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DPChallenge Forums >> Photography Discussion >> Scanning Pictures...file form and DPI?
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 07/27/2011 07:33:42 PM · #1
Hey, I am scanning my grandma's old pictures and need to know what file format and dpi to save everything.

I have jpeg/exif, tiff, bmp, pdf and then 300, 600, and maybe 1200 dpi.

What should I use?

Thanks,
Julie
 07/27/2011 07:51:10 PM · #2
I scan a lot, scan in at the highest DPI that you can (no need for more than around 4000 though) and save as a .tiff. You can always resize the file afterwards.
 07/27/2011 08:18:43 PM · #3
What type of scanner are you using? Flatbed?

Are you scanning film or prints? Color/BW? Software? Is this for archiving, printing, or web?

07/27/2011 10:01:55 PM · #4
Originally posted by bspurgeon:
What type of scanner are you using? Flatbed?

Are you scanning film or prints? Color/BW? Software? Is this for archiving, printing, or web?


I'm using a flatbed scanner (Canon 8800f) I am scanning printed photos and slides. Some BW and some color. Don't know what software? I have cs5, but my dad is thinking of buying Corel for his set and then all my aunts and uncles will have something different probably.

Probably archiving and printing.
 07/27/2011 10:21:00 PM · #5
I'm not familiar with Canon software for their scanners. Just be prepared to be a bit let down by the slide scans. You may want to send the prime slides out for a high resolution scan. The flatbeds are OK to good, and a few are excellent (Epson V700 series), but are not on par with dedicated film scanners/drum scanners. Prints won't be a problem. Check out VueScan and SilverFast for dedicated scanning software if needed.

According to Canon your optical resolution is 4800dpi, plenty for the prints. I'm sure the results will be satisfactory, even at 4000dpi or lower. You can also then resize it in post to a more humane file size.
 07/27/2011 10:39:45 PM · #6
Originally posted by bspurgeon:
According to Canon your optical resolution is 4800dpi, plenty for the prints.

Remember that a scan of a 1" wide slide @ 4800 dpi will yield a 16" wide print @ 300 dpi without any resampling ... but yes, that should be good enough unless you need a "museum-quality" scan ... :-)

If you are scanning yourself, I recommend saving in Photoshop or TIFF format.
 07/27/2011 10:55:25 PM · #7
Yes! I should have said more than enough.
 07/27/2011 11:03:17 PM · #8
Originally posted by bspurgeon:
Yes! I should have said more than enough.

Seems to me I remember hearing somewhere that the physical grains on most slide film is only about 1/4000" anyway, so that scanning at much higher a resolution can be a waste.
 07/27/2011 11:18:21 PM · #9
That's my understanding with negs. I scan negatives at 3200dpi, clean it up, adjust contrast, then resize and save it as a tiff.
 07/27/2011 11:54:29 PM · #10
Thank you all so much! This is very helpful!
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