Slide Scanning

Bunch of 35mm photo slides

SLIDE SCANNING SERVICES

Digitise slides and unveil the past

PROFESSIONAL SLIDE SCANNING SERVICES

Revive Vintage Moments: Transforming Slides into Digital Treasures

Bring your memories back to life with our expert slide scanning services. We convert your 35mm slides to digital with care, precision, and clarity.

As you explore your collection, imagine the joy of rediscovering moments long forgotten — now captured in high resolution and preserved for generations to come. Using state-of-the-art scanning technology, our skilled technicians carefully digitise each slide, breathing new life into every image. This process reveals not only visual detail but also the emotion and atmosphere that make each frame unique.

SEND

Submit your slides and analogue media in weatherproof, traceable packaging to ensure safe delivery. Once we receive your parcel, we’ll promptly confirm its arrival and condition.

Alternatively, if you prefer a more personal approach, we’re happy to receive your collection in person by appointment.

SCAN & RESTORE

Our dedicated team of photo restoration specialists  carefully scans each slide by hand. Using professional-grade equipment and best-in-class practices.

We ensure the integrity of every image is preserved — with results that honour both the moment and the medium.

RECEIVE

Your original slides, along with any duplicates and digital files, will be returned to you with care.

For your convenience, digital copies can be delivered via email, SMS, USB drive  WeTransfer, or Dropbox — whichever option suits you best.

Unlock Your Memories:

Seamlessly Transforming Slides to Digital Keepsakes!

In today’s digital world, slide scanning has become more accessible than ever. With a digital camera or smartphone, it’s possible to digitise slides at home for basic needs.

But photography began differently. Back then, images were captured in one of three forms: slides (reversal film), negatives, or prints.

What Are Slides?

Slides — especially the classic 35mm format — were small, transparent film cutouts, often framed in cardboard or plastic. Inside each one lives a moment: a glance, a place, a memory.

The Rise of DIY Slide Scanning

Modern smartphones and digital scanners now offer surprisingly good results. They can convert your old slides into digital formats like JPEG or TIFF. This opens new possibilities: from creating fresh prints to sharing your memories in digital spaces.

However, scanning photos and slides at home — whether individually or in bulk — comes with limitations. Loss of detail, inconsistent colour, and poor lighting, inaccurate angles, and lens distortions that can heavily affect the final outcome.

Why Professional Scanning Makes a Difference

For those seeking true preservation and the highest possible quality, a professional scanning service is the key. At Yesterdays, we don’t just scan slides — we process history  with care and respect.

Our process ensures:

  • Fidelity to the original image

  • Colour correction that respects the mood and tone

  • Damage suppression without distortion

  • High-resolution clarity, up to archival quality

 

 

More Than Just Scans

At Yesterdays, we specialise in the elegant transformation of analogue formats. Whether scanning slides or digitising negatives, we convert your collection into versatile digital formats — perfect for printing, archiving, or creating something new.

Want more than a digital file? We can turn your images into:

  • Fine art prints

  • Custom video presentations

  • Animated photo slideshows

  • Archival storage collections

Rediscover your legacy — frame by frame, colour by colour, with every detail preserved.

Slide digitising of a selection of plastic framed slides

Slide into the Past:

Discovering the Unique World of Vintage Slide Formats

The 35mm Slide:

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

A PORTAL TO
THE PAST

SPECIFICATIONS

Step into a realm of visual nostalgia with the iconic 35mm slide — a hallmark of the photographic landscape in the late 1970s. Revered as the most widespread slide format of its time, it symbolised an era defined by rich storytelling through images.

Crafted for Projection and Preservation

35mm slides are positive images, carefully developed from film negatives. Each one is housed in a protective frame, usually made of plastic or cardboard, with precise cutouts that guide the slide perfectly into projectors or viewing devices.

This thoughtful design allowed families, artists, and educators to project their memories in vivid colour, one frame at a time.

A Medium That Captured More Than Just Light

More than a format, the 35mm slide is a cherished relic of analogue history — a testament to a time when every framed image told a story. Whether shown on a living room wall or in a lecture hall, these slides transported audiences through carefully curated moments, frame by frame.

They remind us of the care once taken to compose, capture, and present photographs — not instantly, but intentionally.

