Frequently Asked Questions

How long will it take to process my order?

That depends on the size of your order, the condition of your slides, negatives, or photos, and the number of orders we are currently working on. Most orders are processed within 3-5 business days after we receive your shipment. Very small orders (50 or less) can usually be turned around in one day.

What is the optimum scanning resolution?

That depends. If you intend to use the scan to make 4 x 6 prints, a resolution of 1370 DPI (cropped) will capture all the image data 35mm film has to offer at that print size. If you intend to make 8 x 10 prints, then the negative or slide will have to be enlarged or magnified more to cover the larger print area. Consequently, 8 x 10 prints require a scanning resolution of 2662 DPI (cropped) to yield the same print quality as a 4 x 6 print at 1370 DPI.

If you're like most of us, you don't have a crystal ball and have no idea how you might want to use a scanned image sometime far off into the future. To play it safe, you could have us scan all your slides and negatives at 4000 DPI, and if you intend to use the scan for many purposes, that's probably the way to go. But realistically, that would be overkill in some cases. We recommend that you have your best slides and negatives (the ones you value the most) scanned for a 12 x 18 print size or at 4000 DPI (same resolution in both cases) and have the others scanned for a print size that you're most likely to want.

A lot of customers have us scan all of their slides or negatives for a 4 x 6 or 5 x7 print size first. After they've had a chance to review the scans over the Web, they will select which scans they want re-scanned at a higher resolution. This is a good approach, especially when all they have are negative strips and no photos to look at. This also works for customers with slide collections and no projector to view them with.

For an in-depth discussion of scanning resolutions, check out this link at www.scantips.com. This site also provides a handy calculator for determining what scanning resolutions to use for a given print size.

Is a scan for a 4 x 6 print of lesser quality than a scan for an 8 x 10?

No. It is just scanned at a lower resolution and you won't be able to make larger than 4 x 6 prints without some loss of sharpness. 4 x 6 scans produce an image file that is almost twice as wide as your screen, assuming you have it set at 1024 x 768.

What's the difference between Standard and Custom scanning on the Order Form?

We provide two methods to order slide and negative scanning, Standard and Custom. By using the term standard, we don't mean to imply a lesser quality product than custom. Standard is just a different and easier way to order scanning without getting buried in a lot of technical jargon. Think of Standard as a way to order scanning by desired print size and Custom as a way to order scanning by desired scanning resolution (DPI). That's the primary difference between the two methods of ordering.

Do you adjust the exposure and color-correct my slides/negatives/photos?

Yes. Every slide, negative, and photo is scanned individually by hand, previewed, analyzed, and manually corrected until the best possible image is acquired. Corrections are made to restore color balance, color saturation, brightness and contrast, and if you choose ICE or ICE, we attempt to remove any remaining dust and scratches ICE misses.

Do you clean the slides or negatives before you scan them?

Yes. We visually inspect each slide or negative and depending on its condition, we may: blow off any loose dust or lint with canned air, wipe it clean with a lint-free and non-abrasive tissue or anti-static brush, and clean them with film cleaner when necessary. This not only yields a cleaner scan, it keeps our equipment clean, as well.

Do you charge more to scan slides shipped in carousels, cubes, trays, etc?

No. Slides will be scanned and put back in their container in the same order we receive them. Be sure to secure container lids, cases, etc. with tape and use bubble-wrap, popcorn, newspaper, etc. to prevent the containers from moving around in the box. Lids do come off and trays do tip during shipping and we end up with a pile of slides in a box.

Do you charge more to scan selected frames from a negative strip?

No. Mark the frames to be scanned with a black felt tip marker at the sprocket holes or write the frame numbers to be scanned on a piece of paper. If the negatives are in a sleeve, you can write the frame numbers on the sleeve with something soft so you don't damage the negative.

How do I pay for your services?

We accept credit cards using PayPal, personal checks, and money orders made out to Gemega Imaging. Your order will be shipped when we receive your payment or when your check clears. For any order requiring fast turnaround, we highly recommend PayPal using a credit card; otherwise, your order will be held up until the check or PayPal e-Check clears. Checks drawn on a bank outside of California or PayPal e-Checks can take up to 10 business days to clear. You can speed the process up by sending your paper check with your materials to be processed.

