What Resolution should I use when scanning?

What is resolution? And what resolution should we use for photos, slides, and negatives? This video will give you the answers to these questions! Get your boxes of old photos scanned: www.familyhistoryhero.com

[@bondwoman44]

What a great video! Definitely going to check out your site

[@rickkaylor7949]

Thanks for doing this video. I found it to be very helpful. I have about 1 thousand slides and pictures to scan and this gives me a good idea of what resolution to use.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

All the best on your scanning project!

[@desleykakoulidisgallaway3382]

very clearly explained and helpful - thanks

[@TRUTHandANSWERS]

Thanks for the video!

[@claudiatapia8310]

I was blown away by all the information present it!! Thanks a lot!! Great video!!💫💫💫

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

You're welcome-glad to be of help!

[@berlindabahnam6044]

Thank you Linda, great information👍

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

You are so welcome!

[@jaydnomore2827]

Thanks for talking straight to point

[@MrCoconutcat]

Exactly it took me a month untill I seen her video

[@krishbalajii1501]

Very useful.... Thanks Lynda

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

You're welcome!

[@mariannawilliams5548]

Thank you for the formula. Have alway tried to guess when doing larger than a 4x6. I think you may have saved me a few megabytes in storage space.

[@lindasattgast]

So glad I could help, Marianna!

[@BigDipper31]

Thank you very much for the help :)

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Glad it helped!

[@AnimationAirlines]

thank you. really help full. 👍

[@vicsar]

Thank you.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

You're welcome!

[@timothycalderwood5695]

That is good info to have. Would you consider doing a video on specifically scanning slides as well as color and B&W negatives? How do you minimize dust and what's your technique for editing in Photoshop or Elements afterwards? Thanks!

[@lindasattgast]

Love your questions, Timothy! I'm sure I'll be addressing at least some of those topics in coming videos. As a member of my Photo Rescue Blueprint class you can get all the scanning and slides and negatives information in that part of the class. But it doesn't cover editing. However, that's something I LOVE to do and am considering a series of videos on KZbin showing my process, so thanks for asking!

[@VLRXKR]

TY Very helpful

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Glad it helped

[@jessietrotter6156]

This information is invaluable. Wish I had known this before I had started scanning years ago. My default on my scanner was 200 dpi....oh well....This old dog has learned a new trick! :)

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

We all have regrets when it comes to scanning or family history-myself included! We just have to move forward and do what we can from here on out. (I have to tell myself this sometimes even now.)

[@Bandrik]

Thanks for the video! I tend to want the highest resolution possible, so I was split between 300 or 600. 300 scans faster and takes less space, but I like having the ability to crop or zoom in more so I think I'll go with your suggestion of 600 dpi. Thanks for helping me make my decision!

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Glad to be of help!

[@godifiedsaint201]

Ya I finally figured that out last night😂😂😂

[@ramonaotten239]

Hi Linda, I have lots of very old B & W negatives of my dad as a young man. I have tried to scan them on my flatbed scanner and they just don't turn out. I have considered sending them to a professional for scanning, but, I'm concerned about the cost since I have so many and also the fact they could be lost. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. PS I just bought your latest video with the video that Charlie has put together. Can't wait to watch that one. Your tutorials are always so complete and informative. I have been watching them for years and have many of them from digital scrapper. Thanks for all your time and effort.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Hi Ramona-I'll look forward to having you in my new class! Regarding old black and white negatives, have you watched the video in Photo Rescue Blueprint about how to view negatives so you can see what's on them? You change a setting on your smart phone that inverses black and white negatives so they look like the photo. I can't remember off the top of my head how to do that, but you should be able to find the lesson in the classroom. That might help you narrow down some of the negatives so you only scan what's actually relevant.. I guess my main question is about what kind of scanner you have if it's not producing good pictures. You do need a decent flatbed scanner to scan negatives. Sending the negatives away is always a bit scary but I've done it and many people have, too, so don't rule that out at least for some of your negatives.

[@ramonaotten239]

imaphotohero Thanks Linda, I’ll see if I can find that lesson. I have an epson flatbed scanner that does a great job on pictures but just ok on negatives. Appreciate all your lessons, they are all so very helpful.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@@ramonaotten239 Hmmm. Epson is usually a very good brand for scanning. That's what I use. Did you have a chance to watch my lessons on scanning negatives? Not sure if they'll make any difference but it doesn't hurt to review the lesson on scanning negatives!