The 126 Slide:

126 Slide

A SQUARE-FRAMED COUSIN
TO THE 35MM CLASSIC

SPECIFICATIONS

Step into the world of the 126 slide — a close cousin to the 35mm format, yet with a character all its own. Like its more common counterpart, it fits snugly into a protective sleeve. However, the 126 slide reveals a unique charm through its square film cutout, measuring approximately 28mm x 28mm, slightly larger than its original design intention of 26mm.

A Twist in Dimensions and Design

In this subtle shift in size, the 126 slide offers a larger, more balanced visual canvas. Its square format changes how images are composed and viewed, introducing a different rhythm to storytelling through projection.

Kodak led the way in popularising the 126 slide. Early versions came housed in sleek plastic sleeves, which later gave way to more economical cardboard frames — visually similar to those used for 35mm slides.

A Nostalgic Frame, A Distinct Voice

Through its evolution, the 126 slide has transitioned from plastic to cardboard, yet its purpose remains the same: to preserve square-framed moments with clarity and care. Each slide captures a scene, a glance, or a mood, held delicately within its squared sanctuary.

More than just a format, the 126 slide is a tribute to a time of photographic innovation — one where form subtly shaped how memories were both captured and shared.

 

The 127 Slide
(46mm):

127 slide scanning guide
127 Slide

ELEGANCE IN A
MID-FORMAT FRAME

SPECIFICATIONS

Introduced in the early 20th century, the 127 slide quickly found its place as a versatile mid-format film. Larger than 35mm yet more compact than 120, it bridged the gap between portability and image quality — a perfect companion for early amateur cameras and snapshot culture.

Over the decades, the 127 slide became a beloved format for families, hobbyists, and travelling photographers alike. Its square or rectangular frames offered room for more visual expression than smaller formats, without the bulk of professional gear.

 

Among the rich tapestry of vintage formats, the 127 slide at 46mm stands out as a quiet enigma. With its slightly narrower width, it deviates from standard 127 proportions, carving out a unique place in the history of slide photography.

A Refined Canvas Within the 127 Family

While preserving the core identity of the 127 format, this 46mm variation reimagines the frame — offering a more compact space for visual storytelling. Its specialised dimensions invite photographers to think differently, to compose within tighter boundaries, and to discover new creative rhythms.

A Whisper of Nostalgia in Every Frame

Unlike its more conventional cousins, the 127 slide (46mm) holds a certain intimacy. It invites closer inspection — not only of the image, but of the subtle craft behind each exposure. Despite its smaller scale, it offers an evocative depth that speaks volumes in a single frame.

These compact slides remain a quiet but treasured part of photographic heritage, ready to be digitised, revisited, and reimagined for the modern age.

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.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Preserving your slides in digital form means safeguarding memories that may never be repeated. Film fades, storage conditions change, and time takes its toll. Digitising ensures those fleeting moments — family gatherings, holidays, portraits — can be enjoyed, shared, and archived with ease for generations to come. Sometimes even to discover a part of your history that remain hidden, slides are difficult to appreciate with the naked eye and transparencies projectors are difficult to get.

Yes, it’s technically possible to convert 35mm slides to digital at home using a flatbed scanner with a transparency adapter or a dedicated slide scanner.

However, these methods can be time-consuming and often result in lower quality scans due to limitations in consumer-grade equipment.

Professional slide scanning services and negatives scanning like ours offer high-resolution scanning, colour correction, dust and scratch removal, and consistent results across large slide collections — saving you both time and effort while preserving your memories with archival quality.

We don’t batch process, We handle family collections. Each slide is gently air-dusted, individually scanned using high-end flatbed technology at resolutions up to 6400 dpi or higher upon request,  and carefully adjusted for colour, clarity, and orientation. This hands-on approach takes more time, but it results in a finished image that feels truer to the moment it captured and most of all future proof.

We typically provide high-resolution JPEG files suitable for everyday use, sharing with family, and digital storage. For clients seeking archival preservation or print-ready quality, we also offer TIFF format upon request.

All scanned files are delivered via a secure online download link (Dropbox), and we can also supply them on a USB device if preferred. Each slide is scanned individually to ensure the highest clarity, colour fidelity, and detail.

