35mm slide scanning service, at a glance
- Price from
- $0.45 per slide
- Resolution
- Just over 4300 DPI, 6000 x 4000 pixels
- Color correction
- By hand, $0.65 per slide
- Delivery
- JPG files on a flash drive or hard drive
- Turnaround
- Call (888) 405-2685 for current processing times and priority ordering
- Where
- In-house, in Orange, California
35mm Slide Scanning Prices, Per Slide
Two levels, both at 4300 DPI. The difference is whether a technician color-corrects each image by hand afterward.
Premium
Archival scans, true to the slide as it is today.
- Just over 4300 DPI, 6000 x 4000 pixels
- Dusted, hand-checked, right side up
- Your groups and order kept in labeled folders
- Maximum-quality JPG files you own
Premium plus color correction
Every scan enhanced by hand in Photoshop, image by image.
- Everything in Premium
- Exposure, color, and saturation adjusted by a technician
- Reverses fading and color shift from aging
- Fixes casts from indoor film shot outside, and the reverse
How Much Does It Cost to Scan a Carousel of Slides?
Slides are priced per slide, so counting your trays gets you close. A standard carousel holds about 80 slides. Send them in for an exact, itemized quote.
| You have | Premium | With color correction |
|---|---|---|
| One carousel, about 80 slides | $50 (order minimum) | $52 |
| 300 slides | $135 | $195 |
| 500 slides | $225 | $325 |
| 1,000 slides | $450 | $650 |
Why Old Slides Fade, Even in the Dark
A slide is a piece of color film, and color film was never designed to last a century. The damage is often invisible until you hold one up to the light.
The dyes break down
Slide color is built from three dye layers that fade at different rates, so images drift toward magenta, orange, or a washed-out blue.
Heat and humidity
Slides in garages, attics, and carousels bake and cool with the seasons. Heat and moisture speed up the fading and invite mold.
Mold and decay
Trapped moisture grows mold on the emulsion, and older film can develop a sour-smelling decay that warps the base. Both get worse with time.
We reverse what we can
With color correction, a technician rebalances exposure and color on each image, recovering a natural look from a slide that reads pink or faded today.
A scan freezes the slide exactly as it is right now. The sooner you scan, the more color there is left to keep.
Questions to Ask Any Slide Scanning Service
Slide scans look alike in a thumbnail. The differences show up when you print, crop, or look for one particular trip.
| Question to ask | Legacy Digital | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| What resolution do you scan at? | Just over 4300 DPI | Many services scan at 300, 1200, or 2400 DPI, which limits prints and cropping |
| Is loose dust cleaned off first? | Yes, every slide | Fewer dust speckles in your scans |
| Is color corrected by hand or by preset? | By hand, image by image, if you choose it | Each slide fades differently |
| Do my groups and their order survive? | Yes, in labeled folders | You can find the 1979 trip again |
| Are scans right side up and not flipped? | Yes, checked by a person | No fixing hundreds of files yourself |
| Where is the work done? | In-house, in Orange, CA | Your slides never go to a subcontractor or overseas |
Which Slides Do You Have? 35mm, 110, and 126
You never have to be sure before you send them. We identify every one.
35mm slides in cardboard mounts, the most common format we scan.
How to Convert Your Slides to Digital With Us
Gather your slides
Drop them off in Orange, ship them yourself, or ask about local pick-up. Loaded carousels cannot travel in a prepaid kit, so bring those in or pack them yourself.
We scan them in-house
Each slide is dusted, scanned at 4300 DPI on dedicated slide equipment, and color corrected by hand if you choose.
Look through them together
JPG files on a drive, in your original groups, with an optional slideshow. Your slides come home with them.
Customer shipments arrive at our Orange, California studio, where every item is logged on arrival.
The point of it all: your slides, back on the screen for the whole family.
