View-Master Personal Pictures
- Ready to Order / Questions & Answers -
Many questions are answered below.
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"Why Should I Use View-Master
Personal Pictures to Scan My Reels?"
I've been scanning View-Master
pictures for the public longer than anyone else (since 2001), and
that's all I do. So I know how to make your pictures look as good
as they can. I take special care of every order, and you get personal
attention. My customers are so happy with the results that they
usually have me transfer all or most of their pictures to digital.
Clean Reels Make Better Scans Please make sure your frames are
clean and lint-free. You can use a soft piece of linen or cotton to clean
them, such as a clean, soft cotton or linen pillowcase or cotton T-shirt.
Don't wipe too hard, I don't recommend any cleaning agents unless they are
too dirty to clean otherwise. I cannot run software to eliminate the dirt
and dust because the viewmaster pictures are so small that the software that
eliminates dust and dirt digitally will usually eliminate too much of the
images (such as facial features.)
"Which Frames Will Make Good Pictures?" Pictures that have too much or too
little light are not good candidates
for printing. Of course there are some pictures that might not make
good prints that you may want anyway. Only extremely dark
pictures are 'unprintable'.
"Does the Film Type Matter?" The type of film used will make a
big difference as to the quality if
the picture. However, typically what you see is approximately what you
get. If the picture is light, dark, fading, or grainy, you'll see it by
looking at the picture through a viewer. If the picture is fading, you
may want to have it scanned and printed quickly because this problem
will continue to get worse.
"How Sharp Will the Picture Be?" View-Master frames are very small,
and it is hard to predict which ones will make good prints, although
my customers are happy with most of them. Because of the size of
the frame, the clarity of the pictures are not as good as standard
pictures from 35mm slides taken with a good camera. I print the scans
on 4x6 paper, and most of them at
this size turn out great. The scans on this site are real scans
from Personal View-Master Reels (although the quality has been
reduced for computer file size purpose.)
"How Big Can the Prints Be?"
12.9 mm x 11.9 mm (that's 0.51 inches x 0.47 inches) (Width x Height). "Can I View the Pictures on a Computer, Website, or Digital Frame?" Scans from View-Master frames are
typically great for use with the computer (as well as websites) because
the computer does not require the sharpness that most people want with a
print. Because of this, you can also typically enlarge them on the computer,
as well. Extremely bright and (especially) dark frames can still be a problem
for the scan. Digital Picture Frames actually work similarly to computer
screens and make an excellant way to display your pictures. I will be happy to
prepare a folder on the CD I send you for the images you use on your "Digital Frame.'
Just ask me to create the folder for you.
Editing (or Formatting) I am able to edit out unwanted
portions of the picture. This can allow
me to print them a little larger. When you send me your reels, let me
know if you want me to edit them or not, or I suggest that you leave it
up to my own judgment. In general, if you leave it up to me, I don't
like to do much editing, but occasionally I'll edit.
"Should I Send the Whole Reel or Just Individual Frames?" I think the whole reel is best, but if
you would rather send the particular frames you can put them in a
'zippered' sandwich bag. Remember you get a discount for scanning
the entire reel.
"Why are there Fourteen Frames on the Reel, but Only Seven Pictures?" To create the stereo (or 3D)
effect, the View-Master camera takes two
'images' of the same picture from a slightly different angle. When you
look at the picture through a viewer, each eye sees a slightly
different image (a different perspective). That's what creates the 3D
effect. If you want both frames, I charge for each frame
(unless you have me scan the entire reel.)
"What Benefits Are There for
Scanning the Entire Reel?"
You get all seven pairs of images
on the reel (fourteen total images) for the same price of five
individual frames. Your Digital Picture Album will contain the left
picture, the right picture, and three different stereo (or 3D) versions
of the pictures.
"Will the Pictures be 3D (or Stereo)?"
No. The prints will be 2D (also known
as 'flat') not 3D. However, if you get the entire reel scanned,
your CD will include each of your pictures in multiple formats that
can be viewed as 3D with the correct type of glasses. I carry the anaglyph
glasses (see my 'Price' page.) The
'Cross-eyed View' can also be seen in 3D if you can cross your eyes
and make the two images converge, but don't hurt yourself. The
'Parallell View' can also be seen in 3D if you can diverge your eyes
(that's the opposite of crossing your eyes) to make the two images
converge.
"Can I View My Pictures on a 3D TV or Other Device?"
Yes. I now offer the extra service of converting your Viewmaster pictures into MPO file format at an additional price (see 'Price' Page.) You can view MPO files on your 3D television, some 3D monitors, and the Fuji W3 3D digital camera. Your 3D television or monitor may require that you use an additional device to connect, such as the Fuji W3, the PS3, or a 3D Blu-ray player.
"I want some pictures on a reel, but not every picture." That's alright. I suggest circling
the number of the pictures you want
on the reel with a pencil. If you particularly want the left or right
image, put an 'L' or 'R' next to the circle. If there are no circles, I
will assume you want all the pictures. If you do not specify Left or
Right, I will typically chose the left frame unless it is inferior to
the right.
Absolutely NOT! Scanning the
entire reel does not damage the reel. I imagine if you scanned the
reel THOUSANDS of times you could possibly lighten the slides
a little, but the light required to scan the reel is less than what is
required to project the slide if you use a projector. And it only
takes a couple of minutes to scan each reel (actually, the scanner
only lights each portion of the reel for a fraction of a second.) In
fact, not only have I never damaged a reel, but I often fix
damaged reels for my customers when they send them to me
for scanning. No. There is less chance of losing the
frames that way, and it is easier to leave them in the reel. Occassionally,
there may be a valid reason to take them out (like cleaning them), but I try to
leave them in the reel if at all possible. If the frames are removed from the
mount, they (the frames) will be returned to you unharmed and back in the reels. I do not typically need to take the reel apart.
If I do, I will return it undamaged. People who do this (that is damage the reel by
taking them apart) do not know what they are doing. I can put your reel back together
if you have all the film chips, but if the reel mount is damaged I will have to use a new
mount. A new reel mount costs about $4, and I'm glad to put reels back together for my customers.
Because the scanning of the frames
is so time-consuming, payment is due in full when you send the frames. I can take
check, money order, or credit card through Paypal. I discourage sending cash
through the mail. Sometimes, I also trade my services for View-Master Reel Mounts, View-Master
equipment, or other stereo photographic equipment. Email me
and tell me what you have.
Orders typically take 3 to 5 days. Large orders (more than 25 reels) may take as long as a week. If you need your order back sooner, I can usually accomodate, but you will need to make prior arrangements with me.
Let me know before you send the
reels (by
email) so I can expect your reels. If you're in a rush, ask me if I
am able to finish them when you need them. It can take a long time to
scan large numbers of frames, and I may have several orders ahead of
yours. Also, once I send you the address to send the reels, email
me if you change your mind so I'm not waiting for your pictures.
I also provide a Reel Mounting Service for those View-master photographers without a View-master Film Cutter. See my 'Price' page for details.
Look on the 'Price' page. After you get your pictures and
scans back, I would appreciate that you
email me and let me know that you got your pictures and tell me what
you think.
This helps me do a better job for the next customer.
 Don't let any unexperienced person 'Dog' your reels. Now you know just about everything you can learn online, email me to request a quote or ask unaswered questions. |
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