Photoshop: How do I convert slides to JPG?

MrBill wrote:

I’m definitely a Photoshop newbie but am fairly computer literate!
I just installed my copy of Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0 on my PC. Additionally, I have a Plustek OpticFilm 7300 slide scanner. Here’s what I want to do:

– Create a 4:3 (fixed ratio) frame that I can use to crop the slides. – Scan slides to JPG, 640×480 pixels, high quality [HQ] (200 – 300 KB/picture).
– Remove dirt specs and lint squiggles from the JPG through software. I believe this can all be done entirely within Photoshop, but I’m not sure how. Can anyone briefly tell me the steps needed?

You can do all that without Photoshop if your scanner includes the software that should ship with it – SilverFast SE Plus.

35mm slides do not fit properly into 640×480. You will either have a upper/lower empty border or they will be cropped and remove some of the image.

Set the dimensions in SilverFast. Just set 640 for the long side and let the other dimension shrink to fit. Then choose multiple sampling to help remove dust, noise, scratches and set the Save option to JPEG.

I knew all that and have tried it all but the results have been unsatisfactory, which is why I got a copy of Photoshop. Additionally, I’m aware that I will lose a bit of each slide by cropping to to a 4:3 ratio, but just about all of the slides can be enhanced by carefull and selective cropping. So to repeat my original request, in Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0, how do I:

– Create a 4:3 (fixed ratio) frame that I can use to crop the slides? – Scan slides to JPG, 640×480 pixels, high quality [HQ] (200 – 300 KB/picture)?
– Remove dirt specs and lint squiggles from the JPG through software?

I believe this can all be done entirely within Photoshop, but I’m not sure how. Can anyone briefly tell me the steps needed?

– MrBill

On Tue, 12 May 2009 15:00:20 -0500, John J wrote:

MrBill wrote:

I’m definitely a Photoshop newbie but am fairly computer literate!
I just installed my copy of Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0 on my PC. Additionally, I have a Plustek OpticFilm 7300 slide scanner. Here’s what I want to do:

– Create a 4:3 (fixed ratio) frame that I can use to crop the slides. – Scan slides to JPG, 640×480 pixels, high quality [HQ] (200 – 300 KB/picture).
– Remove dirt specs and lint squiggles from the JPG through software. I believe this can all be done entirely within Photoshop, but I’m not sure how. Can anyone briefly tell me the steps needed?

You can do all that without Photoshop if your scanner includes the software that should ship with it – SilverFast SE Plus.

35mm slides do not fit properly into 640×480. You will either have a upper/lower empty border or they will be cropped and remove some of the image.

Set the dimensions in SilverFast. Just set 640 for the long side and let the other dimension shrink to fit. Then choose multiple sampling to help remove dust, noise, scratches and set the Save option to JPEG.

MrBill wrote:

I knew all that and have tried it all but the results have been unsatisfactory,

To assist you, it would be best to know: in what way were the results unsatisfactory?

which is why I got a copy of Photoshop.

A copy? IOW not a licensed version?

Additionally,
I’m aware that I will lose a bit of each slide by cropping to to a 4:3 ratio, but just about all of the slides can be enhanced by carefull and selective cropping. So to repeat my original request, in Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0, how do I:

I could post an Action that does what you wish, but you have already pissed me off.

Bye

On Tue, 12 May 2009 18:39:53 -0500, John J wrote:

MrBill wrote:

I knew all that and have tried it all but the results have been unsatisfactory,

To assist you, it would be best to know: in what way were the results unsatisfactory?

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480. The scratch/dust removal took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

which is why I got a copy of Photoshop.

A copy? IOW not a licensed version?

And you say I pissed you off, then imply I’m a thief! No, it is not a licensed version, it is a 30-day trial version. If I can get it to do what I want I’ll buy it!

Additionally,
I’m aware that I will lose a bit of each slide by cropping to to a 4:3 ratio, but just about all of the slides can be enhanced by carefull and selective cropping. So to repeat my original request, in Photoshop CS4 Extended 11.0, how do I:

I could post an Action that does what you wish, but you have already pissed me off.

If you had addressed my specific questions to start, we’d never have had this pissing match. Anyway, flaming wasn’t my intention – my apologies that you thought otherwise.

– MrBill

On Tue, 12 May 2009 17:17:57 -0700, MrBill wrote
Re Re: Photoshop: How do I convert slides to JPG?:

On Tue, 12 May 2009 18:39:53 -0500, John J wrote:

MrBill wrote:

I knew all that and have tried it all but the results have been unsatisfactory,

To assist you, it would be best to know: in what way were the results unsatisfactory?

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480. The scratch/dust removal took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

IrfanView (freeware) http://www.irfanview.net/ has a batch converter built-in or available from a command line. It can convert all specified files to 640×480 in a single operation. e.g.

File – Batch – (select the files to convert) – Advanced options, bulk resize – set long side to 640 (or short side to 480) – Start

and that’s it.

MrBill wrote:

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480.

OK, then see File -> Automation -> Fit Image
Set the size to 640×480 if all the pictures are horizontal, otherwise set it to 640×640 and then trim the difference (edit->trim) Apply it to a folder of pictures

The scratch/dust removal
took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

Been there, too. Scratch and dust removal isn’t automagic. You will probably have to use the clone tool to do it manually.

Because the pictures are of Vietnam, 1967, I’ll volunteer to fix up a few. I’m on sick leave and have a bit of time. eMail me and I’ll show you what can be done. (reverse my email address to make it so)

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480. The scratch/dust removal took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

One thought would be to get a scanner that supports digital ice on ebay, then sell it again when you’re done.
—
Mike Russell – http://www.curvemeister.com

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480. The scratch/dust removal took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

If I were you I would scan them at higher resolution, and with a film scanner that has digital ICE — this would reduce most of the dust and scratches better than photoshop.

james wrote:

It was a huge effort to crop to 640×480. The scratch/dust removal took out portions of my original picture without eliminating more than 1/2 of the scratches/dust. BTW – these are old/valuable (to me) slides that need a lot of help, the batch I’m working on now was taken in 1967 in Vietnam!

If I were you I would scan them at higher resolution, and with a film scanner that has digital ICE — this would reduce most of the dust and scratches better than photoshop.

yep ICE works a treat unless they are Kodachrome slides or B&W.

This is still available on the Polaroid site, works quite well.

Dust and scratch removal software 1.57/2.4mb PC/Mac

http://www.polaroid.com/service/software/poladsr/poladsr.htm l

Polaroid brought this out prior to ICE or they didn’t buy the ICE technology.

or if you want to look at this page ob his evaluation.

http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/photoshop/polaroid-dust-filt er.htm