[@DJFREDDYREYXBEATS]

📸♥️

[@berlindabahnam6044]

Any recommendations for Photo scanners that will scan 4×6 - 8x10. I have 1,000's of photos to scan and wanting to and want use a feeder to help expedite this process. Do you think an Hp Office JET Pro 8715 which is an all-In One can do the job??? Thank you

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Hi Berlinda, thanks for your question. I do not recommend using all-in-one scanner/printer/copiers for photo scanning. Those are really intended for document scanning and most all-in-one machines deliver really inferior photo scans. This is especially important when you're dealing with your heritage photos! I recommend the Epson FastFoto series scanners. The FF-680w is Epson's current feed scanner in the FastFoto lineup. These are specifically designed for scanning photographs and will do a very good job quickly capturing the thousands of photos you need to scan. I will be doing a review of the FF-680w soon and posting it here in my channel. In the meantime, you might want to see my review of the previous model, the FF-640, which you can find here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/npTaZqFng9F9adE

[@6155ish]

What about scanning (text) documents? I scan multiple pages of text document, which sometimes are not very clear, what dpi would be recommend for text documents to get the best possible document, when scanned.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

I rarely scan text documents higher than 300 ppi unless the type or handwriting is small. I also prefer to scan them as single or multipage PDFs with OCR (optical character recognition). This accomplishes several things-It turns the text into something I can copy and paste-very helpful when writing family history-and I can put multiple pages of the same document into one PDF, which keeps them nicely together. If I ever need turn a page into a jpeg you can do that in Photoshop or Photoshop Elements by opening the PDF in those programs and choosing the page(s) you want to open and save as a JPEG. Quite a few dedicated scanners have the ability to scan as a PDF but they may not have OCR.Scanning text documents as JPEGs, though, is perfectly fine for archiving them.

[@gloriadelarosa6422]

If I scan at 1200 pixels per inch for Printing will that give me the best quality and resolution print?

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

You'll get a good quality print as long as the resolution is 300 ppi or above. I only scan at a higher resolution if I want to increase the size of the image. Scanning all photos at a high resolution like 1200 ppi will take a lot longer and result in gigantic images that take up a lot of space, so in my opinion it's overkill. If you follow the guidelines I give in this video you'll get your photos scanned faster and the quality will be great.

[@MrCoconutcat]

I have a question about (medium format film size) and making reprints from my scanned film slides, what's the best size to have for reprints 6×4.5 or 6×6 or 6×7 or 6×8 do you have a video about this

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

I don't have a video specifically about resolution for medium format film size but according to dijifi.com a company that scans all kinds of photo, film, and negative images and prides itself in quality, "The lesser-used medium negative and photo formats are best scanned at 1500 DPI or 3000 DPI for high-quality." Their article called "The Best Resolution for Scanning Photos" fits with my perspective on resolution. I hope that helps!

[@MrCoconutcat]

@@FamilyHistoryHero yes your resolution of 1200 or higher is what I was happy to learn from your video but I'll figure out the numbers I showed you and make a video about it after telling you what I learned

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@MrCoconutcat The 1200 ppi is just the "high" number that gives you a nice big size that you can then turn into the multiple different sizes for reprints. It's much faster and better than figuring out how to scan each one in the different sizes, though you certainly could do that using the method I show in this video. But that isn't the easiest way to do it. It's better to make one nice big size and then make a copy of the scan for each different size you want. (A copy doesn't harm the photo if you don't open it and make changes to it). Then crop each image to the exact size you want using a program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements. With a program like that you can select the resolution (300 for conventional printing) and the width and height in the Crop tool options, and then you click and drag on the image to get as much as you can in the picture. The 6x6 size will definitely crop off some of the photo but you can determine where it gets cropped. So that's my recommendation.

[@MrCoconutcat]

@@FamilyHistoryHero thank you for the great information and I learned that a TIFF is good for the multiple use of a digital image without loosening its quality unlike a JPEG wich will loose its digital quality with multiple use

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

​@@MrCoconutcat It's true that TIFF is a good format for the absolute top quality but it's a myth that JPEGs lose quality from being used multiple times. A JPEG only loses quality if you open it in a program like Photoshop, change something, and save it. The loss of quality is very small and not detectible to the human eye but if you change and save a JPEG multiple times the image does degrade to the point where it can be detected. So TIFF is fine, but be aware that you'll still need to make JPEG copies of your TIFF scans if you want to share or use them in many common circumstances-like most online sharing sites or emailing to family and friends or uploading to most of the printing sites.

[@godifiedsaint201]

how do you edit the changes on the scanner?

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@P&J Each scanner has software you install on your computer that runs the scanner. Open the software and look for the resolution setting. That's where you'll be able to change it depending on what you want for the scan. If that doesn't answer your question , let me know!

