What Do I Need to Know About Saving Digital Media?
Learn how to make the right choices & pick the right company
There are so many things to learn & understand when converting your media to digital. We have simplified the things you need to know when going digital to help make the decision an easy process.
Resolution is a huge factor in determining quality. The higher the resolution, the better the end result will be. Make sure you choose a provider that is upfront about what resolution options are available for your film. If there are no selections, it is very likely that the work is being completed at a subpar quality.
There are pros and cons to both Jpeg & Tiff files. The simple answer is that the majority of people choose Jpeg. Jpeg files are universal, have smaller file sizes than Tiff files and are easier to work with. However, Jpeg files are compressed. You would never know by looking at Jpeg file and Tiff file next to each other, but it still contains less data. Tiff files are not compressed, which means you keep every bit of data, but it means that you get a very large image. Sometimes the file sizes are too much for a slower computer to handle. It also means more discs required or more data to download.
To keep payroll costs low, some companies will send your film outside the country to be scanned. This puts your film at unnecessary risk of loss or damage, along with extended scan times because they are shipped on a barge ship, not an airplane.
Whether you have slides, negatives, photos or Movie Film, you will want your film color corrected. Film degrades over time leaving your film faded & discolored. When the film is scanned you can balance out the colors using the scanner. However, you want to make sure that your slides, negatives, and photos are digitally color corrected after they are scanned by a real person. Movie Film can have the colors balanced when the film is converted to digital, but you also want a company that can digitally color correct the video files if you film needs extra help.
There are cut-rate, inexpensive scanners, and there are costly professional grade scanners. There is also a huge difference between the results that they provide. If you want what is best for your film, make sure that they are being scanned on high-quality equipment, such as Nikon film scanners.
Trying to get all your slides, negatives and photos organized before they are scanned is difficult and time-consuming. Intermixing them before they are scanned is impossible. Find a company that will post your digital images online so that you can intermix and organize your images before you get your final product.
We all have some bad photos that should never see the light of day. If you come across some of these useless photos you should jump move them to the trash & not be charged. Some companies offer the ability to delete some of the unwanted photos and not be charged.
If you have movie film pick a company that offer 1080 High Definition. Even if you are going to stick with SD, it says a lot about a company if they are behind the times with technology. Everything is going High Definition & if the company you are using hasn't caught up, then you should look elsewhere.
When having your movie film and video tapes converted, you should be given the option of a DVD or MP4 Video file. DVD's are on their way out, and video files are the new way to save, store and share videos. Even if you only want a DVD, it says a lot about a company if their own technology is behind the times.
Resolution
Resolution is a huge factor in determining quality. The higher the resolution, the better the end result will be. Make sure you choose a provider that is upfront about what resolution options are available for your film. If there are no selections, it is very likely that the work is being completed at a subpar quality.
Jpeg vs Tiff
There are pros and cons to both Jpeg & Tiff files. The simple answer is that the majority of people choose Jpeg. Jpeg files are universal, have smaller file sizes than Tiff files and are easier to work with. However, Jpeg files are compressed. You would never know by looking at Jpeg file and Tiff file next to each other, but it still contains less data. Tiff files are not compressed, which means you keep every bit of data, but it means that you get a very large image. Sometimes the file sizes are too much for a slower computer to handle. It also means more discs required or more data to download.
Scanned in the USA
To keep payroll costs low, some companies will send your film outside the country to be scanned. This puts your film at unnecessary risk of loss or damage, along with extended scan times because they are shipped on a barge ship, not an airplane.
Color Correction
Whether you have slides, negatives, photos or Movie Film, you will want your film color corrected. Film degrades over time leaving your film faded & discolored. When the film is scanned you can balance out the colors using the scanner. However, you want to make sure that your slides, negatives, and photos are digitally color corrected after they are scanned by a real person. Movie Film can have the colors balanced when the film is converted to digital, but you also want a company that can digitally color correct the video files if you film needs extra help.
Equipment
There are cut-rate, inexpensive scanners, and there are costly professional grade scanners. There is also a huge difference between the results that they provide. If you want what is best for your film, make sure that they are being scanned on high-quality equipment, such as Nikon film scanners.
Organizing Images Online
Trying to get all your slides, negatives and photos organized before they are scanned is difficult and time-consuming. Intermixing them before they are scanned is impossible. Find a company that will post your digital images online so that you can intermix and organize your images before you get your final product.
Deleting Images
We all have some bad photos that should never see the light of day. If you come across some of these useless photos you should jump move them to the trash & not be charged. Some companies offer the ability to delete some of the unwanted photos and not be charged.
SD vs HD
If you have movie film pick a company that offer 1080 High Definition. Even if you are going to stick with SD, it says a lot about a company if they are behind the times with technology. Everything is going High Definition & if the company you are using hasn't caught up, then you should look elsewhere.
Video Files
When having your movie film and video tapes converted, you should be given the option of a DVD or MP4 Video file. DVD's are on their way out, and video files are the new way to save, store and share videos. Even if you only want a DVD, it says a lot about a company if their own technology is behind the times.
