Most of us may have said goodbye to film when it comes to taking photos, but many of our most cherished memories are still locked in the pre-digital era. Whether you have drawers full of fading prints or boxes full of prized transparencies, you probably wish you could find a way to copy slides and old prints onto a computer so they could be shared with a wider audience.

But what’s the best way to copy slides and old prints and get your pictures onto Facebook, Flickr or your family website? The most obvious answer is to use a scanner. Flatbed scanners for prints are built into many desktop printers nowadays.

Film scanners are more specialist, but can still be bought without breaking the bank. The quality of these scanners varies, but this isn’t an issue for most of us, who just want to get pictures into the digital domain.

The real issue with most scanners is that the whole process is a time-consuming affair, involving lots of patience as you scan one line at a time.

But there’s an alternative. Rather than copy slides and prints with a cut-price digital sensor, why not use the high-quality one that you have built into your DSLR?

Photographing your prints isn’t much more complicated than sticking them on the wall and then shooting them using a tripod. All you have to do is find the right evenly-lit spot in your home.]

Re-photographing your slides is a bit more complicated because you need a lightbox – a backlighting device that photographers used to use to look at their pictures. As few people use slides any more, these are relatively cheap to buy second-hand.

The one other bit of gear you’ll need to re-shoot your prized photos is a macro lens, which will enable you to focus close enough to the 24x36cm positive images.

01 Stick it to the wall
To re-photograph old prints, stick them on a flat wall or cupboard at chest height using blobs of Blu Tac. Avoid 
a surface too close to a window or in direct sunlight – you need even, diffuse lighting. You don’t need bright light because you can use long exposures with a tripod.

02 Square up to the target
Set your camera on a tripod and extend the legs so that the centre of the lens is at the same height as the centre of the print. Use Live View to frame the picture so you’re as square on as you possibly can be (for more, see our cheat sheet What is Live View telling you?). Use autofocus to make sure that the detail is sharp.

03 Choose your settings
Use Aperture Priority (A) mode and set an aperture of f/8 – this is usually the setting that gives the best resolution from a lens. Now set a low ISO, at or near 100. Fire the shutter using a cable release or remote control, or, if you don’t have either of those, use the self-timer.

04 Give it a positive twist
The general shooting technique for slides is the same as prints. As transparencies need to be backlit, use a lightbox. You’ll need a tripod that can be angled to shoot directly down, and you’ll need a 
macro lens to be able to get close enough.

Final tips on how to copy slides and prints

Don’t frame too tightly
Review your copies on the screen of your camera for exposure and sharpness. But don’t worry too much about cropping – it’s easier to do this in Photoshop once you have the digitised image on your computer. You’ll probably want to edit your images anyway – adjusting colour balance, removing blemishes, and tweaking the contrast and saturation.

Check your lighting
To see if light is even on a surface, put a pencil on it at 90°. Its shadows should be roughly symmetrical and not too distinct

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In this cross process Photoshop tutorial video, you’ll find out how to recreate the classic film look in your digital photographs just using CS5′s Adobe Camera RAW interface. Discover how to adjust tones, exposure and more for the cross process effect. You’ll also learn how to save your settings so you can quickly apply the look to several photographs at a time.

Want to recreate an analogue film effect for your digital photos? In just 6 easy steps, this Photoshop Elements tutorial will show you how to achieve a Polaroid transfer effect. The original technique involved applying a sheet of film to a piece of damp paper and then peeling them apart. The result would be an attractive torn-edge border and unusual shifts in colours. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to desaturate colours while maintaining great skin tones and also find out how to use Levels and Adjustment Layers. To finish you’ll add the border for a final touch. You can download the border for this tutorial by clicking the link above, but remember to check the links on the right for more free borders and Photoshop resources to download.

1. Tweak the tones

Open polaroid_before.jpg. Go to Windows>Layers to open the Layers palette. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon at the bottom of the palette and choose Levels. Drag the grey Midtone input slider to 1.30 to brighton the midtones, then set the white Highlight input slider to 205 to blow out the highlights.