Usually we recommend scanning slides at least at 3200 dpi as tiff files, which allows for beautiful enlargements, raw image information, supports archival storage, and can provide crisp detail (depending on the input), even from small originals. It’s more than enough for most professional and personal uses, including gallery-quality prints.

Yes — and we do it with exceptional care. Turning slides to digital isn’t just about creating a quick scan. It’s about preserving something irreplaceable.

We begin by gently air-dusting each slide to remove surface particles without harming the film. From there, we scan each one individually using high-resolution, professional-grade equipment — often between 3200 and 6400 dpi, depending on the format and condition. This ensures we capture every possible detail.

Faded or slightly damaged slides can still be digitised with beautiful results. Our post-processing includes manual adjustments for colour balance, exposure, and orientation — all done by hand, never through batch automation. For heavily damaged or timeworn slides, we also offer optional restoration services, where we can repair discolouration, scratches, or mould artefacts using fine-tuned digital retouching.

Whether you’re looking to archive family memories or create high-quality files for printing or video, our service is designed to turn your slides to digital with the utmost respect for the original material.

Each 35mm slide is cleaned and inspected before scanning to remove surface dust and minimise imperfections.

We scan using professional-grade equipment at up to 6400 dpi, ensuring crisp detail even in small images. Our process includes manual cropping, orientation correction, colour balancing, and light image optimisation.

We don’t batch process or use auto feeders — this personalised attention ensures your memories are preserved as beautifully and accurately as possible.

While many high-volume labs use automated dust and scratch removal technologies such as Digital ICE, we’ve found that this method often falls short. In our experience, it can leave behind digital artefacts, soften fine detail, and occasionally misinterpret image features — particularly in older or textured slides.

Instead, we take a manual approach to restoration. Each slide is gently air-dusted before scanning to prevent physical particles from becoming part of the digital file. After scanning, any visible dust or marks are carefully removed in Adobe Photoshop, by hand — ensuring the integrity of the image is preserved without sacrificing detail or introducing unwanted distortion.

It takes more time, but the results are cleaner, sharper, and more faithful to the original. We call it HomeMade!

Yes. Many older slides suffer from fading, discolouration, or physical damage over time. While basic scanning captures the image in its current state, we also offer photo restoration services for clients who want to recover and enhance severely damaged slides. This includes advanced colour correction, exposure balancing, and digital repair of scratches, mould spots, or fixing water damage. Restored files can be delivered in high-resolution formats for printing or archiving.

We specialise in scanning standard 35mm mounted slides (in plastic or cardboard frames), but we can also handle other formats like 126, 127, 110, and even glass-mounted slides in certain cases. If you’re unsure what type of slides you have, just send us a photo or measurement — we’re happy to advise. All slides are handled with care using cotton gloves and anti-static tools to avoid further damage or deterioration during scanning.

Just keep them in their existing sleeves, boxes, or carousels — no need to clean or rearrange. If you’d like to send them in a particular order, simply label each group or box. We’ll take care of the rest with steady hands and cotton gloves. Here are some useful tips on photo preservation 

Yes — you can send your slides to us by post, and we take every precaution to ensure their safe arrival and immediate notification when in our hands. These are original transparencies, often irreplaceable, and we treat them as such.

While we prefer a direct handover whenever possible — to review your collection with you in person and get to know and understand your history and requirements — we understand that’s not always practical. If you choose to post your slides, please follow these important steps to protect your collection:

Shipping Guidelines for Your Slide Collection

  • Use Registered Post with Signature on Delivery for full tracking and proof of receipt

  • Insure your parcel based on the estimated value of your collection

  • Pack slides securely in sturdy boxes with foam or bubble wrap to prevent shifting

  • Use archival slide boxes or sleeves where possible — avoid rubber bands or loose bundling

  • Seal the package with waterproof material or place the contents inside a weatherproof bag within the parcel

  • Clearly label your name and return address on both the outside and inside of the parcel

  • Include your contact details and any notes about how you’d like the slides grouped or scanned

  • Avoid using padded envelopes — they don’t provide enough protection for mounted slides

  • We recommend Australia Post or a trusted courier with consistent handling policies

We will notify you upon safe arrival and treat your materials with absolute care throughout the digitisation process.

