5.0★ from 201 Google reviews
35mm Negatives
The most popular format for both professionals and consumers. Digitizing 35mm negatives produces beautiful rich images
Convert Negatives to Digital Service
Film negatives play an important role in photography and are what your printed photos were created from. In many cases, a superior quality image can be obtained from scanning negatives as opposed to printed photographs. As with all analog media though, they are subject to the damaging effects of time and unforeseen disasters.
Converting negatives to digital images is the only way to safeguard those captured moments and preserve them forever. With over 25 years of experience, our premium negative scanning service makes the process easy and affordable. Give us a call or place your order online today!
Accepted Negatives to Digital Formats
110 Negatives
A smaller and more economic format, 110 negatives require special handling in order to achieve the highest quality
126 Format Negatives
A cross between 110 and 35mm negatives, 126 film was very popular at one time for point and shoot cameras, including Kodak is Instamatic series
Medium & Large Format Negatives
Often used for portraits or group photos, these exposures can be difficult and time consuming to scan. But worry not, we have the equipment to get it done right
Every Negative Scanning Order Includes
- Digital ICE - Image Correction and Enhancement
- Rotating and Cropping of Each Image
- Custom Naming of File Folders by Label or Batch
- Free DVD or Link to Download your Images
- Free Shipping for Orders Over $250
- Free Pickup for Orders over $500 (NYC Tri-State Area)
Our Negative Scanning Process
Converting negatives to digital format requires specialized equipment along with a trained eye and skilled hand. Our experienced scan technicians treat all of our clients negatives with the utmost care and precision. Each exposure is cleaned with compressed air and a lint free cloth prior to being scanned on our state-of-the-art negative scanning equipment.
All of our negative scanners are equipped with Digital ICE technology to ensure the highest quality images are obtained from your scanned negatives. Digital ICE restores and corrects the color, contrast & exposure of each of your captured moments to give them a new life. It also removes dust particles and minor scratches during the digitization process.
After we convert your negatives to digital, our quality control team meticulously crops, de-skews and re-orientates each image to further ensure a beautiful and crisp final image. One last check by the human eye and your new digital images are ready to be put onto your deliverable of choice (CD/DVD, flash drive, online download).
Negative Scanning Resolution
An advantage to using our negative scanning service is the resolution capabilities we offer. Resolution is measured in Dots Per Inch (DPI) and refers to the amount of detail a digital image contains. The higher the resolution a negative is scanned at, the more flexibility you will have down the road. Below is a description of each option as it relates to 35mm negative scanning (most common).
- 2000 DPI Converting negatives to digital at this resolution is perfect for viewing the images on any device, including your computer, phone or television. At 2000 DPI you can make photo prints of 5 x 7 without losing any quality.
- 3000 DPI Scanning negatives at this resolution will capture more detail and result in sharper images. The scanned images are of a manageable file size and can used to print photos up to 11 x 14 without loss of quality.
- 4000 DPI The highest resolution we offer, scanning 35mm negatives at 4000 DPI will capture the most detail possible. This resolution will allow you to use the scanned images in any professional capacity and create photo prints of at least 16 x 20.
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What people are saying
about Smooth Photo Scanning Services...
What Our Customers Say
We had such a great experience with Smooth Photo Scanning, and I really can’t recommend them enough. We brought them a very old book with Sanskrit/Devanagari text, which turned out to be a much more complicated project than a standard book scan. Brandon took the time to go through the book, understand exactly what we were trying to accomplish, and talk through the different options with us. One… of the biggest challenges was the OCR. Devanagari wasn’t compatible with the typical OCR programs they normally work with, but instead of just telling us it couldn’t be done, Brandon independently researched different OCR programs and tested several options on our pages. He spent a lot of extra time trying to find something that might actually work for us which was so above and beyond of him. The scanning itself was incredible. The book was scanned completely non-destructively, with absolutely no damage to it, and the quality of the finished images is beautiful. We were honestly amazed at how clear and professional everything came out. The pricing was also very reasonable, especially considering the amount of time and care that went into the project. We were also on a bit of a time crunch because we were trying to get the material ready to begin working with our teacher, and everyone went above and beyond to accommodate our timeline. Everyone we interacted with was super understanding and helpful.. While we were there Brandon also took the time to show us some of the incredible archival work they’ve done, involving places like Madison Square Garden and historical works. It was extremely fascinating to see the level of care and expertise that goes into preserving these materials. We are so grateful to Brandon and the whole team. They were amazing to work with and this truly is a passion for all of them. The quality of the scans is amazing, and we couldn’t be happier with how everything turned out. If you have something valuable or irreplaceable that you need scanned, especially if it requires extra care, I would seriously recommend Smooth Photo Scanning. 11 out of 10!
