New, Hoping for Newsgroup Focused on Scanning and Editing

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? I need to start pretty much at the
beginning; most of my photo experience was in the days of film cameras,
zone schemes, pushing exposures, and do-it-yourself darkroom work (all
black and white--I bought a color enlarger and supplies, but due to
circumstances never used it).

I've been lurking here for a few days since a new newsfeed made the
group available; the discussions and the topics are at the upper end of
my ability to follow what's going on, and so little is on the area I
need help with that I feel I should move on--if someone will **kindly**
tell me where to go. :-)

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman wrote:

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? I need to start pretty much at the
beginning; most of my photo experience was in the days of film cameras,
zone schemes, pushing exposures, and do-it-yourself darkroom work (all
black and white--I bought a color enlarger and supplies, but due to
circumstances never used it).

I've been lurking here for a few days since a new newsfeed made the
group available; the discussions and the topics are at the upper end of
my ability to follow what's going on, and so little is on the area I
need help with that I feel I should move on--if someone will **kindly**
tell me where to go. :-)

Are you having particular issues? I've found scanning film, negatives,
prints to be fairly simple, albeit rather slow.

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman
wrote:

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? I need to start pretty much at the
beginning; most of my photo experience was in the days of film cameras,
zone schemes, pushing exposures, and do-it-yourself darkroom work (all
black and white--I bought a color enlarger and supplies, but due to
circumstances never used it).

I've been lurking here for a few days since a new newsfeed made the
group available; the discussions and the topics are at the upper end of
my ability to follow what's going on, and so little is on the area I
need help with that I feel I should move on--if someone will **kindly**
tell me where to go. :-)

Is there a specific question in your post?

I'm just about finished with my project of scanning about 1,100 slides
from 1964 to 1979 with a Minolta Dimage Scan Elite. That number has
been pared down to 557 (currently) that will be kept as images. The
number will be below 500 before I'm done. There were, maybe, 150 that
I never even scanned after looking at them with a slide viewer.

I scanned them into Photoshop, cropped, and adjusted for color. Then
I deleted the ones that were almost-duplicates and the ones that were
just not that interesting.

The final lot will be burned to disk and given to my kids as a
chronicle of their growing-up years. They already have disks of the
scans of prints from that period.

So...what is it you want to know?




--

Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman
wrote:

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

I've got boxes of negatives that I've just started scanning with a
Nikon Coolscan V ED. Around 200 in, maybe 2000 to go. What fun. But
I just go slow, maybe a few rolls per week, and it's not so bad.

And since I'm not generating anymore negatives, when I'm finished with
mine I'll lend the scanner to my uncle and brother. Each has probably
5 times an many as I do. This scanner is gonna get a workout.

It does a very good job but I'm kind of dissapointed at myself for not
taking better care of some of my old negatives... Just leaving them in
the package from the developer and not putting them in negative
holders.

Steve

It seems to me I heard somewhere that ray wrote in article
:

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman wrote:

Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? I need to start pretty much at the
beginning; most of my photo experience was in the days of film cameras,
zone schemes, pushing exposures, and do-it-yourself darkroom work (all
black and white--I bought a color enlarger and supplies, but due to
circumstances never used it).

I've been lurking here for a few days since a new newsfeed made the
group available; the discussions and the topics are at the upper end of
my ability to follow what's going on, and so little is on the area I
need help with that I feel I should move on--if someone will **kindly**
tell me where to go. :-)

Are you having particular issues? I've found scanning film, negatives,
prints to be fairly simple, albeit rather slow.

No, just cautious about starting to scan and possibly finding later I
haven't used the optimum settings and formats, thus maybe needing to
redo a lot. Mechanically, the sample scans I did went smoothly but I'd
like to know more about the generally used configuration for good
quality output. Thanks for asking.

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Steve wrote in article
:

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman
wrote:

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

I've got boxes of negatives that I've just started scanning with a
Nikon Coolscan V ED. Around 200 in, maybe 2000 to go. What fun. But
I just go slow, maybe a few rolls per week, and it's not so bad.

And since I'm not generating anymore negatives, when I'm finished with
mine I'll lend the scanner to my uncle and brother. Each has probably
5 times an many as I do. This scanner is gonna get a workout.

