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How to Scan 4X5 Negatives

The advent of digital technology has given photographers another way to store their archive of film negatives. Dedicated film scanners will create large detailed digital files of 35mm film and 4-by-5-inch large format negatives. The scanning process is essentially the same, with the only difference being the type of scanner you use, and the negative carrier. Once scanned, the digital version of your negative can be edited with the same photo editing software you use to edit your digital pictures.

Things You'll Need

Film or Flatbed scanner capable of scanning large format negatives
Anti static cloth

Instructions

- 1
  Turn your home computer and dedicated film scanner on. Flatbed scanners that are capable of scanning negatives can also be used in place of dedicated film scanners. Film scanners will create more detailed scans than flatbed scanners, and they have editing programs that will automatically remove dust during the scanning process.
- 2
  Open the software for the scanner and select the film size and type you are scanning from the settings tab. Create a new folder where your scanned images will be saved to.
- 3
  Prepare the negative for scanning by carefully cleaning it with an anti static cloth. This cloth will remove any dust and light debris from the negative and help prevent dust from collecting on the negative during the scanning process.
- 4
  Place the negative into the correct carrier tray and insert the carrier tray into the scanner.
- 5
  Click the "Scan" button to commence the scan. Review the image when it appears in the preview screen. At this point, you can edit the negative to remove any dust.
- 6
  Save the scanned negative as a "TIFF" file, while this format will create a larger file than a JPEG, it will also retain all of the data from the scan. Repeat the process, until all of your negatives have been scanned.

Photography