Hi Guys,
An interesting thread, especially if it gets some of those dusty old images out from under the bed and into the big wide world where they can be shared for the enjoyment of all of us.
Just a few tips [after doing this for 25 years I have more than a few, but that is another story].
Firstly, the hardware you buy is only a small part of the process. Yes, you need to get a good scanner with the appropriate resolution [make sure it is true resolution and not interperlated resolution, they are not the same thing]. Make sure the device you choose has a good dynamic range [the more the better] and the ability to scan in 16bit [at least].
You will need a film cleaning kit and some Dust Off [at a minimum, or you will spend more time retouching the dust off you images than you can imagine].
Check the software that comes with the scanner to make sure you can do batch processing. Otherwise you have to do it one at a time which is very slow. The software is very important and another reason why you should shop around as good software will save you heaps of time and make the most of the scans you generate.
Once you scan the images, back them up to CD/DVD before you colour correct and retouch them. You can always go back to the original if you bugger something up.
Then you get to the hard bit - colour correction and retouching. Sorry to say but there is no such thing as a scanner that will give you perfect results without some human intervention. And to do a good job colour correcting you will need to calibrate your system from the scanner to monitor to printer. Unfortunately this is where most people go wrong as it costs money to do, or you need a knowledgeable friend [and people who know what they are doing, know that it is unfortunately a complicated process with not many short cuts]. I have to colour correct and retouch every photo that appears in VMX and I can tell you it takes hours and hours.
If we keep the thread going we can share some of this information, but it is a minefield for the uneducated. Nothing beats enthusiasm, but be aware of what you are getting into. It will take a lot of trial and error and be initially very time consuming.
Good luck and lets see some of the results posted here for all of us to enjoy.
VMX42
