To be successful in using a 35mm negative scanner, you must be sure to have the right tools and equipment and follow certain techniques that will ensure quality scans. Although 35mm negative scanner operations are fairly simple, it does require a bit more than just placing a negative on a scanners glass and pushing the scan button. There are certain things that you can do to help ensure the good quality that is possible with a 35mm negative scanner.

First of all, you will need a 35mm scanner that is different from the typical at home scanner that is popular today. The 35mm negative scanner has to have a built in negative scanning ability, so make sure that when you are shopping for a new negative scanner, you get one that has this feature. A scanner for paper documents wont usually offer this feature, and with many of the special 35 mm negative scanners, you can produce great quality scans from scanning several of your negatives all at the same time.

Using your 35mm negative scanner, you will want to maintain a high resolution setting so that youll be able to enlarge a picture if you want to, while still retaining the high quality. A good thing to remember is that for every time you double the size of the picture, you have to double your resolution settings, too. The recommended resolution setting for a 4X6 photo is 300 dpi. A photo that is twice that size will have twice the resolution.

There are many different file formats when you use a 35mm negative scanner with computers. These file formats are TIFF, JPEG, and BMP files. The best files for a 35mm negative scanner are the TIFFs, because they can easily be saved and edited without loss of quality. Another setting that you will have to consider when using your computer for 35mm negative scanning is the output type. The output type that is usually the default type is Millions of Colors, which is obviously best for photos with lots of color. The output type Grayscale is for black and white photos.

For your 35mm negative scanner, it is recommended that you keep the output at Millions of Colors because computer software does a good job taking the color out. Keeping the output at Millions of Colors ensures top picture quality.

When using your new 35mm negative scanner, file sizes can get very large very quickly, with all of the saving and editing photos. Make sure you pay attention to the file sizes and the space that is available on the saving device. Make sure to plan ahead when working on 35mm negative scanning, and youll be sure to create scans that will preserve your memories for years.