If you require your slides to be returned by post, we’ll apply at least the same level of protection and care when packing them for the journey home. Return delivery will be charged accordingly, including the cost of secure packaging, insurance (if required), and postage or courier services. We’re happy to tailor the return method to your preference — whether that’s express, signature required, or insured delivery.

PLEASE NOTE: THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR COLLECTION REMAINS WITH THE CHOSEN CARRIER AT ALL TIMES WHILE THE PARCEL IS IN THEIR CUSTODY.

If you have any concerns or would like guidance before sending your collection, just get in touch. We’re here to help.

It’s a fair question — and the honest answer is that we do things differently. While cheaper services often rely on automated batch scanners and minimal adjustments, we take a hands-on, careful approach. Each slide is individually air-dusted, scanned at high resolutions (up to 6400 dpi), and manually adjusted in photoshop for colour, exposure, and orientation. Nothing is rushed, and nothing is run through a machine without attention.

This takes more time and skill, but what you get is more than just a quick digital copy — it’s a beautifully preserved version of a memory that may never be captured again. While is not a  dedicated photo restoration session, We treat your photos with the same care we’d give our own family’s history, and we believe that’s worth doing right.

Turnaround depends on the size and condition of your collection. For small batches, we aim for 1–2 weeks. For larger archives, we’ll provide a clear timeline after reviewing the collection condition and size.

Absolutely. In addition to slide scanning, we offer high-quality digitisation for a wide range of photographic media. Whether you’re working with vintage family prints, delicate negatives, or oversized originals, our team handles each item with precision and care.

For old family photos and studio portraits, visit our Photo Scanning Services page.
If you’re looking to preserve film, explore our Photo Negative Scanning service.
For artworks, albums, or larger pieces, we also offer bespoke Large Format Scanning solutions by request.

No matter the format, we treat every piece as a one-of-a-kind original — carefully prepared, professionally scanned, and optimised for lasting preservation.

Your slides are more than just images — they’re fragments of a life lived, of people, places, and moments that matter deeply. We treat every collection with absolute discretion, respect, and integrity.

All handling is done in-house, by trusted hands. Your materials will never be shared, duplicated, or accessed by anyone outside our studio. We do not upload, publish, or retain your images beyond the agreed delivery timeframe. Once your digitised files have been transferred and confirmed, they are safely removed from our active system unless you’ve requested short-term backup.

We understand that some images carry personal, emotional, or even private significance. Our commitment is simple: what you share with us stays with us — respectfully handled, carefully digitised, and always kept confidential.

Pen a Message and send us a snapshot of your photo

A Journey Through Time Begins here!

Correspond
with Us!

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!

Remember, no stamps required! We’re just a click away.

Pan pacific scout jamboree stamp

Count on Our Postman for a Timely Deliver!

postman@yesterdays.com.au

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

Mobile: +61 4 9785 9034

Photo Scanning Services

Epson-V850 pro flatbed scanner

PHOTO SCANNING SERVICES

Scan slides, photo negatives and photographs

Discover our Expert Scanning Services and Preserve your Legacy in Stunning Detail!

Begin your restoration journey on the right foot with our superior scanning services. At Yesterday’s Photo, we understand that a high-quality scan lays the foundation for impeccable restoration. Our expert team employs cutting-edge scanning techniques to capture every detail, ensuring a pristine starting point for your cherished memories. Whether it’s old photographs, vintage film, or precious documents, our meticulous scanning process ensures optimal clarity and precision. Trust us to elevate your restoration experience and bring new life to your treasured memories:

Slide digitising of a selection of plastic framed slides

SLIDES SCANNING

Learn More​

Bulk PHoto
Scanning

Learn More​

Damaged photo from the portraitist François Cornand from the early 1900s, Photo courtesy of Isobel Fletcher Western Australia

Transforming Photographs into Family Heirlooms

People appreciate old printed or darkroom-developed images, and you’ve probably attempted to keep them in excellent shape. However, as time passes, they grow more fragile and vulnerable to deterioration.

Capturing important life events with a camera is comparable to investing in family heirlooms; the worth of wedding photographs, for example, gradually grows with the passage of time.

