Two questions

[Old Crank]

I am going to be scanning many more transparencies, perhaps some negatives. All from 35 mm. It looks like it is more economical to buy a scanner for this use. I do have some 4X5 but I think I'll just pay to have them done. Does anyone have a preference for a standalone digital film scanner?

The second issue is dealing with digital files. I'm looking for a program that is beyond the native one in Windows. But I'm not interested in a program like Photoshop. I just won't use it enough to cover costs or fight with the learning curve. Been there, done that.
So are there any medium relativley inexpensive programs that would be usefull for moderate photo massaging?

[claudette]

1. I have a

Canon scanner that is terrific. Even though my printer also has a scanner, I use the Canon for large projects. Sorry I can’t help you with a Windows program question. I have (and love) a MAC mini and frequently use the GIMP program for my photo editing. Not sure it’s available for PC’s.

Added link:
GIMP is available for Windows. A great program.

https://www.gimp.org/

[Old Crank]

4. Thanks

I'll look into it. I think I have heard of it.

[claudette]

5. 👍

Their “Help” feature is really easy. Good luck!!😊

[Major Nikon]

2. It's probably better to pay to have it done

Professional outfits have better scanners than you'd likely buy yourself and unless you plan on continuing to shoot film, the scanner you bought will probably never be used again.

[Old Crank]

3. I understand

I just copied 800 slides. That would have been over $600 from services advertised online. I have, perhaps double that, or more left. I do understand that the machine might not be used again.

[HAB911]

6. I use an Epson V700 scanner

that is a few years old, it came with slide and negative holders and scanner software (Silverfast) that can be upgraded from the into version. The current version of which is the V850 but at $1200 is a bit pricey, but it would do anything you might need. There is a V600 that might do as well and a much more reasonable $300!

I used the V700 for all these slides: https://jamesdevore.smugmug.com/60-YEAR-JOURNEY-IN-PHOTOGRAPHY/CAR-SHOW-IN-KODACHROME-CIRCA-1991

I use photoshop so can't comment on the windows question.

[Old Crank]

7. I had an Epson

Don't know the number but I liked it. It was one of the things that didn't make the cut to go to Germany 8 years ago. I liked it because it could also handle 4X5 transparencies and negatives.

[HAB911]

8. yes this one has several other large format holders

that I've never looked at.

[Grumpy Old Guy]

9. Corel Paintshop Pro

I have a friend who uses Corel Paintshop Pro, which is a one time only purchase, not a subscription like Photoshop. Most photographers I know use Lightroom, which is also available without subscription.

[FuzzyRabbit]

10. Irfanview for imaging.

I use a free program called Irfanview. It does many routine tasks, ie resizing, cropping, brightness, contrast, global color corrections, and a few other things almost intuitively. And scanning as well.

My cousin tried for years to learn Photoshop. Finally he tried Irfanview. He called me up and said that he did more work that one afternoon than he did in two years using Photoshop.

If you don't want to spend many hours learning and many dollars, try the free program Irfanview.

However, if you want to retouch photos, ie eliminating dust spots or fine retouching, then you will probably need a program like Photoshop.

[HappyCynic]

11. I use Corel

I use Corel AfterShot Pro 3. I actually got it as part of a bundle along with some other Corel software (including PaintShop Pro) from HumbleBundle. They currently don't have a bundle with AfterShot or PaintShop and unfortunately I don't know if there's a way to find out if/when they'll have it offered again. The bundle price is usually cheaper than even just the software (AfterShot or PaintShop) alone.