Scanning Negatives

[pgreen7436]

I'm using my Epson V350's negative scanner function to scan in a bunch of old pictures. I have been playing with the settings all night but can't quite seem to get it. Every picture I scan in is grainy. I have used the defaults, increased DPI, decreased DPI, etc. but to no avail. They are also much brighter/washed out than the originals.

Can anyone give me some tips here?

[Rusty]

I'm using an Epson 4990 to scan negatives. If they are B&W negatives I find that I get better results if I tell the scanner they are color negatives. Also, if they are B&W, do not use Digital-ICE.

Good Luck, so far I haven't had great results with negatives. My slides come out much better.

Rusty

[stevepdx]

If you haven't already read it, you should study Wayne Fulton's tips at www.scantips.com.

There are many factors that influence the quality of the scan, including the film/print being scanned, the scanner hardware being used, the scanner software and, most importantly, the setting of the scanner software. This last item is where understanding the basics that Wayne describes will help.

With most scanners you can get at least passable results scanning film and you should get good results scanning prints. It does take a fair amount of knowledge - and a good deal of time, however.

--Steve