[home owner]

I have recently uncovered several hundred family photo negatives and am looking for a type of scanner where I can can them to see what they are. The scanner I have now, will allow me to scan one negative at a time and the results are not that great, since all I get is a small thumbnail type of image which is hard to see. When I try to enlarge it, all the quality is lost so I cannot see the image. I am talking about the type of scanner that I can lay down a row of 6 film strips and view them as I would a proof sheet. Any help would be appreciated.

[RubyPitbull]

Instead of spending money on a scanner that you may not use again, I would take the negatives to a camera/photo store. I am sure there have to be a few left in L.A. because there are still some of us "purists" left. :)

Have them create contact sheets/proof sheets for you. Shouldn't be that expensive and should be relatively quick.

The other thing you might want to consider is to find out which schools in your area are known for their photography courses/instructions. Locate one of the professors and tell him/her of your dilemma. For a fee, they may allow you to use their equipment to create a contact sheet, or they may do it for you. Might be the cheaper solution.

These are the routes I would go if I were in your situation and did not have the proper equipment. Once you know what you have, then you can decide how you want to proceed, regarding enlarging,.

Hope this was useful to you.

[rawpotatoeater37]

I agree with RubyPitBull, but if you have several hundred, it could add up.

Are you sure that your scanner is set to the highest quality? Open your preferences and see if there is anything you could change to get a higher quality or a bigger photo.

As far as what to do once they're on your computer, you can use a photo alteration/enhancement program like Adobe, Photoshop or Fireworks and use a command that inverses the color values (so that it looks like a normal photo).

If this doesn't help, then good luck with anything you choose to do!

[saffle]

I have recently uncovered several hundred family photo negatives and am looking for a type of scanner where I can can them to see what they are. The scanner I have now, will allow me to scan one negative at a time and the results are not that great, since all I get is a small thumbnail type of image which is hard to see. When I try to enlarge it, all the quality is lost so I cannot see the image. I am talking about the type of scanner that I can lay down a row of 6 film strips and view them as I would a proof sheet. Any help would be appreciated.

Scanning hundreds of negatives is a lot of work and most scans need post processing in photoshop or elements. In order to get proof sheets what I would do is take a piece of white plex and put a lighbulb underneath, then photograph the negatives rather quick and dirty with a system for keeping track of them visually. Roll 1 Roll 2 etc. marked on the sleeves that holds 6 strips together. Then process in something like photoshop to turn into positive so you can view them on your computer. After you've selected your favorites give them to a service to scan or buy an inexpensive USB scanner with a negative strip / slide holder - about $150-175 and scan them for higher resolution and quality if you intend to make prints. Most flatbed scanners do not do transparencies nor have enough resolution - except some may have a "sweet spot" and a "back light"