AboutSteve Pearson Expertise Try me for 35mm or darkroom issues. I am a professional photographer in Australia. I work solely in 35mm digital format, after 35 years of colour and monochrome film in many formats. I have darkroom experience and for many years belonged to my local camera club. I conduct photography workshops around the state on any and most subjects relating to photography and often judge photography exhibitions and competitions.
Experience I hold a Diploma of Applied Science in Forensic Investigation, with part of my studies involving photography. I spend most days with a camera and am into digital photography in a big way. I was given my first camera in 1965 and have not been without one since. I spent nearly 20 years as a forensic investigator with my state Police Force, and since retiring a couple of years ago have concentrated on commercial photography - especially weddings.
Expert: Steve Pearson Date: 6/18/2007 Subject: transferring slides to disc?
Question QUESTION: Hi I want to transfer photographic slides to disc.I have a scanner and have tried but I get a picture of the slide.If I zoom in 400% I still can't see the photo. How do you do it? Other sites say how easy it is but don't explain the MO.Thanx Steve from a fellow Aussie
ANSWER: Hi Tim. Are you using a slide/neg scanner? You can't just use an ordinary scanner. To do that just gets you an image of the slide mount and a dark mass of what is the slide film. A slide being what it is needs to have light transmitted THROUGH it to get an image. Once you have achieved that then you just save it as a TIFF or JPG file and away you go. From you brief description, I gather that is what you are doing - using an ordinary scanner.
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QUESTION: Hi again Yes I have just an ordinary scanner so if I want to do it at home I have to buy an expensive purpose built scanner? Thanx
Answer Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Slide scanners are not that dear these days. I don't have one, but I do copy slides by using a light box. Take a piece of white perspex and place a fluoro-type desk lamp underneath it. Sit your slide on the perspex with the lamp shining through the perspex and the slide, and take a photo of it with your digital camera set on macro. You don't have to zoom right in to it. A standard slide mount is 50mm square, so if you have that in the centre of your viewfinder with say 25mm above and below it, you will be able to copy the slide. Use the highest resolution you can, download to your PC with a minimum of 300DPI, correct and adjust it through Photoshop or a similar program, crop it to the original image and burn to CD. Simple - when you think about it. Good luck.
