subscribe 0330 333 1113 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I 29 June 2019 37
Ten tips for
top scans
1
Use a fi ne-hair lens
brush to clean any
dust or tiny hairs from
the fi lm before copying
or scanning.2
Film has a shiny
refl ective side and a
dull emulsion side. For
correct picture orientation,
the shiny side should face
the camera lens or
scanner head.3
Whether working on a
lightbox or a scanner,
keep the fi lm fl at to ensure
the image remains sharp
right across its surface.4
If using a camera to
copy fi lm, use a narrow
aperture to maintain depth
of fi eld and compensate for
any unevenness in the fi lm.5
Use a tripod to prevent
camera shake at
slower-than-normal
shutter speeds,
exaggerated when
shooting in close-up.6
If using a lightbox,
check that the bulbs
or other illumination are
daylight-balanced (colour
temperature 5,000 kelvin).7
If bulbs are tungsten
balanced (normal
room-lighting bulbs at
3,200 kelvin), manually
adjust white balance on
the camera accordingly.8
Small negatives or
transparencies need
high resolutions to produce
a decent image size. A
35mm image scanned
at 1,600dpi will give a
19x12.5cm-sized picture
at 300dpi.9
Avoid scanning
under-exposed
negatives that lack
detail in the shadows
or overexposed
transparencies that lack
detail in the highlights.10
Scanned images
are sometimes a
little fl at. You may well
need to tweak the
contrast and saturation
after scanning.A 35mm negative scanned
on a flatbed scanner to
create a positive image