Digitize negatives - you need to know that

You can digitize old negatives so that they can also be viewed on your PC, television, tablet or mobile phone. This practical tip tells you what you should consider.

Digitize negatives: The best way to convert them to files

• If you want to digitize your negatives, in addition to a good scanner, image processing and scanning software such as SilverFast is also helpful.
• SilverFast is a combined scan and image processing program and is available from 49 euros. You can get a demo version here.
• You can achieve better quality if you still edit the scans with an image editing program. For example, you can optimize the sharpness and colors.

Digitize negatives yourself: Here's how

To digitize negatives, use a flatbed scanner. What you should consider:

• The scanner requires a transparency unit. This way, the negative strips are precisely exposed to avoid overexposure.
• The scanner should have a resolution of at least 1800-2400 DPI. 2800 DPI would be perfect. Since negatives are small, a high resolution is necessary in order to enlarge the pictures later.
• The disadvantage of the high resolution is long scan times. This can take up to 3 minutes for each picture.
• Many scanners already have automatic scratches or dust correction.

Use a negative scanner for digitizing

You can also use a negative scanner to digitize.

• Negative scanners are smaller than flatbed scanners. The negatives are drawn in by the device.
• If you only want to digitize negatives occasionally, the negative scanner is a good option for you. For large quantities of negatives, it is worth buying a scanner with a transparency unit. Negative scanners are limited to one function and are often just as expensive.