Beast is scanning his photos - now what to do with them

[The Border Reiver]

I use SQLite as the database and I've written my own data entry screen so the photos will be electronically catalogued as I go (currently 800 out of the 2000 have been "typed") - all photos have the information written on the back and for the last 10 years or so everything is documented in Excel spreadsheets, one per day of photography. The front end can read them and therefore that data will also go into the database - and it's searchable.

 

I use an on-line MySQL database so that I can access my catalogue any time from any place. I catalogue by what I call a 'sheet of negatives' i.e. usually a file with 36 shots. Each sheet has its own code and along with the negative number gives an unique key.

 

http://www.howardmilburn.me.uk/locophoto_search.php

[beast66606]

My front end - which I have written so I can change as much as I like, I've just added the to clip button to copy the date, location and description to the clipboard so I can simply paste the data into a caption.

 

[beast66606]

Dave, I've got a garage full of WTTs from the late 1960s until the early 1990s, so if you ever want details of a particular working, let me know. Sorting all these out is also on my "to do" list though........

 

Thanks - me too ! - I nearly gave them all away but fortunately the nice guy decloaked into an ......... <insert> before I did so I've still got them all, and using a sun compass site I can work out the time the photo was taken which may help, but for now, the simple description as written at the time is all I'm using. I'll revisit them eventually. The captions get better as the years progress.

[The Border Reiver]

My front end - which I have written so I can change as much as I like, I've just added the to clip button to copy the date, location and description to the clipboard so I can simply paste the data into a caption.

 

Clipboard01.jpg

 

It looks very good indeed. Unfortunately, I cannot link my photos to the MySQL database as I scan them as TIFF files which most browsers don't support without a plugin. With TIFF files I can do work in Photoshop without losing any image quality. I then save the improved photo as a new TIFF file and save a JPG copy of it at the same time.

 

Howie

[beast66606]

It looks very good indeed. Unfortunately, I cannot link my photos to the MySQL database as I scan them as TIFF files which most browsers don't support without a plugin. With TIFF files I can do work in Photoshop without losing any image quality. I then save the improved photo as a new TIFF file and save a JPG copy of it at the same time.

 

Howie

 

Same here - I scan as TIFFs (the filesize is 1GB) but use Irfanview to generate a smaller JPG file, I never alter the TIFF, always working on a copy, I treat it like a negative. The JPG is used for uploading to online sites - my front end simply displays assocaited jpgs so when entering information the image is there to confirm things.

[rodent279]

Interesting topic. I have around 10,000 black & white negs, and probably about the same number of colour negs, most of which need scanning. What film scanner would be best for scanning them, particularly the b+w negs?

I have a flatbed Canon Pixma which is ok for prints, but doesn't handle negs or slides.

[beast66606]

Interesting topic. I have around 10,000 black & white negs, and probably about the same number of colour negs, most of which need scanning. What film scanner would be best for scanning them, particularly the b+w negs?

I have a flatbed Canon Pixma which is ok for prints, but doesn't handle negs or slides.

 

Depends on your budget I guess.

 

I have a printer / scanner (Epson) which is ok for photocopying type level, eg scanning a letter to ensure an electronic copy is easily availble while the hard copy is filed away but for my negatives I use an Epson V700 (updated to a V800 these days).  It uses cassettes which allow 16 x 35mm images (technically it supports 4 strips, which can have 6 images on each, but most negatives are cut into 4 image strips) to be scanned in a batch - load, prescan, scan, it takes around 25 minutes to scan 16 images at the highest resolution. I googled for extra casxettes and bought myself an extra 4 (for negaives). I can preload a cassette while the other scans (my original thought was to preload several but there's no real need and it could lead to the negatives getting out of order). The quality is fantastic, but depends on the original of course.

The V700 is also supplied with cassettes for large format negatives, I would guess the v800 has similar cassettes.

The v800 is currently £480 on Amazon.

[rodent279]

Hmm. Not too bad, not cheap but not a bank-breaker either. What sort of pc/laptop do you need to handle the images?

[The Border Reiver]

I have a Canon Canoscan 9000f mark II which at the moment costs around £170. it supports 2 negative strips, which can have 6 images on each. However, you can only process 4 slides at a time.

 

I bought the scanner after contacting Keith Long on Flickr being suitably impressed by his photos on the site. He uses the Canon scanner:

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24041160@N02/

 

Here is one of his albums on the site

 

https://www.flickr.com/photos/24041160@N02/albums/72157625267405966

 

Edited to include Flickr info

Edited June 10, 2018 by The Border Reiver

[beast66606]

Hmm. Not too bad, not cheap but not a bank-breaker either. What sort of pc/laptop do you need to handle the images?

 

i7-4770 @ 3.40GHz

16 GB Ram

128 SSD and 12TB disk

twin monitors.

64 Bit Windows 10

 

Several years old now though

 

It's down to personal choice when buying a scanner, I went for the ability to batch scan, with so many to do it would take even longer if I couldn't preload 4 strips and scan in a batch.

[beast66606]

After due consideration I'm going for the upload to Flickr and then embed into a thread on here, unfortunately my broadband speed means I have to seriously consider anything which involves lots of data being uploaded, so the ability to upload once and then share around is very appealing. It also means I can link to a smaller version on here and if anyone has desires to see a larger version they can go to Flickr to do so. (As mentioned by Andy Y)

 

I'll start over the next few days and see how it goes. Please restrict discussion on that thread to the photos and not the means of sharing - come back here if you have comments about that.

 

thanks to all who voted, including the 2 spleen venters !

[Classsix T]

thanks to all who voted, including the 2 spleen venters !

You're welcome. Democracy at work!

 

C6T.

[Alister_G]

Look forward to seeing them Dave, thanks very much for considering us, and for the time you are spending.

 

Al.

[beast66606]

http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/134940-beasts-photos-ongoing-last-update-15-june-2018/