How to Scan Slides - Tips & Recommendations

Step by Step

ScanCafe has provided this page to help those of you who would like to scan slides on your own. Slide scanning is a manual, time consuming process that can take weeks, months, and even years out of your busy schedule so we really recommend that you think through the cost benefit of scanning slides on your own.

That said, we know that some of you will need to scan some slides on your own, and we think it is in our best interest to give you as much information as we can so below are some slide scanning tips for you.

How to Scan Slides: Pre-Scanning decision tips

1. Allocate enough time: You'll need time to set-up your computer and scanner. You'll need time to learn how to scan, and you'll need to set aside enough time to do the actual scanning. It takes about 3-4 minutes to scan each slide.

2. Select a scanner: The Nikon 5000 ED and Nikon 9000 ED scanners can be a little pricey, but we like them. See ScanCafe's top tips for buying a slide scanner for more information.

3. Scanning resolution: Scanning slides is far more labor and investment intensive than scanning photos. Hence, we recommend leaving no stone unturned in capturing all the information available on your precious slide. Your goal is to archive and preserve precious memories. We therefore recommend 3000dpi resolution for slide scanning, as well as negative scanning. Why? 3000dpi allows you the option of printing your original photo at 8x12. You can go up to 4000dpi, but we do not recommend it. 4000 dpi resolution is generally too high, and you will see microscopic defects that are on the slide. Trust us. We have experimented with slides that are over 80 years old, and we have a lot of experience with this.

4. Scan the correct side: Inserting slides into a scanner is not as trivial as scanning photos. Slides have two surfaces, and it can be confusing as to which surface to scan. Depending on the slide scanner you choose, pay attention to the orientation of the slide. For the Nikon 5000ED, hold the slide up with the image (in the correct orientation) facing you. Then, turn it around by 180 degrees and insert it into the scanner. It will help to "organize" all slides in this manner prior to scanning.

5. File naming: If you have slides organized in batches or groups, we recommend you use your scanner's "batch scan" mode which allows you to scan slides without having to individually name each one of them. By the way, while we do recommend Nikon's 5000ED scanner, we do not recommend using the automated 50 slide loader accessory. In our experience this product is prone to jamming and you have to pre-organize all slides prior to loading.

How to Scan Slides: Processing decisions

6. Clean the slides: Use compressed DRY air to blow away dust and grit. Do not use your breath! If your slides have been stored in a cool dry place, this should be sufficient prior to scanning. If not, you might have mold build up or crusted dust that is difficult to get off with a jet of air. We recommend using a special film cleaner such as “Rexton Anti-Static Film Cleaner for Black & White and Color Film”. Here again, use a lint free cloth and wipe gently along the length of the slide. Do not apply the cleaner in a swirling motion, you will scratch the surface. Worst case, if the slide is in really bad shape, you can try to scan it, and then apply photo restoration techniques to improve the digital file.

7. Scanner settings:

   1. Dpi: 3000 (described above) your file size will be approximately 5-7MB for an uncompressed jpeg and ~40-70 MB for a TIFF

   2. File format: If you are not a professional, we strongly recommend jpeg (uncompressed). Why? For professionals or people familiar with image editing software such as Adobe Photoshop, TIFF is the best option. This option allows you to make many edits without loosing "image quality"

   3. Digital ICE: Test your slides with and without Digital ICE and determine which is the best setting. Check for sharpness of the image at a high zoom level. For some images, Digital ICE might "remove" more than just dust a scratches. Once you are convinced of the effects of Digital ICE, choose to enable or disable this feature.

   4. Crop your pictures BEFORE you do the final scan, using the scanner's preview mode. After the quick preview shows up on your screen, crop the image by drawing a box around the area you want scanned. Never scan the white background along with the photo. Three good reasons: The scanner's automatic brightness and contrast adjustment will think the white background is part of the picture and will adjust the image quality poorly; the image will be much bigger than it has to be, making the resulting file unwieldy; and the scan will take a lot longer to complete.

8. Stack your slides on one side of the slide scanner. Make sure that you don't stack them near the edge of the working table…you will inadvertently knock them down and ruin your organization! Once scanned move them to the other side.

9. Depending on the slide scanner you choose, the workflow will be different. For example if you are using a flat bed scanner you will be able to load your slides on a "slide loader adapter". If you are using a dedicated film scanner, you will most likely have to load one slide at a time.

10. Focus: Most scanners will have an auto focus feature. Allow the scanner to complete the focus operation and then hit the scan button.

11. Kodachrome slides are a type of film developed using Kodak's special K-14 process (in comparison to standard E-6 process). Make special note if you have such slides. We recommend buying a scanner that allows for this special setting to get best results. Also Kodak's Digital ICE may not work optimally with Kodachrome slides if your scanner is not capable of this special film. Nikon's 9000ED is capable of running ICE on Kodachrome.