Archived from groups: rec.photo.digital (
More info?)
David Dyer-Bennet wrote:
> Larry <lbjunk53@hotmail.com> writes:
>
>> I am about to undertake the scanning of photos going back to the
>> early/middle 50s. The default resolution is 150. Is that okay or do
>> I need to increase it to 300 or more. The photos will be b/w and
>> colour.
>
> Are you scanning film (negatives or slides) or prints?
>
> 150 or 300 are decent values for prints (anything over 300 is almost
> certainly a waste of time, unless you have exceptionally fine glossy
> prints). They're grotesquely inadequate for film.
>
> What do you plan to *do* with these scans? Are they intended to be
> final archival scans, or do you just need them for a web site, or is
> it some intermediate plan?
>
> The two basic approaches to scanning are "get every bit of
> information
> I can out of the picture" and "get the amount of information I need
> to
> do X".
My scans of printed matter are usually at 300 ppi, 35mm slides and
negatives at an equipment-limited 2400.
Sometimes I will scan a small print at 600 or 1200. My underlying
figuring is that every little bit of leeway I give myself for my
ham-handed Photo Shop manipulations will be beneficial (better-hidden
defects) at final size.
--
Frank ess