Slide Scanning

Bunch of 35mm photo slides

SLIDE SCANNING SERVICES

Digitise slides and unveil the past

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PROFESSIONAL SLIDE SCANNING SERVICES

Revive Vintage Moments: Transforming Slides into Digital Treasures

Imagine the joy of unveiling forgotten moments from the past, captured in stunning detail and preserved for generations to come. Our skilled technicians use state-of-the-art scanning technology to breathe new life into photo slides and revealing the beauty and emotion hidden within.

SEND

Submit your slides and analog media in weatherproof and traceable packaging. Once received, we’ll promptly confirm the arrival of your items. Alternatively we can receive these personally via appointment.

SCAN & RESTORE

Our dedicated team of photo restoration specialists meticulously scan each slide using top-notch scanning practices, ensuring the utmost integrity and preservation of your memories.

RECEIVE

Your originals, duplicates, and digital copies of your slides will be returned to you by mail and digitally through our dashboard, WeTransfer, or Dropbox for your convenience.

Unlock Your Memories: Seamlessly Transforming Slides to Digital Keepsakes!

In this era of digital advancements, slide scanning has become a DIY possibility, achievable with a digital camera or smartphone for basic needs. But, back then, photography had three primary forms: slides (reversal film) negatives or prints.

Slides, particularly the common 35mm format, were small positive film cutouts framed in cardboard or plastic, harboring cherished moments.

While scanning photos and slides individually or in bulk may have limitations, today’s cutting-edge digital scanners and smartphones promise excellent results, transforming slides into digital formats like JPEG or .TIFF, opening doors for new prints and visualisations.

Yet, for superior quality and the preservation of your invaluable memories, entrusting a professional scanning service becomes the key, A professional touch ensures the highest fidelity , colour balance, damage supression  and detail preservation in each image.

At Yesterdays, we specialise in the seamless transfer of your slides and scan negative film. We elegantly transform them into an array of formats for photo printing or visualisation, elevating your memories to custom videos, presentations, or animated photo slideshows. Rediscover your legacy in every vibrant detail.

 
Slide digitising of a selection of plastic framed slides
35mm Slide with plastic sleeve

Slide into the Past:

Discovering the Unique World of Vintage Slide Formats

35mm slides

A 35mm slide housed in a cardboard frame, displaying a timeless image captured with vivid colors and fine detail. The slide embodies the nostalgic charm of vintage photography, showcasing a scene from an era preserved within its compact frame
35mm slide

SPECIFICATIONS

Enter the realm of visual nostalgia with the ubiquitous 35mm Slide, a hallmark of the late ’70s’ photographic landscape. Revered as the most prevalent slide format, this icon symbolises an era steeped in visual storytelling.

Crafted as a set of positive images extracted from your film negatives, these slides find their sanctuary within a plastic or cardboard framework. Each slide carefully ensconced, adorned with precise cutouts or guides, ready to be seamlessly positioned and directed upon a projector.

The 35mm Slide, a cherished relic of yesteryears, stands testament to an age where every framed image ignited a visual tale, transporting audiences through a montage of captured moments.

  • Slide size: 2x2 inches
  • Film size: 24mm x 36mm
  • Standard slide size

126 Slides

126 Slide

SPECIFICATIONS

Step into the world of the 126 Slide, a cousin akin to the 35mm slide, yet with its own unique allure. Sharing the embrace of a sleeve, these slides unveil a distinctive charm—a square film cutout measuring 28mm x 28mm, deviating from its intended 26mm heritage.

In a twist of dimensions, this slide’s film window extends to a square frame, offering a slightly larger canvas than its intended namesake. Kodak, in its innovation, ushered in the era of the 126 slide with plastic sleeves, later transitioning to the frugality of cardboard frames akin to the 35mm slides.

