tomjonesrocks
TPF Noob!
- Joined
- May 2, 2005
- Messages
- 4
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We hired (of course) a professional photographer to take pictures at our wedding. When we picked up the package, although we were generally happy with the quality of the photos and the prints, the scans he gave us we were really disappointed with. They had dust all over them and a LOT of noise in the shots. I found them unacceptable--the bill for the scans would have been $20/roll. Not a bad price, but the scans were just not usable. I felt the attention to detail on them wasn't there.
So, I went out and purchased a Minolta Dimage Dual Scan IV with the intention of scanning negatives ourselves. The quality seems actually better than the scans the lab did for us. The problem is I just can *NOT* get rid of the dust on these. I bought a camel hair brush and an air blower--didn't help. Dust still all over the scans. It would take me hours to pick all the flaws out in photoshop one by one.
Then, we got some advice that you could very carefully use rubbing alcohol to clean the negative. Well, the one negative strip I tried with this I have to admit I completely destroyed. So the negative for 5 of our precious wedding photos is now ruined.
So, basically I'm afraid to handle any more of my own wedding negatives--but have no idea where I can take them for better service than I've received. So I'm left to wonder, can negatives EVER be scanned without dust? Is that just a physical impossibility? If wherever I take it is going to have dust, then I'll scan all these myself without cleaning them and just live with the fact that they'll look terrible without hours of work on each individual scan.
Can anyone give any advice at all as to what they might recommend? If I do attempt to find another shop--is there something I can ask to be sure the scans will be better than I can do myself?
Thanks
Scott
So, I went out and purchased a Minolta Dimage Dual Scan IV with the intention of scanning negatives ourselves. The quality seems actually better than the scans the lab did for us. The problem is I just can *NOT* get rid of the dust on these. I bought a camel hair brush and an air blower--didn't help. Dust still all over the scans. It would take me hours to pick all the flaws out in photoshop one by one.
Then, we got some advice that you could very carefully use rubbing alcohol to clean the negative. Well, the one negative strip I tried with this I have to admit I completely destroyed. So the negative for 5 of our precious wedding photos is now ruined.
So, basically I'm afraid to handle any more of my own wedding negatives--but have no idea where I can take them for better service than I've received. So I'm left to wonder, can negatives EVER be scanned without dust? Is that just a physical impossibility? If wherever I take it is going to have dust, then I'll scan all these myself without cleaning them and just live with the fact that they'll look terrible without hours of work on each individual scan.
Can anyone give any advice at all as to what they might recommend? If I do attempt to find another shop--is there something I can ask to be sure the scans will be better than I can do myself?
Thanks
Scott