- Apoorva YaddanapudiGoogle review
Great experience overall. I brought in my paintings to be scanned and they had everything done same day, which I really appreciated. The customer service was very friendly , professional, and made the process smooth. The quality came out exactly how I needed. Definitely a solid spot if you're an artist looking to get your work digitized . I will be back for sure .
- Tamar RobinsonGoogle review
I brought in 17 beta tapes from an old camcorder and within a week and a half they were put on a thumb drive! Excellent service, really nice people that work there! I highly recommend! It was so nice to be able to share these videos from almost 30 years ago with my grown children! They loved seeing themselves as little kids.
- Lesley RafesGoogle review
The old video tape that Brandon had digitized for me had presented a few difficulties on my end. I got back in touch with him with questions a couple of times, via email. He responded quickly every time and guided me to find a solution to the problem. He is a very responsible and professional businessman. I highly recommend Smooth Photo Scanning.
- Guillermo GallegosGoogle review
I had three very old family group photos colorized by Smooth Photo Services and the result was amazing, seemingly bringing those persons back to life with perfectly chosen colors, an excellent job. I wholeheartedly recommend them for your more important b&w photos.
- Lorenzo CamilloGoogle review
- Is it better to scan negatives or printed photos?
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Scanning negatives usually produces better quality. A negative is the original source, while a print is a second-generation copy that may have faded, been cropped, or lost detail in printing. Scanning the negative captures more dynamic range and detail directly from the film.
- What is the best way to digitize old film negatives?
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The most reliable method is a professional negative scanning service using dedicated film scanners with Digital ICE. At Smooth Photo Scanning, each negative is cleaned with air and a static-free brush, scanned at 2000 to 4000 DPI, then cropped, de-skewed, enhanced and reviewed by eye before delivery.
- How much does 35mm negative scanning cost?
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35mm negative scanning costs $0.64 per negative at 2000 DPI, $0.72 at 3000 DPI, and $0.86 at 4000 DPI. Orders over 500 negatives receive 10% to 25% off, lowering the price to $0.48 per negative at 2000 DPI for orders above 10,000.
- Can medium and large format negatives up to 4×5 be scanned?
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Yes. Smooth Photo Scanning scans medium format negatives up to 2.25″ × 3.75″ for $1.31 to $3.00 each, and large format negatives up to 4″ × 5″ for $2.06 to $4.25 each, depending on resolution and quantity. Larger negatives take longer to scan and process, which is reflected in our pricing.
- What DPI should film negatives be scanned at?
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For 35mm negatives, 2000 DPI suits screen viewing and prints up to 5″ × 7″, 3000 DPI supports prints up to 11″ × 14″, and 4000 DPI captures maximum detail for prints of 16″ × 20″ or larger. Choose 4000 DPI for archival masters.
- How does a professional negative scanning service handle quality control?
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After scanning, Smooth Photo Scanning crops, de-skews, and re-orients every image. We also adjust the color and exposure to further improve the picture quality. Then our quality control team performs a final visual review before delivery. Negatives are handled by experienced scan technicians backed by over 25 years of digitization experience, and files are delivered in folders named by label or batch.
- Can 110 and 126 film negatives be digitized?
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Yes. Smooth Photo Scanning digitizes 110 and 126 format negatives for $0.59 to $0.94 each, depending on resolution and quantity. They are cleaned, scanned with Digital ICE, and quality-checked the same way as 35mm negatives.