Negatives & Slides

The Photographs Nobody Knows They Have

Long before digital cameras, family memories were captured on film. Slides shown on a projector at Christmas. Negatives stored in yellow Kodak envelopes. Rolls of film from holidays, weddings and ordinary Saturdays that somehow mattered enough to photograph.

Many families have boxes of them. Most haven't been looked at in decades, not because the memories don't matter, but because the equipment to view them has long since disappeared. A slide is useless without a projector. A negative tells you almost nothing until it's printed or scanned.

What those films often contain is remarkable. Slides in particular were the format of choice for serious amateur photographers from the 1950s through to the 1980s, and the images captured on 35mm film frequently carry more detail, richer colour and finer grain than anything a consumer camera of that era could produce on standard print film.

Digitising them properly unlocks all of that, and often reveals photographs the family didn't even know existed.

How We Scan Negatives and Slides

We use dedicated professional scanning equipment matched to the format. Film requires a different process to print scanning, and we treat each format accordingly. Each frame is scanned individually at high resolution, capturing the full colour depth and detail contained within the original film. The result is a master file that preserves everything the original captured, including details that were never visible in the print made from it.

Where film has faded, picked up dust or developed small marks over time, we apply careful individual optimisation using Photoshop and Topaz — the same tools and approach we use for photographic prints. The goal is always the same: to present the image at its honest best without over-processing or artificial enhancement.

What You Receive

Every order includes two versions of each image:

An archival master file, the full resolution scan preserving every detail captured from the original film, suitable for long-term storage, future restoration, and large format printing.

An optimised viewing copy, a carefully processed JPEG, colour corrected and ready to view on phones, laptops, smart TVs and tablets, and easy to share with family.

TIFF master files are available for customers who want the highest level of archival preservation. These retain the full colour depth captured during scanning and are the standard used by film archives and institutions. Due to their size, storage will need to be supplied or purchased for larger TIFF collections — just ask and we'll advise on the best option.

Formats We Can Scan

We scan most common film formats found in family collections:

35mm slides, mounted in cardboard or plastic mounts, the most common format from the 1950s through to the 1990s. 35mm negatives, colour or black and white, in strips or cut to individual frames. Other small format film, including 110 and 126 instamatic formats common in the 1970s and early 1980s.

Not sure what format you have? Just get in touch, and we'll identify it for you.

Pricing

Every slide and negative is individually scanned and carefully optimised — not batch processed through an auto-feed machine.

Up to 500 slides or negatives

JPEG scan — optimised before and after version, free digital download 60p per image

TIFF master plus optimised JPEG — full archival preservation 80p per image

500 or more slides or negatives

JPEG scan — optimised before and after version, free digital download 50p per image

TIFF master plus optimised JPEG — full archival preservation 70p per image

Minimum charge £40 applies to all orders.

Large family collections are very common — if you have several hundred slides or more, just get in touch and we'll put together a quote.

Delivery

Your images are delivered as a secure digital download included with every order. For larger collections, files can also be supplied on USB drives or external SSD storage. Your original slides and negatives are returned safely alongside your digital copi

Getting Your Slides and Negatives to Us

We're based in the Surrey Hills and offer personal collection and return across South London, Surrey and Kent — just ask and we'll confirm what's covered in your area.

For customers further afield, every postal order includes a prepaid tracked Royal Mail label and protective packaging. Royal Mail can collect straight from your doorstep. You never need to visit a post office.

A postal kit is £25 and covers the prepaid tracked label both ways and all protective packaging.

Most orders are completed within 10 working days of receiving your media. Larger collections may take a little longer, we'll always give you a realistic timescale when you get in touch.

Rediscovering What Was There All Along

For many families, having slides or negatives scanned is a genuine surprise. A roll of film from a holiday in the 1970s. Slides from a grandparent's travels. Photographs from before the children were born that nobody had ever properly seen.

Digitising them doesn't just preserve the images — it gives them back to the family in a form that can be shared, enjoyed and passed on.

If you have slides or negatives stored away, we'd be delighted to help. Drop us a message at hello@cherishme.uk and we'll talk you through it.