Scanning is the easy bit. Play around for a while before you start the serious scans, that way you can start to feel comfortable with your choices. When you scan create a large image of 2 or 3 megs in size and save in bitmap or better. Forget jpg as the quality is not there. Later if needed you can always reduce photos for emailing but you cannot increase without loss of quality. This will give you a good quality and something to work with as you start to restore your photos.

I like the flat bed scanners as I feel more comfortable than with an all in one. You can set the photo up square, do the needed settings and away you go.

Once scanned and saved you might like to right click each file, click Properties the Summary and you can enter any details like names and dates etc so these details are never lost.

Photo editing is another story, the learning curve is quite steep. I use Corel PhotoPaint 11 for that and Irfanview (free program) for bulk resizing renaming etc. Your friend here is the 'Clone tool'. Not entirely of course but it can create magical things with practise.

Irfanview, Gimp, PhotoFiltre are 3 I know that are all free for the downloading. There are others of course.

Here is a link that might be useful: Epson review

My Epson scanner came with an older version of Adobe Photo Shop, so it may be that a good photo editing program will come with the Epson scanner you are considering. I had an older HP scanner which was not compatible with XP, so I bought this Epson directly from the company as a reconditioned unit (new warranty)for under $100. It also scans negatives and slides which is another reason I bought it.

Do you have Microsoft Office? If so, try scanning them and open them with the Microsoft Office Picture Manager. The Edit Pictures function includes tools to adjust brightness and contrast. Might be all you need.

grandms
It also scans negatives and slides which is another reason I bought it.
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grandms would your Epson do 16mm film? I have a lot of
16mm film I would like to get some pictures from.

Thanks for the helpful information, Folks. I just got a little advice from another source. They said to watch for companies saying their scanner/software will "enhance color photos" and nothing else.

I took another looks at some scanner sites. They mentioned enhancing color photos, or enhancing photos. None mentioned enhancing black and white photos. When I get started I think I'll be dealing with more faded B&W than color.

Epson has a Perfection V350 with an included software package that has Easy Photo Fix. Price is around $110. I was on the verge of ordering it. Now, I'll probably write Epson support and ask how it does with B&W's.

I don't have MS Office but I have a couple of others that one can adjust light/dark and contrast. I've found it handy with newer pictures. I've tried it a few times with old B&W photos. It just doesn't seem to help.

Thanks again, Gene

Gene your 'other source' may be right. However the simple and free Irfanview has the capability to enhance colours.

You are not dealing with black and white photos either. Try your scans in black and white and see just how harsh and horrible they turn out. You need to scan in 16 or 32 bit colour depth, after all you are trying to save history here.

The Epson scanner you originally selected also comes with that same software so unless there is some other redeeming feature you can save the $10.01

candler,

Back in the Win 95 era I bought a flat bed UMAX scanner. Really a good unit and came with Adobe Photo. The UMAX wouldn't work on the 98 system and I went through a couple scanners and ended up with an Epson 2480. In the meantime, I had I purchased Abobe Photo Delux Home Edition 4. It is the best of 4 or 5 software imaging packages I've tried.

I finished scanning black and white family photos for the years 1916 to 1966 just before Christmas. Not really difficult, just time consuming.

If you spend a little time learning your software you'll be surprized what it can do. For example, half of a B&W photo is in shade. So, with your image software you trace the shaded portion to define the working area and then begin to lighten and increase the contrast until it matches or comes close to the unshaded area. Creases in the photo can be overpainted with the clone function. Select the color or pattern at the crease and use that to paint over the crease.

And the list goes on. It is astounding what can be done. Some will tell you that if the detail is not in the photo then there's nothing that can be done to enhance it. Don't believe it. I have copied eyes from one photo and pasted into another; change portions of the background that contain farm equipment or the neighbors dog.

Get a decent scanner with a decent speed. Nothing is so frustrating as waiting for the thing to do what its supposed to do. Use the image software that comes with it and if it won't do what I've described, go to plan B.

Hang in there. Its a wonderful project you're starting.

Bob
Central Arizona.

cboy, had to get out the paperwork to answer your question about film. It will scan 35mm film, but there is no device for holding 16mm film. Maybe you could do a search on scanning 16mm film and see if there is a scanner that does so.

Thanks for trying grandms My film would probably have to
be sent off for others to work on.

Hello, All. I downloaded the Irfanview. I've used the basics to adjust B&W's. They turn out a little better than I thought. I'd like getting into the pixels and also into sectional shading but not sure when this will be. I appreciate information everyone has furnished. Thanks, Gene