SCANNING YOUR PHOTOS

Getting a good scan of a photo or film negative is a very important first step in the restoration and retouching world.  The quality of the scan will determines the potential and outcome of the restored or retouched photo.  Below is a guideline to help you achieve a clean, high quality scan.

Before scanning, check your original photo for dust or any loose particles.  Clean them off by gently wiping the photo surface with lint-free soft cloth or a very soft brush suitable for use on photo surface.  Clean the glass surface of the scanner of any dust, smudges, etc. with appropriate cleaner and lint-free cloth.

Scan your original with a resolution of at least 600 dpi.  If you intend to enlarge the photograph, scan it with a higher resolution, from 600dpi - 1,200dpi.  For film negatives, use even higher resolution, 1,200dpi - 4,800dpi (or as high as your scanner's capability).  In photo restoration and retouching world, bigger is better.  Scan your photo as RGB, even for your black & white photo.  It is much easier to spot stains that are not part of the original photo on a color scan.  Turn off all auto enhancements, auto corrections, and special features on your scanner.

Once the photo is scanned, save it as a TIFF or JPEG format, with  no compression, no optimization, and at 100% or Maximum quality.  And give your scanned file a unique name.

You can also bring your photo to an office supply store, such as OfficeMax, OfficeDepot, or Staples to have your photograph scanned.  Your photo will either be scanned at a resolution of  300dpi or 600dpi.  If given an option, choose the higher resolution scan for best result.  The store can email your scanned photo file directly to us at info@hindsightimaging.com.  When doing so, please have the store input the following information in their email, so we can promptly contact you upon receipt of your file:  Your full name, email address, phone number.  You can also have them put your scanned photo file on to a flash drive or a CD if you want to email the file, or mail the CD or flash drive to us yourself.  Please verify with the store if that option is offered.