It does a very good job but I'm kind of dissapointed at myself for not
taking better care of some of my old negatives... Just leaving them in
the package from the developer and not putting them in negative
holders.

Most of mine are in a large metal can which, while we were living
overseas in a very humid climate, had silica gel inside and tape around
edge of the lid. Old roll film had degraded seriously even while we
were living in that climate, but what remains looks like it may be
reasonably well preserved.

On Feb 17, 6:03*am, Don Kirkman wrote:
I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives . . . I've just acquired a
reasonable scanner for my needs . . .
Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? *

here is a website that has tutorial material on scanning:

http://www.scantips.com/

also recall that google is your friend!

On Sun, 17 Feb 2008 00:28:10 -0800, Don Kirkman
wrote:

It seems to me I heard somewhere that Steve wrote in article
:

On Sat, 16 Feb 2008 15:03:42 -0800, Don Kirkman
wrote:

I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

I've got boxes of negatives that I've just started scanning with a
Nikon Coolscan V ED. Around 200 in, maybe 2000 to go. What fun. But
I just go slow, maybe a few rolls per week, and it's not so bad.

And since I'm not generating anymore negatives, when I'm finished with
mine I'll lend the scanner to my uncle and brother. Each has probably
5 times an many as I do. This scanner is gonna get a workout.

It does a very good job but I'm kind of dissapointed at myself for not
taking better care of some of my old negatives... Just leaving them in
the package from the developer and not putting them in negative
holders.

Most of mine are in a large metal can which, while we were living
overseas in a very humid climate, had silica gel inside and tape around
edge of the lid. Old roll film had degraded seriously even while we
were living in that climate, but what remains looks like it may be
reasonably well preserved.

Just a reminder about silica gel packs, they don't last forever. After
a while, they fill up with moisture and won't absorb anymore. But you
can recharge them. Just set your oven to low, very low, like 160 if
it hopefully goes that low, and put the silica gel packs in there for
24 hours. I do once a year for the large packs I keep in my safe and
firebox.

Steve

"Don Kirkman" wrote in message
...
I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives (mostly small
format like 35mm) and color positives that have sat neglected most of
that time. I've just acquired a reasonable scanner for my needs
(Minolta Dimage Scan Dual IV) Some sample scans suggest that at least a
reasonable amount of the material is still usable, and I want to
preserve it so I can pass it to my kids and their families before either
I or the material is lost forever.

Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? I need to start pretty much at the
beginning; most of my photo experience was in the days of film cameras,
zone schemes, pushing exposures, and do-it-yourself darkroom work (all
black and white--I bought a color enlarger and supplies, but due to
circumstances never used it).

I've been lurking here for a few days since a new newsfeed made the
group available; the discussions and the topics are at the upper end of
my ability to follow what's going on, and so little is on the area I
need help with that I feel I should move on--if someone will **kindly**
tell me where to go. :-)
I have scanned quite a few negatives and slides. My suggestions a
1) Scan at the highest resolution that the scanner supplies.
2) Save in a format that allows the least amount of compression.
3) Do every thing else with the software in your computer.

If, like me, you have very many E2 or E4 Ektachrome or almost any of the
Kodak color negative
films of the70s (except Ektar 100/125), you will need a scanner with Digital
Restoration of Color
because these films have significant loss of color information. Most of the
old E2 slides have been
quite red for a long time now. At least one of my Kodacolor II negatives
now has a purple mask
instead of the orange that it was in the beginning. You can correct to a
certain extent these problems
with careful use of levels and curves, but the effort required is quite
large.

Jim

It seems to me I heard somewhere that F. D. Lewis wrote in article
:

On Feb 17, 6:03*am, Don Kirkman wrote:
I have over fifty years worth of slides, color negatives . . . I've just acquired a
reasonable scanner for my needs . . .
Can someone please point me to a newsgroup more specialized in that area
than this one seems to be? *

here is a website that has tutorial material on scanning:

http://www.scantips.com/

Thanks; I have it bookmarked and will study it in depth!

also recall that google is your friend!

Indeed. I couldn't survive on the internet with Google.