Photo Advice
by Chase
on
Nov 3, 2007 at 8:32:11 pm
Hi Everyone,
I think this is the first time Im posting to this group, but I've had success with awesome people helping me out in the other creative cow groups, so I thought I'd give this group a try too.
So, here's the situation, I've been trying for almost a year now to figure out a way to back up my 2000+ hardcopy photos. I finally found a photo autofeed scanner by Kodak, the s1220. So here are my questions.
- Has anyone tried this scanner? I'm thinking about going with the i1220 which is the same scanner as the s1220, but is cheaper because it doesn't come with industry type software.
- I'll have the option of scanning at 300 dpi and 600 dpi. Even at 600 dpi, saving as a jpg, is it worth it to do it now, or wait a few more years until technology is better... or is that sufficient for archival purposes.
- Both scanners are pretty expensive, so I think I'm gonna see about doing it for money as a part time job, because I'm sure other other people would like photos backed up too. So if I go with the cheaper package which doesn't come with the software, then I need some software if I want to make minor changes... redeye, old photo adjustment, etc. Is there an easy program that people can think of which would let me quickly make changes to large batches of photos.
Re: Photo Advice by mike velte on Nov 5, 2007 at 3:13:46 pm
Just my 2 cents;
$2000+ for a scanner for a one time project (albeit large) seems excessive hardware investment. I suspect Kinko's would do the job for much less. But you dont want jpegs, that is a lossy compression format. You want Tiffs.
300 dpi is the industry standard of comparison to high quality 35mm film.
Your other comments indicate that you are new to photo editing and lack enough info to understand how deep the learning curve can be for even a $99 Photoshop Elements. It and many other "easy" apps have "auto" functions like auto color, levels, contrast and red eye, but these "auto" features often involve serious compromises over what a knowledgeable and experienced editor can do manually in a minute or 2 to each photo to maximize its appearance. Compositing and restoration take more time.
Knowing what needs to be done takes the eye of an artist. Efficiently accomplishing the task takes a skilled Photoshop user.
Suggest taking a Photoshop Elements course at lynda.com ($25 per month). The instructor (Deke Mclennan) is terrific!
