Does this scanner and software do photoshop type clean up? Can it correct over/under exposure? I don't really have a budget for this but know that any professional would cost more than the $400. I really have an appreciation now for being able to see a photo the moment its taken instead of waiting to find out if it's out of focus.
In my opinion, using Photoshop would be overkill. You will likely become quickly frustrated with how much time you dedicate to the project. If some slides are damaged, those specific pictures might be improved by an expert using Photoshop, but if you lack that expertise, I doubt you'll be pleased with the results.
I was tempted to send our thousands of slides and negatives to a service, but instead, I bought this scanner. I started by testing several phone apps, including one device I purchased to provide backlighting, which basically takes a picture of the slides. They're okay for casual pictures but clearly inferior, and the quality suffers. The scanner I bought takes 1-3 minutes to scan, depending on the resolution selected, and works very well. I also decided to only scan pictures with people, not the thousands of nature photos (with a few exceptions).
In our case, these are all photos that survived last year's fire and are photos we meant to scan for decades but never got around to it. Let this be a reminder to everyone not to delay preserving family memories while you still can.
As for the rest, I asked Clauce to comment:
The OpticFilm 8200i SE includes SilverFast SE Plus software that does offer some correction capabilities, but they’re more limited than what a professional would do in Photoshop:
What the included software CAN do:
∙ Dust and scratch removal (iSRD feature) - this is actually quite good
∙ Basic exposure correction - can recover some over/underexposed areas
∙ Color correction and balance
∙ Grain management
∙ Sharpening
∙ Multi-exposure scanning - combines multiple scans to maximize dynamic range
What it CAN’T do well:
∙ Selective/localized editing - it’s more global adjustments
∙ Advanced retouching - removing specific blemishes, fixing complex damage
∙ Creative color grading - it’s more about restoration than artistic interpretation
∙ Dealing with severely damaged negatives - major tears, water damage, extreme fading
The reality check:
At $400, you’re essentially getting the scanning hardware with basic correction software. The scanner itself is excellent for the price - it’ll capture all the detail that’s there. But if your negatives have significant exposure problems or damage, you’ll still need to do additional work in Photoshop or pay someone to do it.
For casually preserved family photos with minor issues, the included software should handle 80% of what you need. For negatives with serious problems or if you want professional-quality results, you’d still need Photoshop skills or a pro’s touch.
Your best value proposition: Scan everything with this hardware, do basic cleanup with SilverFast, then only pay a professional to work on the truly special/problematic images in Photoshop. That’s far cheaper than having someone scan AND edit everything.
