I was browsing around on abundantgenealogy.com yesterday and saw this post on their other page, Genealogy Bargains, for a new way to scan in negatives. Kodak has put out a scanning box for negatives that use your phone to take the pictures. (Click this link to read the article on Genealogy Bargains) All you have to do is download the software. The box is $39.99 on Amazon; definitely cheaper than the other scanners you have seen online.
As I read about it some more, I learned that the software you download to use this is free. So really you are paying $39.99 for a box with a light. I really couldn't justify that in my budget at the moment, so I decided to search out different ways to make this work. After some trial and error, I came up with one way myself and found another way online (thanks to an Instagram follower). I will share both options below.
The first option is the one I discovered on my own. I tried using the light on my phone along with a piece of paper to spread the light, but the camera was picking up the fibers in the paper. So that wasn't going to work. I knew I needed something like a lightbox that would shine light through a smooth surface. Then all of a sudden an idea popped in my head. My daughter has one of those light boxes that display letters that she doesn't use anymore. So I ran downstairs to grab it and get it set up. Crossing my fingers, I put batteries in, turned it on, placed the negative on it, and scanned in my first photo. Check out my result:
What do you think? This photo was taken in 1997. I was in the Eureka High School Color Guard and this was my Sophmore Year. It's a little blurry, but still turned out way better than I anticipated. After I scanned this photo, I began to look for more negatives to try to scan in. I knew I had some old ones from my grandma's collection. After some tweaking, here are the results.
Me and my then best friend, Sarah McKeever
cir 1985
Mom & Dad's wedding day
These were photos Grandma Ruth Wheeler took
June 14, 1980
Photos from Christmas
cir 1979?
This was when Grandma Fuchs was still alive
Grandma Fuchs & Papa Fuchs carving the turkey
Aren't these just beautiful! While they are definitely not perfect, I am still just ecstatic to be able to look at these. I have more negatives I will have to work on, but this is just a start. I shared these on Instagram yesterday and inspired one of my followers, Lissitydee, to try the same thing. Although she came across another way to illuminate the negative. Check out this blog: https://familyhistorydaily.com/genealogy-help-and-how-to/negative-film-scanner-apps/
I have yet to try this way yet, but I will definitely look into it in the future.
This is what I originally used to illuminate the negatives. You can find these at craft stores like Michaels, or discount stores like Five & Below or Dollar General. Or you might be able to find them online. I'm glad Kodak put out a different option for people to try to scan their negatives for cheaper than what was available, but like I said. I couldn't justify paying $39.99 for a box with a light at this time. If you want an easy option, go for it. The app to download is in the App store. It's called Kodak Mobile Film Scanner. Again, it's free.
So what are you waiting for? Go get those negatives and start scanning! You don't want to wait until they disappear or disintegrate. When you get them done, please feel free to share them with me. Either here or on my Instagram. I look forward to seeing all your beautiful photos!
Update: Since publishing this blog post, I had others suggest a great tip. Check your app store for "lightbox" apps to use. I downloaded one simply called lightbox and it worked out pretty well. It illuminates the negatives without it being too bright. You can also change the brightness and color settings. It's an older app, so it may not be optimized for newer devices. So do a search in your app store for some "lightbox" apps. Beware though of ones that contain Ads. Thanks to everyone who suggested this tip! Share your tips and results in the comments section. Have fun!
I have yet to try this way yet, but I will definitely look into it in the future.
This is what I originally used to illuminate the negatives. You can find these at craft stores like Michaels, or discount stores like Five & Below or Dollar General. Or you might be able to find them online. I'm glad Kodak put out a different option for people to try to scan their negatives for cheaper than what was available, but like I said. I couldn't justify paying $39.99 for a box with a light at this time. If you want an easy option, go for it. The app to download is in the App store. It's called Kodak Mobile Film Scanner. Again, it's free.
So what are you waiting for? Go get those negatives and start scanning! You don't want to wait until they disappear or disintegrate. When you get them done, please feel free to share them with me. Either here or on my Instagram. I look forward to seeing all your beautiful photos!
Update: Since publishing this blog post, I had others suggest a great tip. Check your app store for "lightbox" apps to use. I downloaded one simply called lightbox and it worked out pretty well. It illuminates the negatives without it being too bright. You can also change the brightness and color settings. It's an older app, so it may not be optimized for newer devices. So do a search in your app store for some "lightbox" apps. Beware though of ones that contain Ads. Thanks to everyone who suggested this tip! Share your tips and results in the comments section. Have fun!
If you have an iPad or other tablet you can use that as a light box. Similar to what your follower did.
ReplyDeleteThat's what someone else recommended. They recommended downloading a "lightbox" app on the phone or tablet to use. I plan on trying that next. Thanks for the tip!
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