Witness the evolution of the 126 slide, traversing through the embrace of sleeves—from the plastic sheath to the familiar cardboard cradle, each frame preserving moments within its squared sanctuary, weaving a nostalgic tale of its own

  • Slide size: 2x2 inches
  • Film size: 28mm x 28mm
  • Square slide size

127 Slides (46mm)

127 slide scanning guide
127 Slide

SPECIFICATIONS

mong the tapestry of 127 slides, emerges the enigmatic 127 Slide at 46mm—a deviation that etches its name among the classics. With a distinctive film width, standing apart at 46mm, this slide crafts its singular story within the 127 format.

Preserving the 127 slide’s essence while embracing a narrower canvas, this variation redefines storytelling within a more confined frame. Its specialised dimensions invite an exploration of creativity, fostering a distinct visual narrative that diverges from its standard 127 counterparts.

Witness the allure of the 127 Slide (46mm) as it whispers tales within its unique dimensions, offering a compact yet evocative space for photographic storytelling

  • Slide size: 2x2 inches
  • Film size: 38mm x 38mm
  • Large slide size

120 Medium Format

110 pocket or miniature slide scanning guide
120 Slide

SPECIFICATIONS

Stepping into the 120 Medium Format Slide, one enters a realm of photographic grandeur. This revered format, known for its larger dimensions, presents images of exquisite detail and depth. With a generous frame, often varying between 60mm x 60mm, 60mm x 45mm, or 60mm x 90mm, this majestic slide captures scenes with an immersive richness, elevating storytelling through its expansive canvas.

As a cherished favorite among discerning photographers, the 120 Medium Format Slide reigns supreme in the realm of visual narratives. Its larger-than-life stature and detailed imagery stand as a testament to its revered status among the cherished relics of vintage photography.

110 Pocket Film
(Mini-Slides)

110 miniature slide scanning guide
110 Slide

SPECIFICATIONS

The 110 slide, akin to the famed 110 film cartridge, harkens back to the 1970s, a time when compactness ruled the world of photography. This format, born from the iconic cartridge, was beloved for its petite size, fitting snugly into the palm of one’s hand.

Renowned for its simplicity and small stature, this “pocket slide” captured moments effortlessly, creating smaller images ideal for casual prints or mementos. As an ode to this historic cartridge, the 110 slide encapsulates the charm and nostalgia of that bygone era, preserving its compact essence for modern-day photography enthusiasts.

  • Slide size: 1x1 inch
  • Film size: 17mm x 13mm
  • Miniature slide size

127 Superslide
(48mm)

127 Super slide slide scanning guide
127 Super Slide

SPECIFICATIONS

Behold the Red Herring of Slides: The enigmatic 127 Super Slide at 48mm, a fabled variation nestled within the lore of photography. Whispers weave tales of this elusive deviation from the classic 127 slide, boasting an uncommon film width. Said to retain the essence of the original format while offering a specialised perspective, this legendary rarity emerges as a red herring among vintage slides, cloaked in the mystique of a treasured collectible.

  • Slide size: 2x2 inches
  • Film size: 48mm x 48mm
  • Large slide size

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A Journey Through Time Begins here!

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Drop us a message if you have any questions or seek personalised services, art commission, assessments, or estimates. Our team is committed to promptly assisting you!

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postman@yesterdays.com.au

Street: 2A Talbot Way,
City: Woodlands
State: Western Australia
Postal code: 6018

Mobile: +61 4 9785 9034

Photo Restoration Tips – Scanning

old photo faded, blurry images and colour information lost and hardly recognisable faces

WHAT YOU GET OUT OF SCANNING,
DEPENDS HIGHLY ON YOUR INPUT

graphic vintage item

The first step in digital photo restoration is digitising your photos.

 There are a lot of reasons why you should scan all of your old photographs and transparencies, but the main one is that it’s the only method to restore them in a high quality format that will look great when exhibited or printed. 

You have control over the exposure and appearance of the image when you scan it yourself. You can alter the resolution, crop off unwanted sections (or leave them in), change the colours and brightness, and make any other adjustments that make sense for the particular image.

