VueScan Scanner Software



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VueScan is a powerful, easy to use program that:

works with 750 flatbed and film scanners
runs on Mac OS X, Windows and Linux
makes old scanners work on Vista and Leopard
improves your productivity and quality of scans
supports 24 languages in one download
has been downloaded more than 5 million times

Download your FREE Trial Now!

If you're using Mac OS X:

Click here to download
The VueScan icon will appear on your desktop
Double-click the VueScan icon to run
Compatible with Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard), 10.4, 10.3

If you're using Windows:

Click here to download
Click the "Run" button (or "Open" button)
VueScan will run and create a desktop icon
Compatible with Windows Vista, XP, 2000, NT
Also available for Linux, Mac OS 9, Mac OS X 10.2 and Windows 95.

VueScan 8.4.79 was released on July 18, 2008, and you can read about what's new in this version.

If you've never used VueScan, you can get more information from the VueScan User's Guide (also available in PDF). There is also a list of supported scanners.

Upgrade to the Latest Version

To upgrade to the latest version of VueScan, download the trial version above (click where it says "Click here"). It will automatically recognize if you've already purchased it, and the latest version should just work. You don't need to uninstall old versions before upgrading.

Note that upgrades are free in the first year after you purchase the Standard Edition. Upgrades are always free if you purchase the Professional Edition.

VueScan Editions

There are two Editions of VueScan - Standard and Professional - but only one file to download. VueScan operates as a trial version when you first download it. After you purchase and enter a serial number, the Standard Edition or Professional Edition features are enabled and the dollar-sign watermark is disabled.

Edition Standard Professional

Create raw scan files no yes

ICC profiles and color spaces no yes

IT8 color calibration no yes

Free upgrade period one year unlimited

Purchase price $39.95 $79.95

Feature Comparison

VueScan and SilverFast are the two leading multi-vendor scanner programs. Some differences are:

Supported scanners - VueScan supports 750 scanners and SilverFast supports 289 scanners.

Supported languages - VueScan supports 24 languages and SilverFast supports 7 languages.

Universal Binary - VueScan runs faster on Intel Macs because it is a universal binary. Silverfast is an older PowerPC program that runs slower on Intel Macs (it has a universal binary launcher, but the SilverFast plugin is PowerPC only).

Multi-processor - VueScan runs faster on multi-processor systems (including multi-core systems) on Windows, Mac OS X and Linux. Silverfast doesn't have multi-processor support and is slower.

Number of scanners - a single copy of VueScan can work with all supported scanners, but you need to purchase and install a separate copy of SilverFast for each scanner you use.

Cost - VueScan Standard Edition costs $39.95 and Professional Edition costs $79.95. SilverFast SE costs $39.95 and SilverFast Ai costs up to $424.

Upgrades - VueScan Standard Edition includes one year of free upgrades and VueScan Professional Edition includes unlimited free upgrades. SilverFast upgrades can cost up to $304.

Film scanning - VueScan is widely acknowledged to produce superior scans of color negative film.

Infrared cleaning - VueScan supports on all scanners with an infrared lamp, SilverFast doesn't support on any Canon scanners and on some Epson scanners.

2 GByte scans - VueScan can do high-resolution scans that produce more than 2 GBytes of scan data, SilverFast can't. This is useful when scanning 4x5 or 8x10 film.

Ease of use - VueScan has a simpler, more consistent user interface than SilverFast, and is easier to learn, easier to use, and more productive for batch scanning.

23 June 2008 Mac Guild "VueScan is great for hobbyists ... as well as for advanced users"

May 2008 Advanced Photoshop Magazine "It is extremely easy to get good results"

January 2008 Photography Corner "I was really impressed with VueScan and how easy it was to use"

22 September 2007 Amateur Photographer "VueScan excels ... will save you upgrading your expensive hardware ... extraordinarily good value."

August 2007 MacWorld Magazine "If you've got an older scanner ... or a supported scanner that's sorely lacking software features - check out VueScan"

July 2007 Connected Photographer "VueScan earns itself a perfect score of 5 out of 5."

June 2007 Windows XP: The Official Magazine "Save our scanners! Get trusty scanners working once again."

May 2007 MacFormat Magazine "There's no need to throw an old scanner away - try VueScan instead!"

11 May 2007 Applelinks "I've found that VueScan lives up to its claims, and is a powerful and pleasant, even fun to use piece of software."

May 2006 Digital Camera Shopper "VueScan really can create very high quality scans from almost any scanner."

December 2005 Connected Photographer "Wouldn't I be better off using the software from my vendor? The answer, simply, is no. VueScan will almost always give you better quality, color and output options."

October 2005 Photography Monthly "In PM's opinion, the choice between the two is a no-brainer: the superior user interface, well thought-out features and great value make VueScan the clear winner. Thoroughly recommended."

6 August 2005 Amateur Photographer "It delivers high quality scans without any fuss ... it is quite possibly the only scanner driver you will ever need"

18 October 2004 Macworld "VueScan opens the door to professional-quality scanner control..."

27 July 2004 PC Magazine "should be of interest to imaging pro or enthusiast who wants the best possible photo scan quality"

Other Reviews

User Stories

Batch Scanning

If you plan to scan large numbers of prints, slides or negatives, there are a number of useful tips for batch scanning.

Learning More

There's an excellent web site with scanning tips maintained by Wayne Fulton. It contains scanning tips for flatbed scanners and film scanners, a summary of available film scanners , a review of VueScan and an example of using VueScan's cleaning, intensity, and contrast options.

A VueScan user has produced a nice tutorial on using VueScan, and another VueScan user has produced an article on how to use a flatbed scanner as a camera.