Slide Scanning Service Reviews
“Worth the Drive! Exceptional Archival Quality and Service I highly recommend Scott Foster and the team at Legacy Digital Productions. I chose to rent a car and drive out to their Orange County lab based on strong recommendations rather than using a local option, and it was absolutely worth it. What I Liked: Outstanding Quality: The scans of my 400 Kodachrome slides (from 1979) came out completely excellent with crisp detail and great color. Expert Guidance: Scott was incredibly available, giving me thoughtful advice and personalized support throughout the project. Great Value & Speed: Both the final price and the turnaround timing were excellent. Bottom Line: This is a fantastic, trustworthy business with an excellent staff. I will gladly rent a car again to bring Scott my next media project.”
Christian Pellaz · Google review, July 2026
“We had so many old slides, and were so pleased with the quality and timeliness of the finished digital product from Legacy.”
Kathy Keefe · Google review, July 2026
Our Satisfaction Guarantee
We stand behind every transfer we perform. If you're unhappy with the quality of our work, we'll make every reasonable effort to make it right, at no additional charge. And if another professional service can produce a visibly better transfer from the same originals, we'll match their quality or refund what you paid us for the affected transfer.
See Our Full Satisfaction Guarantee →35mm Slide Scanning Questions
How much does slide scanning cost per slide?
Premium scans are $0.45 per slide, and Premium plus hand color correction is $0.65 per slide, both at 4300 DPI. There is a $50 order minimum, and you get a free, itemized quote before any work begins.
How do I convert my slides to digital?
Send them to us as they are, in carousels, trays, or boxes. Drop them off at our Orange, California studio, ship them yourself, or ask about local pick-up in Southern California. We dust and scan each slide at 4300 DPI, keep your groups in order, and send back JPG files on a drive along with your originals.
What resolution should slides be scanned at?
We scan 35mm slides at just over 4300 DPI, which is 6000 x 4000 pixels and about 12 MB per slide. Many services scan at 300, 1200, or 2400 DPI. The higher resolution is what lets you enlarge and crop without the image falling apart.
What is the difference between Premium and color-corrected slide scans?
Both scan at 4300 DPI. Premium delivers the scan as it is. Premium plus color correction adds manual Photoshop work: a technician adjusts exposure, color, and saturation on each image to reverse fading and color shift.
Is your color correction done by AI or a preset?
No. It is done by hand in Photoshop by a technician, one image at a time, according to what each slide needs.
Which slides can you scan?
35mm and 110 slides are the common formats. Smaller slides are cropped to their image size at the same resolution. 126 slides are available on request; pricing may differ because of special handling. Call us about anything else.
Do I have to take my slides out of the carousels?
No. Leave them in their trays or boxes. We unload, scan, and reload them, and keep your groups and their order in labeled folders. Loaded carousels cannot travel in a prepaid shipping kit, so drop them off or pack and ship them yourself.
How do I get my scanned slides back?
As high-quality JPG files on a flash drive or hard drive, or on a drive you send us. The files are yours to copy and share as much as you like. A playable slideshow is also available.
How is a professional slide scanning service different from a big-box or mail-in service?
Big-box and mail-in services typically box your slides with other orders and send them to an outside processing facility, often at lower resolution. We scan every slide ourselves, in one studio in Orange, California, at 4300 DPI, with color corrected by hand if you choose. Nothing is subcontracted, and we have never lost an item.
Can you make a slideshow from my slides?
Yes. We can build a playable slideshow on a drive or DVD, starting at $50 per 200 images.
Do you have a minimum order?
Yes, a $50 order minimum, not counting drives or discs.
How long does slide scanning take?
Processing times depend on our current queue and the size of your order, so call us at (888) 405-2685 for current processing times. Working toward a date? Ask about priority ordering, and we will tell you honestly what we can finish by then.
Other questions? Call us at (888) 405-2685. A real person answers, 7AM to 7PM, 7 days a week.
Have more than slides?
Photos, negatives, film, and video all go on one drive with your slides, in organized folders.
Every year in the box, the color shifts a little more.
Get a free, itemized quote. Send your trays as they are, and your originals always come home.
202 W. Lincoln Ave., Suite A, Orange, CA 92865
Walk-ins Mon to Fri, 8AM to 4PM
Evenings and weekends by appointment
Phones answered 7AM to 7PM, 7 days a week
