How to Scan Old Negatives (Without Losing Your Sanity)

I miss film negatives. There was something magical about snapping photos with a disposable film camera, dropping it off at the drugstore, and waiting days to see if you captured photographic gold—or just a bunch of blurry thumbs. Then, along with your old photos, you’d get those weird brown film strips tucked into a sleeve.

Naturally, I did everything wrong.

- I touched the photo negatives (don’t do that).

- I threw away the old film negatives (definitely don’t do that).

- I lost nearly every old family photo I ever took (please, for the love of nostalgia, don’t do that!).

But you? You’re smarter than I was. If you still have a box of old negatives hiding in your attic, congratulations! Those little, sepia-toned treasures hold priceless memories. The best part? You can bring them into the digital age.

What to Do with Old Negatives? Digitize Them!

That’s right--you can turn those funky little negative images into high-quality, scanned images perfect for sharing on social media (or, you know, just saving them forever in the cloud).

There are a few ways to go about scanning old negatives, but some methods are way more fun than others.

Option 1: DIY Negative Scanning (A.K.A. "Welcome to Tediousville")

If you’re feeling ambitious (or just love a good DIY challenge), you can scan film at home with one of these methods:

• Use a Film Scanner – Specifically designed to scan film negatives and film strips, these scanners backlight your negative scans and usually include built-in color inversion. Popular options include the Kodak Digital Film Scanner and the Kodak Slide N Scan Max.
• Use a Digital Camera – Want full control over your scans? Set up a film camera, DSLR, or any high-quality digital camera over a photo scanner light source, snap a photo, and edit the inverted colors in post-production.
• Use Your Smartphone – You can even scan old film negatives using a smartphone and gadgets like flatbed scanners.

Sounds easy, right? Not so fast.

While scanning negatives yourself can be rewarding, it’s also:

• Time-consuming – You’ll spend hours scanning and organizing files.
• Fiddly – Handle them wrong, and your negative image gets dust, fingerprints, or scratches.
• Tech-heavy – Be prepared to edit, invert, and adjust your scanned images using photo editing software like Adobe Photoshop, Lightroom, or GIMP to get them looking right.

If this sounds like your kind of weekend fun, go for it! But if you'd rather not spend hours hunched over a scanner, there’s a much easier way...

Option 2: Let the Pros Handle It (A.K.A. The Smart Choice)

Want to scan film negatives without all the hassle? Let Southtree do it for you! It’s as easy as:

1. Order your digitization kit – Place an order at Southtree.com.
2. Pack up your old negatives – Send them to the team in Chattanooga, TN.
3. Wait for the magic to happen – In a few weeks, you’ll get a package with your original film negatives and a shiny new USB drive filled with crisp, scanned images.

DIY vs. Professional Scanning: A Quick Comparison

For the sake of simplicity, let’s compare options in a nice table:

The Final Verdict? Save Yourself the Hassle

You could spend hours scanning negatives yourself, fighting with a film scanner, and wrestling with color inversion. Or you could let Southtree do it all for you while you sit back and relax.

Now, what are you waiting for? Go dig up that box of old family photos and get those negative scans digitized today!

Ready to Save Your Old Photos?

I think you know which option I would choose if I had negatives to scan. I know which option you should choose. What are you waiting for? Place your order with Southtree and keep your memories safe—no fingerprint disasters required!