Scanning Color Slide Film

JADoss23 · May 18, 2017

I recently took on a project to scan some old color 35mm slides and was curious about figuring out the right orientation of the pictures. I usually scan my own film and know which way the picture should be since I took it but really have no idea which way I should be scanning the slides... probably a super simple solution just wanted to reach out for some advice. Did a little research and know that Kodak slides are easy to figure out but these particular slides don't all say "this side towards the screen"? also when it does state that should I be scanning with that side towards the light or face down on the scanner? Thanks. any information is helpful.

Patrick Robert James · May 18, 2017

Technically this is not a scanner thread as much as it is a "which side is the emulsion" thread, so you should be ok.

A lot of slide film has a relief on the emulsion side, or if that isn't the case for you, the non emulsion side has more shine.

You should generally put the emulsion towards the lens of the scanner, but different scanners have different requirements. My Nikon scanner for example requires the emulsion down, while most flatbed scanners require the emulsion to face up, although I scan with them down and then flip the image.

Hope that helps you.

brent8927 · May 18, 2017

I believe for my Epson they recommend emulsion side down. Still, I usually found little difference and just placed it so the film curled up with the bulge in the middle--that way gravity helped flatten it a little bit rather than exacerbate the curve. For all my B&W films, this ends up being emulsion side down.

For some reason most of my color films tend to have a slight curl in the opposite direction (or are flat). Maybe it's because while I develop my own B&W film, I don't do C-41 developing myself. I always send color film to a lab since I do so little color photography.

JADoss23 · May 18, 2017

Patrick Robert James said:
Technically this is not a scanner thread as much as it is a "which side is the emulsion" thread, so you should be ok.

A lot of slide film has a relief on the emulsion side, or if that isn't the case for you, the non emulsion side has more shine.

You should generally put the emulsion towards the lens of the scanner, but different scanners have different requirements. My Nikon scanner for example requires the emulsion down, while most flatbed scanners require the emulsion to face up, although I scan with them down and then flip the image.

Hope that helps you.

If I am scanning emulsion side down then with it being a positive do I need to flip the photo or will it be the correct orientation? thanks so much!

Les Sarile · May 18, 2017

JADoss23 said:
If I am scanning emulsion side down then with it being a positive do I need to flip the photo or will it be the correct orientation? thanks so much!

No it will not be but you can reorient it after. Labs usually mount them one way so find a slide with some identifiable info to verify the orientation such as text. Then you can orient all the other similarly marked slides accordingly.

JADoss23 · May 18, 2017

Thanks for all of the help. Located the emulsion side of the scans and no well on to my way to spending a night of scanning and listening to records. Thanks for the help!

MattKing · May 18, 2017

It's sort of a scanning thread, but I won't grumble .
The answer to your question is partly a question - what does the manual say about emulsion up, or emulsion down?
Kodachrome slides have a pronounced relief on the emulsion side.

wiltw · May 18, 2017

My Canon 8800F has the film holder showing a mirror image 'R' (flipped), which puts any photographic image AND the pre-printed film rebate edge so the emulsion side is AWAY from the glass surface of the scanner.

ericdan · May 18, 2017

Are you scanning to print them?
If so it probably makes sense to follow your scanner's instructions to get best results.
If it's just for social media, I recommend you put them on a light-table and photograph them with a smartphone. whatever direction doesn't matter. you can flip it in software if it looks wrong. If you can't tell then it doesn't matter.

CMoore · May 27, 2017

I do not understand why posts "like these" are a problem.?
The whole internet is digital. Nobody on this Forum can post any picture of a Print/Slide/Negative without the use of some kind of digital devise.
It is not a discussion about "digital" just for the sake of it. It is info we all need to know to help us interact on this Film Forum.
I would like to buy a scanner, it would be nice to be able to discuss the topic with other Forum Members to see what they Have/Use/Bought/Returned, to get their images on this forum.....so i can make a decision as what to get.

LaurentMartin · Jan 16, 2019

There are a couple of options when trying to convert images stuck in slides to a digital format:

Professional scanning
The do it yourself route

Image quality
Scanning speed
Compatibility formats
Comparison shopping
Consider renting or buying

Bootstrapping

Wallendo · Jan 16, 2019

With newer slide films and the current trend to put minimal markings on mounts, this can be an issue.
I use VueScan, and if the preview looks backwards, I simply click the "mirror" button before scanning. With a Plustek scanner, I have not noticed any difference in quality when the slide are scanned backwards.
If you can identify the emulsion side and be consistent with that, it is helpful. Not long ago, I was reviewing scans from slides I had taken during a college trip to Europe in 1982. I used the location of cars on the street to help orient the scans. Unfortunately, I had initially confused the locations of the photographs and put French cars on the left and English cars on the right.

Scanning Color Slide Film

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