2. Target the channels

By tweaking the tonal levels in individual channels, you can recreate the distinct colour hues of the Polaroid Transfer process. Set the drop-down menu to Red, then set the grey Midtone slider to 0.80. This reduces the reds in the scene, adding a colder green/blue tint to the background.

3. Moody blue

Set the drop-down menu to Green, then drag the grey Midtone slider to 0.90 and brighten the green highlights to 220. Next, choose the Blue channel and drag the Midtone slider to 1.45 to lighten the blue midtones. This further enhances the cold blue background while preserving the warmer skin tones.

4. Selective saturation

Create a new Hue/Saturation Adjustment Layer and drag the Master Saturation down to -25 to create the faded colours associated with the Polaroid Transfer technique. Select the Reds channel and set Hue to +15. Push Saturation up to +43 to make the colours of the skirt and shoes look more vivid.

5. Soften the skin

To add a flattering blur effect, duplicate the Background layer by dragging it onto the Create a New Layer icon. Choose Filter>Blur>GaussianBlur, then enter a Radius of 8px and click OK. Set the Background Copy layer’s Blending Mode to Lighten and reduce the layer’s Opacity to 20%.

6. Add the border

To get the rough-and-ready border texture that typifies a Polaroid Transfer print, open polaroid_border.jpg. Go to Select>All, then Edit>Copy. Return to the main document and choose Edit>Paste. Finally, set the border’s Blending Mode to Lighten. The black sections of the border layer will vanish. As a finishing touch you can make the model look more mysterious by crushing the black levels to hide shadow detail. Click the Create New Fill or Adjustment Layer icon, choose the Levels and drag the black Shadow input level slider to 34."

Once you’ve learned how to shoot and edit photographs, why not try experimenting with different creative techniques in Photoshop. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to add a cross-processed look which will help give your landscape shots an unusual edge. The effect replicates the skewed colours and contrasts film photographers used to get if they processed their film in the wrong chemicals. See the related links to find Part 1 of the video.

Once you’ve learned how to shoot and edit a traditional landscape shot, why not try something a little more creative? In this tutorial we’ll show you to replicate the look of traditional film, adding a cross-processed look to give your landscape shots an unusual twist – perfect for framing and displaying. Watch the video to find out how it’s done. See the related links for Part 2 of the video.

Most modern desktop scanners have the capability to scan negatives without any major issues. Here, we show you how to take those scans and improve them dramatically.

1. Straighten and crop

The image needs straightening, so choose the Straighten Tool and select Original Size from the Canvas Options. Click and drag the tool along the horizon line from one side to the other. Next, use the Crop Tool to crop away the areas of exposed canvas.

2. Colour cast removal

To correct any colour cast, go to Enhance>Adjust Colour>Remove Colour Cast. Click with the eyedropper in an area of the image that should be a neutral colour, such as the lighter areas within the sky. It may take a few attempts to get this right. Click OK when you’re happy.

3. Healing dust spots

Add a new Layer and choose the Spot Healing Brush. Choose a soft brush, check Proximity Match and All Layers. Zoom in to the image and use the brush at a small size to dab over all the small marks and dust spots.

4. Selective Levels adjustments

Use the Quick Selection Tool to select the sky. Add a Levels Adjustment Layer via Layer>New Adjustment Layer>Levels. Drag the White Point slider to the left to brighten the highlights and modify the midtones with the central (Gamma) slider.

5. More Adjustment Layers

Use other Levels Adjustment Layers to change the tones in other areas of the image. You can restrict the effect of the Adjustment Layer by filling it with black via Edit>Fill Layer. Paint over the area you want to show adjustment by using the Brush Tool with white as Foreground.

6. Fine adjustments

You can make fine tweaks to each Layer mask by painting into it with black and white. Remember, you can always adjust the settings by double-clicking the Adjustment Layer once you’ve painted the mask. When you’re happy, flatten the image via Layer>Flatten Image.