Most older photographs are remarkable and one-of-a-kind, so they are more than simply precious items; they are a legacy to pass on to future generations and a great tool for tracing our ancestors.

A damaged image may be heartbreaking, and the bad news is that degradation will inevitably occur over time due to contact to the environment, touch, dampness, water, dust, and ironically what created it: light! 

We can help to safeguard the survival of your antique images for future generations by digitising them utilising the most recent trends, enhancement, and scanning procedures.

Home picture scanning is easy and produces effective results

 

Scanning is a practical and yet traditional method of digitalising your photos and importing them into editing software such as Adobe Photoshop. 

Compared to other methods of digitalisation, scanning provides a significant advantage in that it provides a controlled environment in which you can achieve uniform results and even use a surface to flatten undesirable curling in your original photos.

However, there are certain things to consider when digitising your images at home, whether using a scanner or your photography abilities. The following link has a series of guidelines for scanning historic family photos for restoration purposes.

However if you want to do this professionally at yesterdays we are always ready to help! 

Negative film digitising using a tray

1. Carefully Remove dust beforehand

Your images have accumulated dust, grime, oil, or other foreign material such as hair or lint over the years, particles that will remain there and become more evident if photo enlarging

Depending on the quality of the photograph, you may remove these particles using a soft brush; however, we suggest wearing gloves to avoid leaving fingerprints on the surface. Try to accomplish this in a sterile setting and avoid removing images that have been stuck to glass or other photos, any damage now will complicate the photo restoration process.

holes dust and scratches on a child portrait

2. Avoid glue or sticky tape when ripped

If the picture has been broken into parts, you should attempt to arrange them such that they are near to one another on the scanner’s glass, but not overlapping and do not use glue or sticky tape.

Torn photo in lower corner

3. Photographing images is an alternative to scanning.

DSLR cameras and smartphones can capture and duplicate most older photos, physical or digital.

Your phone camera or digital camera may create an acceptable input for Photoshop, but depending on the photo’s purpose and your mastery of the software, professional scanning services or gadgets are preferable.

A photo of a photo is particularly convenient when trying to digitalise a large-sized photography.

Using our phone’s camera, we may snap a duplicate of a printed or framed picture while visiting a relative. This is great when granny won’t let go of the family album and sometimes sufficient for us to restore a photo.

Old photography restoration and preservation in a family album, vintage reflex camera with polarised filters and a negative film

4. Editing is the next step

Even if the quality won’t be outstanding, you may acquire a derivative of a beloved picture using your phone and we can use this photo as a baseline to restore the photo further

Photo restoration services

Tips and tricks to consider when photographing an old photo

1. If available Turn on the camera grid

Even though you can easily remedy this in Photoshop using a perspective cropping tool, it’s ideal to line up your phone as flat as possible over the picture to ensure that the corners and edges are squared up, your camera grid is an excellent guide, make sure you use it.

2. Avoid shadows and reflections

A good piece of advice is to try to take the photo in the shade outside, cloudy days are the best, just try to avoid your own shadow or your phone’s shadow when capturing the image. 

A good piece of advice is to try to take the photo in the shade outside, cloudy days are the best, just try to avoid your own shadow or your phone’s shadow when capturing the image. 

There are fantastic and affordable alternatives available on the market to help you achieve this effect using indirect light or a softbox.

3. DSLR’s are great to capture a photo of a photo

A high-quality camera, particularly a full-frame model, is ideal for reproducing the details of an antique photograph while protecting the original. Just make sure you’re focusing correctly and staying inside your lenses’ focal range by using a tripod and an appropriate aperture setting.

However, it is crucial to shoot in RAW if you want to extract as much data as possible from the original image; RAW files have a wider dynamic range, more information, and a better resolution than their JPEG counterparts.

4. When using a wide-angle lens, the image might get distorted.

You should use a macro lens and attempt to maintain the frame straight while taking a picture of a picture, since lens distortion will cause undesired deformation owing to the sensation of curvature.

WE CAN SCAN YOUR PHOTOS

Our Postman will
Deliver !

Write us if you have a question or if you want a personalised service or an estimate.

Our team is always ready to help! 

No stamps required!

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!

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.

 

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.

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