Do you charge more to scan uncut negative rolls?

No. However, rolls will be cut into 5-frame strips in order to scan them.

I have a batch of slides that are underexposed. Will you be able to correct the exposure when you scan them?

To state the obvious, the best scans come from properly exposed film. If your slides are underexposed in both the highlights and the shadows, we can lighten the image and manually adjust the contrast when we do the scan. If your slides are underexposed in the shadows, Digital ICE, specifically Digital DEE, may be able to pull more detail from those areas. But if the entire image or the shadows are too dark or black, lacking in any detail, there's not much we can do about that.

Send us the worst case slide and we'll see what we can do. Don't bother with the Order form. Just be sure to mark the envelope with your return address so we'll know where to send the slides back. Be sure to send us your email address so we can email an image showing the results.

After I send you my slides and/or negatives, what do I get back?

For each slide and negative we receive, we return the original scanned image in an uncompressed TIFF file that contains all of the image data captured during the scan. TIFF is the photographic industry standard for image files and you'll want to use this file when making prints. We also return a reduced, high quality, JPEG image file. This file is suitable for viewing on a computer, emailing to family and friends, and web publishing.

You'll receive your scanned images on a CD or DVD. Even though we use the highest quality CDs and DVDs, we highly recommend that you verify the readability of the CD or DVD by copying the contents to your hard drive when you receive it. Disks cannot be replaced 30 days after you receive them. Of course, we also return whatever source material you shipped us.

How is the CD or DVD organized? 

You'll receive one or more CDs or DVDs with one folder labeled TIFFS containing your TIFF files and one folder labeled JPEGS containing your JPEG files. For cross-platform compatibility, we use the 8.3 file naming convention where each file is named Imagennn (Image001, Image002, etc.) or Imgnnnnn (Img00001, Img00002, etc.) for larger projects. We'll organize your output folders anyway you like, but due to time constraints, we cannot custom name your scans other than changing the filename prefix (Image or Img to something else).

Do you scan slides in glass mounts?

We scan glass mounts, but ask that you arrange the slides in the proper orientation (front/back), because orientation can be difficult to determine by looking at a glass-mounted slide. While glass or plastic mounts protect the slide from scratches, they don't seal out dust and dirt. When we can, we'll open the mount if the slide is out of alignment, but we won't open all the mounts to clean them unless you call us first to make special arrangements.

Do you scan photos sent in photo albums, scrapbooks, baby books, etc.?

Maybe. If you want these photos scanned, we would prefer that you remove them first. Many photo albums use sticky pages to hold the photo in place and over time the photo is very difficult to remove without risking damage to the photo. If you don't want to be bothered with removing the photos, call us to make special arrangements.

Do you charge more to use Digital ICE to remove dust and scratches during the scan?

No. We don't charge more to use Digital ICE and we don't usually charge more to use any of the other Digital ICE products, like Digital GEM (removes grain) and Digital DEE (fix under-exposures). However, if we receive an order of 200 or more slides or negatives to be scanned at any resolution higher than 2000 DPI with lots of grain and/or under-exposures and you want that corrected, volume discounts will not apply. This is a very rare occurrence and only applies to negatives of high speed film.

What kind of scanning equipment do you use?

For 35mm format, we use a professional Nikon Super Coolscan 5000 ED film scanner. This is not a flatbed scanner aimed at the consumer market. Flatbeds do a good job with larger negatives, but aren't up to the task for scanning slides and negatives as small as 35mm. That's why we use a dedicated film scanner designed specifically for scanning 35mm slides and negatives. We chose Nikon for its superior optics.

For medium and large format, and photo prints, we use a professional-grade Epson 4870 flatbed scanner. These negatives and positives are much larger and the Epson produces excellent results.

Is the Nikon 5000 the best scanner for scanning 35mm slides?

Let's put it this way. It is the best in its class, and produces scans capable of making photo-quality prints as large as 12 x 18 inches. If your requirements are more demanding and you're willing to spend $25 to $200 per scan, than you should contact a firm that uses a drum scanner.

