Convert Negatives to Digital

There's one or two ways that can convert negatives to images on a PC. There is a negative and positive in each of how to digitize negatives in a way that you convert the negatives - but it all comes down to money. The low end scanners usually produce images at 600 dpi (dots per inch) and goes clear up to 2,500 dpi and above.

Some scanners come with built-in negative adapters. A few of the scanners can be quite expensive but it will be worth having them. If you don't have much money laying around, you can spend about $250 (sometimes less) that can get the job done. The quality will not be as good, but would be respectable. If you have a scanner, you can buy an adaptor at a local electronics store. The adaptors will cost up to $200, but the average cost is about $100. Don't worry about figuring out how to attach the device to your scanner - it should come with detailed but easy to understand instructions on how to connect the adapter to the scanner.

A film scanner would be nice to have for a 35mm film but these are basically low end devices. They would cost between $200 to $1,500. The high end usually is made for medium format negatives that may be bundled with Adobe Photoshop. Remember though, not all high end film scanners do come bundled with Photoshop or a image editor, so make sure (if you want a film editor) that it will have one. Photoshop can do wonders as far as removing specs of dust from pixels and other imperfections from your negatives. Of course, a film scanner can be used for slides as well, but this is beyond the scope of this article.

If you have 35mm negatives, a film scanner would be another way to convert to images. The cost of one is usually between $180 to $1,500. The ones that are around the $1,500 dollar mark usually comes bundled with Photoshop, but again, a film editor such as Photoshop usually comes with the film scanner if you want to put out the money. Photoshop, or other nice film editors can do a lot of good for your negatives. It can remove specs of dust from a couple of pixels that can really make a difference. It can also remove the "red-eye" from people and pets.

A third way is to send your negatives to a professional negative scanning service. These companies do an excellent job of converting photos, negatives and slides to digital images. They are rather experience but well worth it.

Anyway you digitize your negatives, you'll end up being happy, even a scanner at 600 dpi. If you are doing this for your family, you'll be happy with the lower end scanners or film scanner. For a business, you may want to spend the extra money for the higher-end devices.