If you're not going to enlarge your digital scans then don't pay to have them scanned at a higher resolution than 300 dpi. Even if you will be enlarging them you are probably wasting your money. 600 and 1200 dpi scanning services do not mean better scans, but they do mean higher prices. For your typical photographs 300 dpi is the wisest choice.
There might be a reason to scan at 600 or 1200 dpi if you were scanning from a negative because they are designed to to hold and transfer much more information than a photograph surface. So if you plan to enlarge images try scanning the negatives. Resolution that would require scanning a photo's surface at higher than 300 dpi just isn't there.
Wasting money is not the only reason to scan at 300 dpi. Photo scanning beyond 300 dpi produces huge files that slow down just about any use of your scans. Editing, viewing, and working with your files will be slower, and possibly much slower. And you will probably have to change the size of your scan smaller to use it for just about anything.
Top notch photographers don't need to be coached on scanning practices as they already understand the issues. But if you are trying to gather some information to use for your own scanning project or to purchase scanning services, I recommend the relatively extensive discussion of scanning practices by Wayne Fulton at www.scantips.com
Most respectable photo scanning services will save your scans as a high quality jpeg. This is the most popular format. Jpeg files that are highly compressed to produce smaller files loose bits of information and can reduce the quality of your photos. High quality jpegs are compressed very little and lose very little information. You can reduce the file size later as required.
Whether you rotate your own photos after scanning or the scanning service does it make sure that you dont rotate the original scans. Most photo scanners require that your photos be in a stack when you send them in without regard to their orientation. Because your photos are recompressed during the rotation process you may loose bits of information and that can reduce your image quality. So keep your master scans untouched and use a copy to rotate or manipulate.
Some photo scanning services offer automatic photo enhancement. What you need to know is enhancement, or any manipulation, can cause jpeg files to be re-compressed and cause some quality loss. Make sure your scanning service provides you with a complete set of master scans and then a copy of them for the enhancements. Don't ever use the originals to make changes. Always use a copy. You may find that you want to work on special photos yourself. When you do, always start with a fresh copy of the master scan.
After your photos are scanned you can use any number of photo editors to correct their appearance. Somewhere around photo number 200 you might think more seriously about using an automatic photo enhancer. There are lots of them on the market, but the trouble is finding the one that actually works. Some photo scanning services offer automatic photo enhancement. This is usually great for making most of your photos look better, but it doesn't make them all look perfect. Usually a combination of manually editing those very special photos and using an automatic enhancement on the rest is the best solution. - 15437
There might be a reason to scan at 600 or 1200 dpi if you were scanning from a negative because they are designed to to hold and transfer much more information than a photograph surface. So if you plan to enlarge images try scanning the negatives. Resolution that would require scanning a photo's surface at higher than 300 dpi just isn't there.
Wasting money is not the only reason to scan at 300 dpi. Photo scanning beyond 300 dpi produces huge files that slow down just about any use of your scans. Editing, viewing, and working with your files will be slower, and possibly much slower. And you will probably have to change the size of your scan smaller to use it for just about anything.
Top notch photographers don't need to be coached on scanning practices as they already understand the issues. But if you are trying to gather some information to use for your own scanning project or to purchase scanning services, I recommend the relatively extensive discussion of scanning practices by Wayne Fulton at www.scantips.com
Most respectable photo scanning services will save your scans as a high quality jpeg. This is the most popular format. Jpeg files that are highly compressed to produce smaller files loose bits of information and can reduce the quality of your photos. High quality jpegs are compressed very little and lose very little information. You can reduce the file size later as required.
Whether you rotate your own photos after scanning or the scanning service does it make sure that you dont rotate the original scans. Most photo scanners require that your photos be in a stack when you send them in without regard to their orientation. Because your photos are recompressed during the rotation process you may loose bits of information and that can reduce your image quality. So keep your master scans untouched and use a copy to rotate or manipulate.
Some photo scanning services offer automatic photo enhancement. What you need to know is enhancement, or any manipulation, can cause jpeg files to be re-compressed and cause some quality loss. Make sure your scanning service provides you with a complete set of master scans and then a copy of them for the enhancements. Don't ever use the originals to make changes. Always use a copy. You may find that you want to work on special photos yourself. When you do, always start with a fresh copy of the master scan.
After your photos are scanned you can use any number of photo editors to correct their appearance. Somewhere around photo number 200 you might think more seriously about using an automatic photo enhancer. There are lots of them on the market, but the trouble is finding the one that actually works. Some photo scanning services offer automatic photo enhancement. This is usually great for making most of your photos look better, but it doesn't make them all look perfect. Usually a combination of manually editing those very special photos and using an automatic enhancement on the rest is the best solution. - 15437
About the Author:
If the historical records of your images have not been permanently preserved then you need to understand more about low cost photo scanning. Pete Fontaine offers more information on scanning services at www.nickelscan.com.
