Negative scanner
If you have boxes of old photographs in your closet and you want to share them with friends via e-mail or Facebook, you might try a digital scanner. While it is possible to scan negatives with a traditional flatbed scanner, a negative scanner will give you higher quality results.
Should I Scan Negatives or Images?
An image is a copy of a negative, printed in reverse. You can scan photos to create digital images, but this is like making a photocopy of a photocopy. Scanning negatives will give you a cleaner result. Not only do your negatives contain more detail than a print image, they are usually in better condition.
What if I Don't Have a Scanner?
There are plenty of cheap and convenient negative scanning companies that will process your negatives, saving you the time and money of doing it yourself. Two of these companies--Pearson Imaging and ScanCafe--are listed in the Resource section below. Make sure to find a company you trust because you might be sending them the only copy of your memories.
Choosing a Scanner
If you already have a flatbed scanner and don't want to purchase another, you can use your current scanner to scan negatives. However, you will have to introduce a light source into the scanning process to invert the negative image into a positive one, otherwise, you will end up with a black image. For more information on using flatbed scanners for negative scanning, review the article "Scan Negatives With Cheap Scanners" in the References below.
Negative scanners are specially designed to scan negatives and film. These scanners have a greater optical resolution than regular scanners. You can purchase a good negative scanner for $500 or less.
The scanner will come with software so you can manage your negative scanning. While all scanners have different instructions, the basic process is the same: Place your negatives or slides into the scan tray and choose the desired resolution and image format. In a few minutes, you will have digital images from your negatives to share with friends and family.
Tags: your negatives, negative scanning, scan negatives, Scan Negatives, digital images