by Emmet Robinson

In converting 35mm film slides to the digital format, that question comes up now and then. So, really, why does it take so long?
The answer is that quality takes time.
With slide conversions, it’s done with a careful, detailed, step-by-step process that’s very much hands-on.  It goes like this:

1. First, the scanner must be set up for your slides. A special holder is required to hold them in correct alignment.
2. Next, appropriate computer software is used to create a file for the digitized scans of your slides.
3. Your slide container is opened – tray, carousel, envelope, paper sack, whatever.
4. The first of your slides is selected.
5. A special brush is used to remove dust, hair, cobwebs, pizza crumbs, etc.
6. Now, which side of your slide holder should placed on the scanner platen? Yes, some slides may be mounted backwards. That happened recently, and nearly fifty of ‘em had to be done over. Ouch!
7. Scanning at high-resolution for maximum clarity and detail gives you the option of retouching – correcting a poor exposure, removing a facial blemish – or a relative you don’t like, etc.
8. With scanning completed, your image is saved to the hard drive, along with a number and a brief description.
9. A hand-written list is begun for any technical matters that might need attention later.
10. A new computer folder is created to contain your images as they’re created.
11. Your first slide is now removed from the scanner, returned to the original container, and the next slide selected. 

How many minutes and seconds did that process take? Several.
A full carousel of 80 slides will require repeating much of that process 79 more times – and much of it by hand.
Certainly, an automated process would be faster, but do you really want to trust your irreplaceable photographic images to a machine? A machine that can – and will – make occasional mistakes?
Okay, what’s next?
The hand-written list of your scanned images will include detailed notes regarding any necessary retouching. Some adjustments are simple, and can be done in less than a minute. More complex retouching can take hours.
Once those matters are attended to, transfer to disk now requires converting all 80 of those images to the jpeg format, stored in their own separate folder.
At this point, consider your options. 

• In playback, should your images automatically fade smoothly from one to the next?
• How long should each one remain on the screen?
• Would other special effects enhance your presentation?
• The illusion of movement
• Narration
• Music
• Sound effects

All of these options are available to you , and added to each slide – one at a time.
Once again, the automated approach is definitely faster for the initial processing.
But what is your primary purpose? Speed?
Or quality? Offered the choice, the informed client prefers “the good stuff.”

Putting quality first has served this business well for fifty years.
Quality takes time.
Now you know why!

PS: My heartfelt thanks to the thousands of private and corporate clients, both locally and nationally, who’ve patronized my humble establishment over the last fifty years. I look forward to the next fifty!

Emmet Robinson
King Street Recording Company
Professional Photo Restoration
610-647-4341
kingstreetrecord@aol.com
www.kingstreetrecording.com