Time To Purchase A Slide Scanner. What You Need To Know!

By Andy Zain

Slide scanners are convenient tools for photographers. It will convert slides to high quality copies, and the copies are transferred directly to your computer. Most scanners come with software that makes enhancing your photos effortless and efficient. Converting slides to digital images have many advantages.

A variety of slide sizes can be transferred using a slide scanner. Individual slides will contain one picture each. Film strips will have several pictures on one strip. Slide scanners may accept one type or the other, and some scanners offer the convenience of using either format.

The scan quality is most dependent on the initial quality of the photo. The scanner itself does not increase the quality of the scan. Several types of scanners come with software which allows you to eliminate scratches and film grain. You can even improve the color of the photo in comparison to the negative. Typically, software will help you to change the contrast, sharpness, and color saturation. You may also be able to crop the photo.

A slide adapter may come with your scanner. This is a useful tool in scanning. A slide adapter fixes the location of the scan. By stabilizing the photo, you will decrease editing time once the photo is transferred.

From high end to low end, you will find a wide range of specifications. Determine what is most important to you and fits in your budget. One area to consider is the resolution. Resolution is typically reported as maximum hardware resolution and resolution, interpolated.

Both resolution and sharpness are important in a scanner and enhance the digital copy. The resolution is reported as dpi, or dots per inch. There will be two numbers indicating the dpi on the x-axis and the y-axis. In general, higher resolutions equal better resolution.

The interpolated resolution is higher than the hardware resolution. It indicates the output size. A scanner that offers an interpolated resolution offers extra pixels in order to increase the size of the photo. The quality of the scan does not increase.

Sharpness is also a key element. It is dependent on the light source. Florescent lights are less desirable. The light source uses a CCD array. The CCD array can interpret the light and dark areas of a slide into electrical output. The output is used to convert the image to a digital transfer. Better light sources create more contrast in interpreting the light and dark areas of the slide. This will result in a higher quality scan.

Choose the scanner based on the speed you require. Higher end models tend to scan faster without a reduction in value. A less expensive scanner will be slower. Evaluate your requirement. Do you tend to have many slides or few? What are your limitations?

Purchasing a slide scanner helps photographers in a variety of ways. A photographer will have the ease of manipulating and improving the photo digitally. Also, by converting the slide to digital, he can upload the photo to a variety of sources including social networking sites, photo sharing sites, and email. Slide scanners are a very useful tool. - 29854

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