It is important to understand the difference between resolution and pixel dimensions. Resolution refers to the number of pixels in an image, whereas pixel dimensions refers to the physical size of those pixels. For example, a 300dpi image scanned at 8×10 inches will have more pixels than a 100dpi image scanned at 4×5 inches. The higher the resolution, the more detail can be captured from your old prints or slides.

The higher resolution you are able to scan with when restoring your photo negatives and transparencies, the better results you will get when editing them digitally (in Photoshop or another image editor). however there is a limit on how much information a printed photo, slide or negative can provide.

The digital tools available today allow us to make incredible changes in our images without having much concern about loss of detail due to low resolution scanning. However if you want exceptional quality results then invest in high resolution scans, at Yesterdays Photo we can help!

Epson-V850 pro flatbed scanner
Check our home scanner recommendation!

DO YOU NEED AN EXPENSIVE SCANNER?

graphic vintage item

Scanning a photo is something plenty of people are familiar with these days, and truth is for general photo restoration purposes most of the flatbed scanners you can find commercially can do an acceptable job. 

Indeed technology can make a difference when scanning a photo or a negative, but as long as you use best practices and some common sense, your home scanner can become a powerful tool to convert your photos to a digital format without spending thousands of dollars. 

We have indetified and listed a few tips that will help you getting the most out of this process and the best value out of your home scanner.

 

Flatbed scanner for photo restoration
Check our home scanner recommendation!

HERE IS A COMPILATION OF USEFUL
SCANNING TIPS JUST FOR YOU

1. CLEAN YOUR SCANNER SURFACES

This has plenty of common sense, but you will be surprised how often something this simple is overlooked, 

It is important to understand that when scanning a photo in high resolution, we will magnifying artifacts, fingerprints and particles laying on your scanner glass, therefore maintaining your scanner clean, can make a difference and contribute positively on the final quality of your digital capture and can minimise future dust and scratches on originals.

Preparation is a critical step to achieve a good outcome, so it is always good practice to clean these areas with the manufacturer ‘s recommended tools, chemicals and methods before digitally-capturing any image. (alcohol-based products are not recommended)

The objective of this is to minimise the amount foreign elements to facilitate the photo editing, remember that best results come from a good preparation, common practices are:

  • Remove dust and dirt from your scanner. To do this, use a compressed air duster or soft brush to remove dust from the scanner bed, remember that some particles can be hard and scratch the photo or the glass further.

  • Avoid touching the glass plate of your scanner with fingers, as it may leave oil marks on the glass surface.

Magnifier over fingerprint on scanner glass

2. PREPARE THE ORIGINAL

Ensure that your original is as clean and dust-free as possible before beginning any preparation process of an original. 

Cleaning a photo is risky and can impact negatively, so being meticulous and exceedingly cautious with a family heirloom or historical photograph is not only crucial but logical.

If you want to do it well first process an initial scan this will be kind of you insurance, then use a soft brush or cotton swab dipped in distilled water, but be aware that overusing this method could damage your picture. so Instead of targeting vital areas, test the preparation on a non-vital location such as a corner, and measure the result before continuing

Have in mind Some old photos are likely to be colourised manually and water and friction will remove the pigments or contaminate nearby areas, so the work here is surgical.

We strongly advocate hiring a professional to complete this task; nevertheless, if you insist on doing it yourself, be aware that you do it at your own risk.

hand with gloves holding a swap to prepare photo for scanning

3. HIGH-RESOLUTION IS CRITICAL

The more information we obtain from the original photo the better for the restoration or photo enhancement process;  even if you do not see it directly there is plenty of information in a faded or decouloured photo that can help you, so set up your scanner for the highest-resolution possible regardless if the file size appears to be too large.  

It is important to understand the purpose of the photo and the final destination where is going to be used,  based on this you can decide before engaging works the level of restoration required. 

Print and web drastically differ in resolution requirements, being web specially much more easy to handle, at Yesterdays we can provide you with guidance and professional scanning services with a resolution up to 12800 dpi, large format and negative film scanning.

