Hardware I need help scanning Slides and Negatives!!! - Espon perfection V5500 Photo

[Dominator211]

Hey, I need some help with another obscure piece of equipment. As an assignment by my dad he has told me to scan a bunch of Negatives and slides that he gathered from my grandmother's house after she passed away. I am using the scanner Epson Perfection V550 Photo as its what my dad used to scan Negatives before. he didn't explain to me how he did it specifically but everything I try isn't working. With the slides, he gave me every single one (and I scanned over 50) was blurry. These are the ones that don't have the lines in them. by looking at them with my eyes they seem like they are in focus but when scanned they are not. I tried to see if I would have better luck with the negatives and no... no, I don't. It seems the software or the scanner isn't picking up where the pictures start and end correctly and are literally cutting them down the middle. I tried moving them around within the holder with no luck. I am using all the holders that came with the scanner as well as the latest Epson Software (Which Quite Frankly Sucks Ass). I am at a complete loss and I am very close to just saying "Screw it' and giving it to my dad to do because this is frustrating the hell out of me. if anyone can help that would be

 

[raystriker]

Hey, I need some help with another obscure piece of equipment. As an assignment by my dad he has told me to scan a bunch of Negatives and slides that he gathered from my grandmother's house after she passed away. I am using the scanner Epson Perfection V550 Photo as its what my dad used to scan Negatives before. he didn't explain to me how he did it specifically but everything I try isn't working. With the slides, he gave me every single one (and I scanned over 50) was blurry. These are the ones that don't have the lines in them. by looking at them with my eyes they seem like they are in focus but when scanned they are not. I tried to see if I would have better luck with the negatives and no... no, I don't. It seems the software or the scanner isn't picking up where the pictures start and end correctly and are literally cutting them down the middle. I tried moving them around within the holder with no luck. I am using all the holders that came with the scanner as well as the latest Epson Software (Which Quite Frankly Sucks Ass). I am at a complete loss and I am very close to just saying "Screw it' and giving it to my dad to do because this is frustrating the hell out of me. if anyone can help that would be

He has managed to scan them properly before?

 

[Dominator211]

He has managed to scan them properly before?

Yes Ive seen them myself

 

[FAST6191]

I have not used that model before and usually scan via other means.
I do generally try to avoid bundled software where I can, however I don't know what will go with this one.
I assume you found a general setup



That said some of those look like the background people are more in focus than the foreground (for the first/image 89 the lady in the blue dress and dude on the right with a tie seem like they have more detail, as does the stuff on the table next to the guy) which would speak to the photos themselves not being great to begin with. I wondered at first if you had them the wrong way around or something (curved in the middle would take things out of focus in the scanner as they usually have a crazy small depth of focus but there appears to be detail in line with the blur so again I am looking at the photo being off.
88 looks to be a similar story (that light fitting and back wall being more in focus than the foreground) and if it was from the same event it might well have been a camera set up badly -- judging by the hairstyles, clothes and decor that was still a time when professional camera meant you had to know how to use it (if that was a wedding then if the camera was left set up for the line up and do photos from a distance part earlier in the day...).

It not detecting the split lines is odd. I would almost wonder if the internal camera got knocked or belt jogged. Can you cheat and scan the lot and crop?

Is it possible to put the slides in backwards? Sure they will be mirrored but you can undo that easily enough. Might also tell you something.
That said you made an effort. Might be worth asking for a demo of how it is done and then setting about scanning, and possibly cataloguing (my sympathies), the rest yourself.

 

[raystriker]

Yes Ive seen them myself

Why not ask what he did exactly?