What's the difference between TIFF and JPEG file formats?

Tagged-Image File Format (TIFF) is used to exchange files between applications and computer platforms. TIFF is a flexible bitmap image format supported by virtually all paint, image-editing, and page-layout applications, which is why it is the industry standard.

As used here at Gemega Imaging, our TIFF files contain all of the image data captured during the scan. Nothing is discarded, meaning you have access to all of the original image data for retouching, resizing, and making photo quality prints. Because of its widespread use and acceptance across all applications and computer platforms, it is an excellent format for image preservation or archiving.

Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) format is commonly used to display photographs and other continuous-tone images on a computer monitor and over the Web. JPEG is supported by virtually all paint and image-editing applications. Because of its much smaller file size, it is an excellent format for emailing and Web use.

As used here at Gemega Imaging, our JPEG files are created at a high quality setting, meaning we don't compress the file to the maximum. We opt for a somewhat larger file size to produce an image that more closely resembles that of the original uncompressed TIFF file.

Nevertheless, there is a price to be paid in order to create a much smaller file size. Image data is lost forever and every time the image is edited and saved, more original image data is lost. Consequently, JPEG is not recommended as a means to preserve your digitized slides and negatives.

What film formats do you scan?

Currently, we scan 35mm slides and negatives (color and b&w) or anything smaller in a 2-inch square mount. We also scan medium (120/220) and large (4 x 5) format negatives and positives, and photo prints up to 8 x 10.

What's the difference between an 8-bit scan and a 16-bit scan?

An 8-bit scan produces a file that has 256 color tones in each of its Red, Green, and Blue channels. This yields an image capable of displaying 16.7 million unique colors. A 16-bit scan produces a file that has 65,536 color tones in each of its R, G, and B channels. This yields an image capable of displaying 281 trillion unique colors. See next topic.

Should I have my slides scanned at 8-bits or 16-bits?

For the vast majority of our customers, 8-bits scans are more than adequate to produce photo-quality prints. And, for practical reasons, they are much easier to work with because of their smaller file size and most of the software we all use to view and edit images only accept 8-bit images. There are exceptions. Adobe Photoshop being one of them.

We offer 16-bit scans, because some customers insist on them and for more demanding applications, there are good reasons to do 16-bit scans. Due to noise created during the analog to digital conversion that all electronic scanners produce, the added headroom provides that more of the correct tones make it to the final image. That's true even after down-sampling to 8-bits for ease of handling as described in the previous paragraph.

If you order custom scanning, we also offer multi-sampling to further reduce the effects of noise created during the scan and increase the chances that more of the correct tones make it to the final image.

Do you do the exposure and color corrections during the scan or after the scan using a program like Photoshop?

We make all of the exposure and color corrections during the scan. This produces an image that makes use of the entire tonal frequency with no gaps or missing tones in the color composite and individual color histograms. What you see as a result is an image with more shades of red, green, and blue. The image looks crisp and more true to life. We do use Photoshop after the scan to clone away smudges and scratches that Digital ICE misses and we will use the Dust and Scratch filter as a last resort. Unlike Digital ICE, Photoshop's Dust and Scratch filter blurs the entire image to remove dust and scratches, so we use it only if we can isolate an area, like a blue sky.

What color-space profile do you scan with?

We use the sRGB profile as the default because most of our customers are running Windows. If you need scans using a different color space, the following are available: Bruce RGB, NTSC(1953), Adobe RGB, CIE RGB, Wide Gamut RGB, Wide Gamut RGB (compensated), Apple RGB, ColorMatch RGB, and Apple RGB (compensated). If you have a CMYK printer profile you would like us to use, make a note of it on the order form. If we don't have it, we'll ask you to email it to us.

Can you add a text description to the scanned image?

Sorry, but there are a number of software packages available to do that.

I am an artist/photographer and want to sell my art on the Web. Can you add watermarks to the scanned images?

Sorry, you'll have to do that yourself.

Instead of burning the images to a CD or DVD, would you copy them to a memory stick that I send you?

Sorry, you'll have to do that yourself.

