desktop icon representing the media to appear. Because you have saved your pictures in date- and subject-categorized folders, select the folders you wish to save with the backup software. Choose the folders for backing up until the software indicates you have run out of space on the recordable media. Click the "Burn" button, and take a break while the disk is created. Back up periodically--don't wait until you have scanned all your slides, because a drive can crash at any time.
Finally, label the CD or DVD with the folder names it contains, and put it away for safe keeping.
Tags: your slides, quality scanner, scanned images, blank media, Burn button, digital images, dust dirt