[@godifiedsaint201]

​@@FamilyHistoryHero So I still have to convert my images dpi because I did edit and change the setting to 300-600 dpi and it did not come up on my computer and images properties still said the original dpi...so at least I can convert 3 at a time online a great self publisher youtuber video showed how to do. The images looked so better scanned but the dpi was not what I set it to be in the settings. Even when I go back to the settings it say 300 but nope not on my pc and on the image properties oddly

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@godifiedsaint201 I'm not sure if I understand exactly what's going on with your scans but here's a video that explains what happens when you scan at a higher ppi and how for printing purposes you need to use a program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to adjust the ppi in order to increase the printing size of the photo: www.loom.com/share/32db8b31e2924953b33849a3cc69a0be

[@godifiedsaint201]

@@FamilyHistoryHero I know how to convert them to dpi I want so that's good

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@godifiedsaint201 In order to understand what's going on and why you're getting the result you're getting I would need a detailed step-by-step list of exactly what you do for a single photo to get the confusing result you're getting: What program(s) you're using, what steps you take with each program, etc.-without leaving out any steps! (Which is hard to do because you can see your computer and it's all very familiar to you, but I can't see anything. 😕)

[@DakillaChi]

Familly Hero What scanner do you use?

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Hey there POPIMPINDACHi. The scanner I use depends on the situation. I do a lot with my Epson FastFoto FF-640 when photos are loose and easy to scan with a feed scanner. I use my trusty Epson V-700 for situations where a flatbed scanner will work better. And I have a Fujitsu ScanSnap that I use for document scanning. I also have an Epson V-600, but I default to the V-700 which is a higher-end scanner (and also a higher price point).

[@DakillaChi]

thanks i just want to scan pics from the 80’s 3x5 with the best possible scan below $300 a scanner i think i read having them come out at 4-600 jpegs or what woupd be the best kone of file to store them in

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@DakillaChi Once a photo is scanned if you increase the size the photo will loose some quality, so when I scan 3x5 or 4x6 photos I scan at 600 ppi (dpi). That will essentially makes the scan twice as big as the original photo. This gives me better options for cropping and working with that photo. As far as a "good scanner at less than $300," I would use that phrase to search and see what comes up. Your two best choices are a flatbed photo scanner and one of the newer feed scanners which you can occasionally find for sale at an affordable price.

[@janinemaradionido3436]

hi need help. I scan 1x1 picture and need to enlarge it by 2x2 what reslution should I use

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Hi Mara. 600 pixels per inch will double your scanned image size from 1x1 to 2x2.

[@janinemaradionido3436]

@@FamilyHistoryHero thanks much. how about in scanner i should put 600 resolution? I dont have any idea why the picture I scan has lines.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

Hi Mara. Yes 600 for the resolution in the scanner settings. I can't see your scanner or photos, so I will need more information to comment on the lines. Can you please give me more detail. What kind of scanner are you using?

[@janinemaradionido3436]

@@FamilyHistoryHero may I follow you on instagram so I can send the picture

[@janinemaradionido3436]

@@FamilyHistoryHero my scanner is epson L3150

[@maazafzal192]

Astugfirrula

[@madmurdock1]

Double resolution results in four times the size… 🙄

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

I beg to differ. Double resolution results in twice the number of pixels. Try this. Scan a photo at 300 ppi. Then scan the same photo at 600 ppi. If you open both photos in a program like Photoshop they will both say they're the same width and height but the 600 ppi image will be appear to be twice the size. That's because it IS twice the size-in pixels. This is where it gets tricky. If you print them both as is you'll get two images the SAME size. That's because the 600 ppi file is still set to the same dimensions as the 300 ppi file. The pixels are just more compacted. In order to get the double size you have to use a program like Photoshop or Photoshop Elements to change the resolution to 300 ppi without throwing away any pixels. Then it will expand to the double size without adding any new pixels-which is what you want to keep from losing quality. On the other hand, you can't double the size of the 300 ppi file in Photoshop without adding new pixels and reducing quality. You can only double the size of an image safely by scanning it at 600 ppi. I know it gets confusing, so just keep it simple: 300 ppi X 2 = twice as big, 300 ppi X3 = three times as big, etc. But you'll have to use some kind of software to convert the image back to 300 ppi without throwing away pixels, which will expand the photo to the larger size.

[@madmurdock1]

@@FamilyHistoryHero Then you have a special case and just vary either the horizontal or the vertical resolution by its own - not both simultaneously. Usually, you vary both. That is becaus it doesn’t make sense to have another horizontal resolution than vertical. Double times double equals a factor of four.

[@madmurdock1]

And you don’t have to forget that on compressed image data (i.g. JPG) the compression also does it’s magic. So this adds a nonlinear component to the file size relation.

[@FamilyHistoryHero]

@@madmurdock1 In this video I'm not talking about file size. I'm talking about image size-two very different things. As far as image size I choose to believe the numbers my scanner and Photoshop show me which follow digital and printing standards. I’ll demonstrate it in this video and after that I have nothing further to say on the subject. www.loom.com/share/32db8b31e2924953b33849a3cc69a0be