35mm Slide & Negative Scanning in Singapore
In short: Micrographics Data digitises 35mm slides, colour and black-and-white negatives, medium-format and glass-plate film at 3,000–4,000 dpi true optical resolution in 48-bit colour, removes dust and scratches with infrared detection, restores faded dyes, and delivers indexed TIFF masters and JPEG access copies.
For museum photo archives, government image libraries, corporate and press collections, architects' slide libraries and private family collections.
Every transparency and negative format
Slide and negative scanning is the conversion of a photographic transparency — a positive slide or a negative — into a full-resolution digital image. Each film type has its own base, dye set and mask, so settings are profiled per stock rather than applied generically.
Scan once, at the resolution the film deserves
A 35mm frame measures 24 × 36 mm. Resolution determines the pixel dimensions of the output and therefore the largest use it will support. Resolution beyond the film's own grain adds file size without adding detail, so we recommend by intended use.
Order preserved, every frame accounted for
Inventory and numbering
Every carousel, box and sleeve logged; frames numbered in original order so sequence survives digitisation.
Cleaning
Compressed-air and anti-static cleaning of both emulsion and base; mould or residue flagged for conservation.
Profiling
Sample frames test-scanned per film stock; colour, mask and exposure profiles saved before production.
Scanning
3,000–4,000 dpi, 48-bit, with infrared defect channel on production film scanners with batch feeders.
Correction and QC
Dust removal, orientation, cropping and colour restoration reviewed frame by frame by an operator.
Metadata and delivery
Captions keyed to IPTC/XMP, catalogue numbers matched, files delivered, originals returned or rehoused.
Carousel, box and sleeve order becomes the file sequence. Mount captions, dates and photographer stamps are keyed into IPTC/XMP fields, and existing catalogue numbers matched from your register or spreadsheet, ready for import into Qi, NAINUWA® or any DAM.
Delivered on encrypted media or secure transfer. Originals returned in order, or rehoused in acid-free sleeves and boxes on request.
Slide libraries across Singapore
Museums and heritage boards
Photographic collections digitised to preservation-master standard and imported into Qi or NAINUWA® collection systems.
Press and media archives
Decades of press negatives indexed by date and assignment for editorial re-use and licensing.
Government image libraries
Departmental slide libraries of infrastructure, events and campaigns made searchable under PDPA controls.
Architects and engineers
Project slide libraries — site records, completed works, competition entries — converted for practice archives.
Universities and schools
Teaching slide collections in art history, geography and medicine moved to digital learning platforms.
Families and estates
Personal and estate collections scanned in original order with captions preserved, on the same production equipment.
What resolution should 35mm slides be scanned at?
3,000 dpi yields roughly 4,250 × 2,830 pixels (12 MP), enough for A3 prints and screen use. 4,000 dpi gives about 5,670 × 3,780 pixels (21 MP) and captures the full grain of a sharp Kodachrome or Velvia slide — recommended for exhibition, publication and preservation masters.
Can you scan negatives as well as slides?
Yes. 35mm colour (C-41) and black-and-white negatives, uncut strips, mounted slides in card, plastic or glass frames, 110 and 126, 120 medium format and glass plates. Negatives are inverted and orange-mask corrected per film stock.
How do you remove dust and scratches?
Frames are air-cleaned before scanning, and infrared defect detection maps dust and scratches on a separate channel so they are removed without softening detail. Infrared does not work on silver-based black-and-white film, so those frames are spotted manually where required.
Can faded slides be restored?
Usually. Fading in Ektachrome and Agfachrome from the 1960s–80s is recoverable in most cases. We scan the raw dye layers at 48-bit and apply per-stock restoration, delivering both the restored image and an untouched master.
What file formats do you deliver?
Uncompressed 16-bit-per-channel TIFF masters with embedded Adobe RGB or sRGB profiles, plus JPEG access copies. Optional DNG or JPEG2000, with IPTC and XMP metadata embedded from your index or mount captions.
Do you preserve slide mount captions and order?
Yes. Each slide is numbered in carousel or box order before scanning; handwritten captions, dates and stamps are keyed into file metadata so context travels with the image.
Is there a minimum quantity?
No. Institutional collections of tens of thousands of frames run on production scanners with batch feeders; smaller family or corporate collections use the same equipment at a per-frame rate.
Can you scan slides stuck in glass mounts or affected by mould?
Yes. Glass-mounted slides are scanned in the mount or carefully demounted where there are Newton rings or fungus. Mould-affected heritage film can be routed through our nitrogen anoxia treatment before scanning.
Related
Send us a sample box
We scan a set of your slides or negatives, return the files for review, and quote a fixed per-frame rate for the collection.