TRANSFERRING SLIDES TO YOUR COMPUTER

Hi All,
The following Question, courtesy of the CV Q & A Forum is one that may be of interest to Analog oriented Photographers:
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Author: Fernando (---.hsd1.fl.comcast.net)Date: 02-14-08 19:49

Anybody knows how to convert slides to prints ?
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A wonderful question; I personally had taken thousands of 35 MM slides over the years since I was a kid, and in just a few days transfered every one of them to a few DVD's; which I can read into my PC and make prints at will and also send the photographs anywhere on Earth.

There are a number of ways to accomplish this task:

1) Hire a professional to transfer slides to disk

2) Scan slides to disk using a regular PC scanner with a transparency adapter. (This includes a scanner integral to an "All-In-One" Printer)

3) Scan slides directly to disk using a specialized slide scanner .

Let's examine each solution in some depth:

1) Hire a Professional to Transfer Slides to Disk

This option is possibly the easiest, but can be costly. There are plenty of services available either online or at photography shops that will digitize slide images and transfer them to a disk. This is a great option for those who would like to transfer just a handful of images; however, for those with big libraries of slides, it can be costly. Expect to pay about $1 per slide transfer, together with a service fee. Most services use professional equipment, and many customers are quite satisfied with the outcome.


2) Scan Slides to Disk Using a Regular PC Scanner with a Transparency Adapter. (My method of choice)

This option that delivers fairly reasonable results is to purchase a transparency adapter for your PC scanner. It should be noted that not all PC scanners have attachments available. However, if an attachment is available for your PC scanner, then it is worth purchasing it. With a slide adapter, you easily insert slides, and your digital scanner will scan and save them to your hard drive. In most cases, the slides will be of excellent quality and after digitizing them, they can be enhanced with software packages like Adobe Photoshop.
Expect to find slide adapters on moderate- to high-quality digital scanners. An adapter sometimes comes included or can be purchased as an accessory. It is extremely easy to set up and use.


3) Scan Slides Directly Using a Specialized Slide Scanner.

If you have lots of slides but would rather scan them on your own into your computer instead of paying steep prices for a professional service, you may want to look at a specialized slide scanner. Slide scanners are built specifically to scan in slides. They are not only more efficient than the standard PC scanner with the slide attachment, but usually produce better quality. Most specialized slide scanners cost several hundred dollars. However, there are a few that cost under $100. Once your slides are scanned into your PC using your specialized slide scanner, you can enhance the quality of the images with software tools such as Adobe Photoshop.

This is lot's of fun folks so if you have a box full of slides; give it a try.

Dave