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How to Make Copies of Film and Negatives

When shooting with 35 mm film, the negatives or slides you shot are the only originals you have. If not stored properly, both slides and negatives can start to fade over time. Both slide and negative film are treated with different chemicals that, when exposed to light, will record the image the lens projects onto it. The images captured on film are still one step away from being viewed. These images need to be processed into negatives or viewable slides. Photos are then printed from the negatives, while slides are viewable through a projector or slide viewer. Copying film and negatives can be done by scanning the slides and negatives or photographing the prints.

Things You'll Need

Slide/negative scanner
Anti-static cloth
Tripod

Instructions

Scanning to a Digital File
- 1
  Open the scanner software on your computer, and create a new folder where the scanned images will be saved.
- 2
  Prepare the slide film and negatives for scanning by carefully cleaning them with an anti-static cloth. This specially treated cloth is designed to remove dust from the negatives and film. It will also help prevent dust from collecting on them during the scanning process.
- 3
  Make sure the settings in the scanner software are correctly set for scanning negatives or slides.
- 4
  Place the film or negatives into the scanner's carrier tray, insert the tray into the scanner and press start. This will scan the images and convert them to a digital file.
Copying to Film
- 5
  Place the photograph that was printed from the 35 mm negative onto a flat surface.
- 6
  Place a clear, clean piece of glass on top of the print to keep it flat.
- 7
  Attach your camera to a tripod, and position the camera toward the picture under the glass. To prevent glare from appearing on the pane of glass, angle the lights at a 45-degree angle toward the glass. You may need to further adjust the angle of the lights so there is no glare. Continue to look through your camera's viewfinder to make sure the picture is illuminated and the glass is free of glare.
- 8
  Focus the camera, and set the exposure.
- 9
  Take the picture. Repeat these steps for each picture of the film or negative that you want to copy.

Photography