  • Scan photos at 16-Bit Ideally
  • Set scan resolution to a minimum of 600 dpi (ideally higher)
  • Scan your photo as TIFF (uncompressed)
Resolution comparison of an edited portrait

3. ALWAYS SCAN IN COLOUR

Even when digitalising a photo that its originally in black and white, set your scanner to capture the image in colour, this is particulary useful when editing photos that have been stained or have some colour casting due to the pass of time, UV rays or deterioration of the paper or stock they where printed on.

Photoshop is extremely powerful and can give you control of the different colour channels within a photo, this means that even the slightest colour variations or casts can be manipulated and rectified, by obtaining colour information from the source you will have much more control and fidelity, and can save you or our specialists a ton of time. 

 

Scan your photos in colour even If they are in grayscale, a can full of coloured pencils suggests this

4. STRAIGHT UP YOUR PHOTOS & POSITION THE ORIGINAL CAREFULLY

The closer you scan your image to a 90-degree angle the better, this will help technically and will ease the restoration workflow for you or our restoration specialists, 

Although straightening images is an easy process in photoshop, there are further benefits by scanning your photos in a 90-degree angle and it is the control of the reflection of light within the texture of the paper or stock the photo has been developed on.  

Make sure the original is flat. If you’re scanning a book, make sure it’s lying flat. If you’re scanning a letter or photograph, hold it up to a light and look for any problems with warped edges.

Don’t let your originals wrinkle or get torn during processing; if possible, avoid running them through an automatic document feeder (ADF) so that there is no risk of physical damage. 

 

Scan your old photos as straight as possible

5. GOOD INPUT = GOOD OUTPUT

Your scanner, the software you use, and the resolution all have an impact on how well your scanned image turns out. The original is the most crucial component. Don’t expect an image that has been scanned to look nice if it is too dark, fuzzy, missing features, or scratched up. The scanner and software can only do so much to correct for such substandard photographs.

Automatic adjustments may produce aberrations and anomalies that aren’t visible when viewing the original. This specifically occurs when scanning colour images captured with budget or film cameras lacking automated exposure control tools.

For a professional scanning service do not hesitate to contact us, we are alway happy to help!

magnifier focusing on yellow surface

6. SCANNING NEGATIVES AND TRANSPARENCIES

There are some things you can do to enhance the quality of your scans, despite the fact that scanning negatives and transparencies might be more challenging:

As was previously mentioned, planning is essential. Prepare the areas in a dust-free environment by using a sensitive microfiber towel or air duster to gently clean both sides of the scanner glass.

Make sure your slides or negatives don’t have any moisture on them.

Before putting them on the scanner area, wipe off any remaining moisture with a fresh, clean cloth. Some scanners will provide you transparency guides to place these and keep them stable.

Bunch of 35mm photo slides

7. USING A DRUM SCANNER

High-End Drum scanning is an expensive and time-consuming process that we only advise when the value of the photograph is sufficient, (not necessarily commercial value). A drum scanner is an exceptionally high resolution device that has a rotating drum in its interior and functions to obtain detailed and sharp reproduction of transparencies and photographs.

So if you are serious about digitising your photograph or transparencies this is one of the preferred options of many photographers and conservationists around the world.

High end drum scannner

8. PRO-TIP!

A professional tip is to scan your photo 4 times, by rotating the photography to 90, 180, 270, and 360 degreee and scanning it using the same scanner setup, you will achieve an extra set of detail, this is particulary helpful to remove or minimise the textures inherited from the original paper or stock as it reduces considerably the glare caused by the reflection of the scanner light when bouncing on the paper texture.

Once scanned you can use photoshop to align the layers and get the most of the photo using different blending modes to add up or subtract pixels and color information.

Note: be aware that when dealing with some type of textures a different technique of post-processing named FFT (Fast-fourier transform) can help you achieving amazing results in record time.

 

Old photo with a repetitive texture pattern, usually called honeycomb due to its hexagonal-shaped appearance, comparison with a restored photo where this texture has been suppressed