Choose a photo scanner that handles slides and negatives
If you're just getting started scanning photo negatives and slides, the first thing to know is that you need a photo
scanner with built-in negative and slide scanning ability -- you can't just lay a slide or negative down on the glass
and scan! A scanner designed to handle documents usually won't offer this feature.
HP offers photo scanners that are perfect for scanning slides and negatives, as well as editing and improving your
photos as you scan.
HP photo scanners
are standalone scanners designed with photographs in mind. An HP Scanjet photo scanner gives you maximum speed and image
quality, and you can choose a model that lets you scan several slides and negatives at a time. See the
scanner comparison chart
to see the slide and negative features of HP photo scanners.
Some HP Photosmart All-In-One printers come with slide and negative scanning capability. For example, the
HP Photosmart C8180 All-in-One printer
scans slides and negatives with the built-in adapter. A Photosmart All-in-One scans and prints high-quality photo prints
as well as making copies and handling ordinary print jobs on office paper.
This Photo scanner buying guide
will help you assess the various features and choose the best photo scanner for your needs.
Use the right file resolution when scanning slides or negatives
Image resolution is measured in dpi (dots per inch); the higher the dpi, the larger the file. Always keep in mind the
tradeoff between file size and quality.
Because a slide or negative image is so small, you'll want to maintain maximum resolution so that the image can be enlarged
as needed later. Make sure you're scanning at a high resolution (2400 dpi is recommended) when scanning either photo slides
or negatives that you wish to enlarge later.
If you're considering enlarging your scanned image from its original size, then a general rule of thumb is to double the dpi
with every doubling in size.
Example: To produce a crisp 4" x 6" print from a 4" x 6" scan, set your dpi to 300 dpi (recommended).
To produce an 8.5" x 11" print from a 4" x 6" scan, set your dpi to twice that, or 600 dpi, and so on.
When scanning slides or negatives choose the settings that achieve the highest quality:
File format: Of all the available file formats (TIFF, JPEG, BMP, and GIF), TIFFs are
ideal for archiving and editing photos and images where quality counts. Unlike JPEGs, TIFFs can be edited and resaved
without compression loss, meaning quality stays high. The downside is the size: TIFF files are extremely large and take
up a lot of storage space.
Output type: The HP Scanning software defaults to the output type that is best suited to what you
are scanning (in most cases, that will be Millions of colors). This output type is perfect for color
photos with a lot of shading. Grayscale is recommended for black and white images, and it results in smaller file sizes. You might
want to skip grayscale and select millions of colors, however, even when working with black and white film and negatives. This
preserves the best image quality for future work and output. You can always revert to black and white or sepia later on using
HP Photosmart Essential
or other photo editing software.
If you're going to be doing a lot of scanning and plan to save images as high-res TIFFs with millions of possible
colors, take a moment and do a little math. Say you scan one slide and select 300 dpi for the resolution (not recommended),
then change the output size to 8"x10". You'll you wind up with a 17 MB file that takes about two minutes to scan. You may
not get the level of detail you want, though -- it depends what you want to use the enlarged image for. At the same file
size, you could also create a 4" x 6" TIFF with a resolution of 2400 dpi.
The point is -- file sizes can add up quickly once you start scanning, editing, and archiving slides and negatives.
If you have a lot of scanning to do, note the size of a typical scan and multiply that by the number of items you plan
to scan -- this will keep you from running out of storage space in the middle of a project!
You can offload files to CDs, DVDs, an external hard drive or an
HP Personal media drive.
HP All-in-Ones and photo scanners offer you the ability to edit your photos in the scanner software in preview mode.
Depending on your scanner's features, you might be able to restore color, remove dust and scratches, or sharpen your photo.
Your image preview will change to reflect your adjustments, so you can decide if you like them or not.
Depending on the condition of your original slide or negative, and what you want to use it for, you can use the
settings on your scanner or All-in-One, your scanning software, or
HP Photosmart Essential
to make further changes to your photo or restore old photos. For example:
Crop to remove flawed areas and improve composition
Remove red-eye
Use Auto Correct to restore faded color or perform dust and scratch removal
Resize your photo to standard or custom sizes
Adjust brightness and contrast
Apply Adaptive lighting to bring out highlights in dark areas
Once you've collected some good scans of your favorite photo negatives and slides, it's time to start
thinking about how to share them.
Print your newly scanned photos using
HP Premium Plus photo paper
for photos that will last for generations.1
Use your edited photo as the basis for free, one-of-a-kind photo projects at the
HP Activity Center:
cards, calendars, album pages, frames, iron-ons, labels, stationery, photo recipe cards, and much more!
Upload your photo to Snapfish for free storing and sharing,
then shop the Snapfish store for creative ways to transform
your photo into wonderful photo gifts and keepsakes. Showcase your memorabilia by creating a Snapfish photo book. It's
easy and fun to create beautiful keepsake books, as well as share individual pictures or entire albums with friends and family.
1 Based on Wilhelm Imagine Research, Inc., light fade testing under glass (as of January 2005) on HP Premium Plus Photo Paper.
For more information on additional permanence testing factors, visit
http://hp.com/go/premiumplusphoto.
Take a free online class
in digital photography! Explore the many features of your digital camera, find tips for cropping and editing your
images, and discover new ideas for sharing your photos in creative ways.
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