How to digitize photos

This page describes the scanning equipment and process used by Hans Sundgren when he digitized photos.

Most of the scanning is performed year 2008-2009 and later 2024.

Hans Sundgren at the scanning table.
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Film formats

During 2008 Hans scans the following film formats:

  • Negative 126 film, Instamatic
  • Negative 110 film, Pocket
  • Positive 110 film, Pocket slides
  • Negative 135 film
  • Positive 135 film, slides
  • Polaroid 135 slide film
  • Negative APS film, IX240

Equipment used

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Equipment

Hans sets up a dedicated table with the following equipment:

  • Flatbed scanner
  • Computer with scanning software
  • Film scanner
  • Compressed air
  • Light table and magnifier
Table with scanning equipment.
Use of compressed air to remove dust from slide.

Compressed air

Compressed air is used to blow of dust and particles from the film before inserting the film into the scanner.

Either a compressor or can-air can be used.

Compressor.
Compressed air in can.
Negatives and a slide on the light table.

Light table and magnifier

The light table and magnifier are used to inspect slides and negatives, for example to determine image orientation and emulsion side.

Light table and magnifier.
Inserting slide into Nikon 5000 ED.

Film scanner

There are several brands of film scanners. Hans Sundgren uses a Nikon 5000 as the main scanner and a flatbed Epson 750 as a supplement for larger negative formats and special scans.

The Nikon 5000 is fast, including the ICE dust removal. The scanner has different adaptors to enable scanning of:

  • Single mounted 24x36 mm slide
  • Negative film strips or positive film strips, 2-6 images per strip
  • Single film frame
  • APS cassette with up to 30 frames per loading.
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Computer with scanning software

Description to be added.

The scanning process

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1. Pick up the slide or negative

Locate the positive or negative and pick it up.

Negatives are usually stored as cut 5-frame strips in:

  • Envelopes, received from the development company
  • Specially designed storage sheets in binders

Positives are normally stored as:

  • Mounted slides in slide cassettes
  • Mounted slides in plastic boxes, from the development company
  • Mounted slides in purpose designed plastic sheets in binders
  • As 5-frame strips in plastic sheets, from the development company
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2. Determine the correct orientation

The single frame to be scanned must be correct orientated related to:

  • Emulsion side
  • Orientation, up and down
Removing dust by compressed air.

3. Remove any dust

Blow away any dust, using compressed air. Even though the scanning software has ICE dust removal, the film should be as clean as possible. ICE can only "guess" what is below a dust particle.

Inserting slide into scanner.

4. Insert the film in the scanner

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5. Start a preview

The Nikon Scan software can be set to automatically start a preview when a slide is inserted.

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6. Adjust the scanning parameters

Based on the preview picture, the scanning parameters may be adjusted.

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7. Start the scan

Start the scan. Remove film when ready.

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8. Rename the resulting image file

Rename the file with a descriptive text, starting with the date. For example: 1964-01-30_getingstigen_sture-sundgren.