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How to Save 35mm Slides to Digital

Before the days of digital photography, the 35mm slide was considered the best way to store photographs. Photographic film was less prone to deterioration than paper, and the 35mm format allowed for easy storage in indexed boxes. The 35mm slides were shown using slide projectors, which, like modern digital image projectors, use an extremely bright light and lens to project the image onto a flat white surface. These 35mm slides can be converted to digital formats by using scanning equipment. The resulting digital images can be stored and manipulated on your computer in the same way as other digitally captured images.

Things You'll Need

35mm slides.
A transparency, negative or film scanner.
A compatible computer with appropriate storage.

Instructions

- 1
  Prepare your slides, as you would for a slide show, by making sure the film is clean and clear of dust.
- 2
  Make sure your scanning hardware and software are operational. If you are using a flatbed scanner with an attachment, ensure the attachment is fitted correctly. As the majority of 35mm slides are positive images (that is, the colors on the film are as you would see them in reality), make sure your software and hardware are set for positive and not negative scanning.
- 3
  Scan each slide one at a time and check each image as it appears on your computer screen. If the quality seems compromised, check the settings. Make sure light is not getting into the scanner during the scanning process.
- 4
  Touch up each image, if necessary. Old slides, even when stored and cleaned carefully, can be scratched by dust over the years. Many scanning software packages include the ability to retouch images by reducing "noise" from dust and scratches.
- 5
  Save and store your prints. If you are using image database software, catalog the image now in case you don't get around to it later.

Photography