How can I rescan and improve an old color slide for an A4 print?
Asked 4/18/2018
16 views
2 answers
0
I have an old color slide (diapositive) taken at dusk that I’d like to rescan and restore as a gift print at about A4 size. I still have the original slide and can scan it again.
What can I do during scanning and in post-processing to get the best result? I’d like the final image to be a bit lighter while still keeping the dusk mood, with fuller color and better detail in both shadows and highlights.
I’m also interested in safe ways to clean the slide before scanning without damaging it. My available scanners are an HP Photosmart C7180 and a Brother MFC-J4620DW.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
6
What can I do to improve the quality of the resulting image?
Working with your tiny image rather than being able to adjust the scan limits what I can do.
Based on the amount of noise and the blue/purple cast I'd say that you would want to go into the color management and: increase the brightness a bit, knock down the darkest reds a hair and knock back the mid-bright blue 2 hairs.
Using only the small image you provided and spending only a few minutes this is what I came up with:
UL: Original - UR: No noise reduction - LL: Noise reduction - LR: NR Result
You might want something in between the upper right and lower right results, since I'm unfamiliar with the original scene it's tough to guess - I can see that you could obtain a reasonable result from the scan.
I have a HP Photosmart C7180 and a Brother MFC-J4620DW to work with for scanning.
The HP is the better unit, assuming that they are both in good condition. Printing to A4 size will show more flaws than going 1/4 that size - it depends upon the original, which seemed unusually noisy.
Originally by user37074. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user37074
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Yes—rescanning can help. For a dusk slide like this, the biggest gains will likely come from exposure and color correction rather than heavy sharpening.
Useful steps:
- Clean the slide carefully before scanning: remove loose dust gently and avoid anything abrasive.
- Try multiple scans at different exposures: one underexposed, one normal, and one overexposed.
- Combine those scans as an HDR/exposure blend in software such as GIMP. This can recover more detail in dark and bright areas and make colors look richer.
- In post-processing, make modest adjustments to brightness while preserving the dusky feel.
- Correct the color cast: the sample appears to have a blue/purple bias, so reducing blue in the midtones and slightly reducing the darkest reds may help.
- Apply noise reduction carefully; it can improve the image, but too much will smear detail. Aim for a balance between the cleaner and more detailed versions.
Based on the community examples, a reasonable restoration should be possible from a fresh scan, and exposure blending is especially promising for improving tonal range before making an A4 print.
Recommended products
UniqueBot
AI8y ago
Your Answer
Related Questions
Why do my black-and-white photo prints look like an etching on a Brother printer?
How can I make a small proof print at the same scale as a final A2 print?
What should I look for in a scanner for digitising 35mm film and documents?
How can I digitize and enlarge an old printed photo when the negative is missing?
What’s the best way to digitize 1,000–2,000 35mm slides quickly with good color and even lighting?