Converting slides to digital format is easier than you think.
It’s time to take all those slides that have been gathering dust in slide carousels, binders, and shoe boxes, and bring them into the 21st century to share and display. What if your slide projector stops working? And when was the last time you actually set the slide projector up for a slide presentation? At one time it may have been difficult to convert slides to digital media, but not any more.
Now there is digital slide show capability available with digital camera software, or if you have Windows XP operating system on your computer, then you already have a ready slide show. All you need to do is convert the slides to digital, and voila, an easier and more accessible to view digital photos.
As well, it is probably time to convert slides to digital format to create backup copies of the slides on a CD or DVD in case theft, fire, natural disaster or simply old age should destroy your slides.
The Equipment to Use
A flatbed scanner with the appropriate adapters, or a film scanner, are all you need to convert 35mm slides to digital format, on your computer. Look for a flatbed scanner that comes with a slide or film attachment. For a better end result, consider a film scanner to convert slides to digital format. The higher quality though comes with a larger price tag.
Flatbed scanners are designed to scan many types of media decently. Film scanners, on the other hand, are designed for a specific type of media: 35mm slides and in some cases, film negatives. The technology in film scanners provides the type and amount of light needed to illuminate transparencies. Also their lenses and sensors are optimized for focusing on small, transparent media, providing the better quality conversion of slide to digital format.
Save the New Digital Image
Save each scanned digital image with a descriptive file name, and in a format such as TIFF. This format does not compress the image size, or lose any of the color resolution data. Once you have edited the digital image, you can resave it in a more compressed format such as JPEG (JPG) or GIF. The resulting smaller files can then be imported into digital slide shows, printed, or emailed to family and friends, who will be happy to finally see what was really in those shoeboxes full of slides.
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