Okay, I'm sold. How do I order?

Select Order from the menu and fill out the section for the service(s) you want. When you're finished, submit the order and you'll be shown a Confirmation page itemizing your completed order. You'll also receive an email with links to review your order at any time and to let us know when you shipped your materials to be processed. At this point, you're under no obligation and your order will remain on file and pending until we receive your shipment. PLEASE see the Shipping page before you ship any materials to us.

Please note: The shipping charge and insurance cost is an estimate and we'll refund what we don't use to ship your order. In some cases, the amount charged is too much, and we will refund what we don't use when we ship and know what the actual shipping charges are.

If you're ordering a DVD slide show, you'll be asked to supply your choice of menu background and menu button style for the main Title screen. The pages used to illustrate these choices are graphic-intensive and may take a long time to load, depending on your connection speed. If you have a slow connection, we recommend that you visit the Make A Title Screen page, select and make a note of your choices, before you start to fill out the Order form.

You might want to open a second browser window now, and click on the following links to load the pages while you're reading this FAQ: Menu Backgrounds and Menu Buttons. These pages will then be cached in your browser and you won't have to wait for them to load.

Why doesn't the Order form show any Totals?

The Order form uses JavaScript to calculate and display totals as you fill out the form. If you use a browser that doesn't support JavaScript or you don't have JavaScript enabled, use the alternate Order Form by clicking the link at the top of the Order Form.

I filled out the Order form and clicked the Submit button, but was sent to an Incident page telling me my order was incomplete. What gives?

The Order form uses JavaScript to verify the Order form and to make sure that all required entries were entered before the form is sent to the server for processing. If the server doesn't receive all of the required entries or it can't figure out what was entered on the Order form, it sends you to the Incident page with an explanation. If you don't have JavaScript enabled, use the alternate Order Form by clicking the link at the top of the Order Form.

Please note: You must enter items in your shopping cart before you fill out your name and shipping address and submit the order. If you don't, your order will not have any items and the minimum charge of $25.00 is shown on the order Confirmation page. We'll adjust the $25.00 charge when we receive your materials to be processed.

The Order Total shown on the Order page is zero or it doesn't agree with the Order Total shown when I view my shopping cart. Why is that?

This can happen if you go to another page not linked to on the Order form. It can also happen if you return to the Order form from the View Cart page by not using the Back or Return buttons. To restore the Order Total on the Order page, click the View Cart button and use the Return button to return to the Order page. That should restore the Order Total on the Order page. If it doesn't, you can always rely on the Order Total shown on the View Cart page.  

Why did the shipping charge increase after you received my order?

The shipping charge on the Order form is only an estimate, regardless of what shipping method you selected. We will sometimes change that estimate when we see the size and can determine the weight of your order. Our shipping estimate is a bit on the high side, but we refund any shipping charges not used when we ship your order. If you use PayPal to pay for our services, you'll receive an additional receipt for your refund on the day your order ships.

I'm trying to use PayPal, but they won't accept my payment. What gives?

If you have an account with PayPal, you must logon if the email address we sent them is the same one associated with your PayPal account. If you don't remember your password, don't attempt to logon. Instead, enter a different email address, or call us and we will give you an email address to use and forward your PayPal receipt to you. 

Can anyone else view my Preview Gallery?

That's entirely up to you. As you may have noticed, there are no links to the customer's Preview Gallery on our Web site. If you want to share your scanned images with family and friends, forward the email links we sent you. Please note: Preview Galleries are removed from the server within seven days after we ship your order.

Why do you need to know my connection speed?

If you have a slow connection (28K or 56K modem) we reduce the size of the images contained in your Preview Gallery to minimize load time.

Does Gemega Imaging use cookies?

More and more people are disabling cookies on their browsers to protect their privacy and we can't argue with that. Consequently, we don't use cookies and we use a secure connection whenever we link to PayPal, or when we send you a link to a gallery or order confirmation. Several of our pages use JavaScript and are completely safe and secure to use.

If your question wasn't covered here, or the answer didn't provide enough detail, or the answer was misleading or incorrect, please contact us to let us know.