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Digitizing 35mm Transparencies Without Scanner

© W.P. Armstrong 24 August 2023

It is possible to digitize 35mm color transparencies (color slides) without a dedicated scanner; either because you don't have a scanner, or you just want a quick & simple method. Of course, this method does require a light box used for viewing transparencies.
1. Place slide on light box. I just place the slides in the orietation that you originally took them, typically with emulsion side down. You are not scanning them, you are taking a picture of them with a digital camera or smart phone.
2. Take a close-up image of the slide without a flash, hopefully by holding your camera steady. If you need a tripod or other accessories, you might as well just use a scanner. The remarkable little Sony DSC-HX cameras & iPad can be hand-held. If you just want to text or email the image to someone with your smart phone or iPad, you can skip the next step (# 3).

3. Crop the image on your computer with an image program. My old Photoshop works great for cropping and minor tweaking. I also uprez the image, but it still looks pretty good without uprezzing.

The Following Kodachrome Slides Were Photographed With Sony HX-60

The Following Images of Color Slides Were Taken With iPad

Kodachromes Taken Through Dissecting Microscope

This is a relatively quick and simple way to convert a good transparency into a digital image that can be modified or enhanced on your computer. I usually uprez the images with the Photoshop Plug-in Genuine Fractals to get maximum resolution.

Wayne's Word Macrophotography Techniques