34
votes
Accepted
Maximum useful resolution for scanning 35mm film
According to Ken Rockwell:
Fuji Velvia 50 is rated to resolve 160 lines per millimeter. This is the finest level of detail it can resolve, at which point its MTF just about hits zero.
Each line will ...
- 26.8k
24
votes
Accepted
Has anybody ever taken an analog photo of a negative to turn it into a positive?
In olden times we had lots of tricks up our sleeves. We would mount negatives on a viewing screen. This is milk-glass illuminated from behind (X-rays are viewed this way). We then took a picture of ...
- 38.5k
12
votes
Has anybody ever taken an analog photo of a negative to turn it into a positive?
This used to be a standard technique - it was the only method to make copies of slides, or motion picture film. For slides it was done with a macro lens and bellows - have a look at a fancy Nikon one ...
- 6,010
9
votes
Accepted
Strange sharpening effect in B/W negative scan
It seems that the problem is caused by having Digital ICE turned on for B&W photos. See example here.
It's worth noting that the preview must be made again if the Digital ICE checkbox is changed....
- 310
7
votes
Accepted
why won't my photos compress past a certain size?
I do not know at which resolution you scanned your image, but i'm willing to bet that it is way larger than needed or useful for web viewing.
The first thing you should do is resize the image down ...
- 7,121
7
votes
In 2021, which film scanners accepting different film formats are compatible with macOS Big Sur?
Just so this isn't an 'answer in a comment'
Before you give up, try VueScan - specifically reverse-engineered older drivers to run on Big Sur. I haven't used it myself, but a lot of people have been ...
- 23.1k
6
votes
Is there a way I can scan an A4 photo at 4800 dpi?
Oh my. Why on earth would you need to scan something at 4800 ppi?
That would give you a file of 39840x56160 or a 2,237 Megapixels... a really pro normal digital shoot has rougly 80 to 100 Megapixels (...
- 23.2k
6
votes
Accepted
Scanning negative 35mm: color accuracy, color balance, film bias
Without being able to see the negatives in question, there are three things you should check:
Monitor calibration: This can be ruled out somewhat if you can make two identical scans with the same ...
- 909
6
votes
Accepted
How to get film onto computer?
These days, there are basically five ways:
Get the film developed, and scan the negatives. (Or develop yourself, depending on enthusiasm, space, and time for that — easier with black & white, ...
- 143k
6
votes
Just got a film camera, how to develop?
When you expose film to light at proper exposure levels to eventually get a photo it does not create a visible change to the film. The chemical reaction of the film's emulsion to light is not a ...
- 174k
6
votes
Accepted
Improve scan of old diapositive
What can I do to improve the quality of the resulting image?
Working with your tiny image rather than being able to adjust the scan limits what I can do.
Based on the amount of noise and the blue/...
- 1,803
6
votes
Accepted
Different result between scanning in Epson's "color negative film" mode and scanning in positive -> invert curve in post?
Scanning handles removing the overall orange mask in color negative film.
Scanning as positive, and then postprocessing invert does not remove it, inversion simply turns that orange mask to a deep ...
- 12.9k
6
votes
Power supply for multi-camera scanning rig
Buying cheap AC adapters for parts and modifying them into a custom wire-harness that is run from a central power supply is my preferred solution for a problem like this.
The most graceful solution ...
- 2,315
6
votes
Accepted
How do 35mm film scanners deal with the film base color?
Real film scanners scan color negatives by increasing the exposure time of the blue and green channels (relative to the red channel). This is an analog operation, similar to using color filters in ...
- 12.9k
6
votes
Maximum useful resolution for scanning 35mm film
Your 1m x 1.5m print has a resolution. If this were dpi, you could have 39.3in x 59.6in, and if that were 300 dpi, then it would be 11790px x 17880px. So, if you wanted to print at 300dpi, you ...
- 495
6
votes
Accepted
How does a drum scanner work?
The drum scanner operated by affixing a film or print image to the outside of a cylinder of clear glass. The drum was powered up causing it to spin at high speed. A light source located inside the ...
- 38.5k
6
votes
Accepted
Portra 400 looks desaturated and has sprocket leaks
Your "sprocket light leaks" don't cross into the negative rebate, so they're not light leaks.
The marks are blue/cyan on the negative (hence orange in the scan), and darker in the scan than ...
- 7,102
5
votes
Do negatives scanned upside down (backwards) lose quality?
It depends on what you were scanning and at what resolution, but in general you're missing out on a small amount of sharpness by scanning them upside down. However, if the scanned images look fine, it ...
- 909
5
votes
What can I do to restore an old black and white photograph with many white spots when I scan the print?
Most of the problems are coming from the paper texture, or, rather, from the way the scanner's light source is reflected by the texture. You can minimize that by scanning the photo in several ...
- 166
5
votes
Accepted
Removing the curl from 35mm negative
The curl is due to the fact that photographic film is comprised of multiple coats both emulsion side and base side. Each coat is slightly different as to its content so each has a slightly different ...
- 38.5k
5
votes
Accepted
Big white circle on scanned negative
Are they on the negative itself (look at the actual negative)? If so, they're probably water drops. You need to use a wetting agent (e.g. Kodak Photo-Flo) to avoid water marks.
If they're not on ...
- 1,760
5
votes
Best image format by Epson Scanner Software to use for Lightroom
The only two viable options in the list are JPEG and TIFF.
JPEG is fine for lossy compression, 8-bit/channel color, and smaller file sizes. I would use JPEG for paper originals that will not be ...
- 26.8k
5
votes
Vuescan says 16 bits / pixel, photoshop says 8. Who stole my bits?
It's an Adobe Camera Raw setting. PS can't edit a raw file (dng) so it first opens in ACR, and that's where it is being reduced to 8bit.
Click on the file specs at the bottom of the ACR window, or the ...
- 14k
4
votes
How to physically flatten old prints?
You don't need to close the lid. Leave it open and use a large book to press the photo. Don't choose a too heavy one or the glass will bend slightly.
With the lid open the only difference is that ...
- 1,277
4
votes
Accepted
How to physically flatten old prints?
If the prints are known to be fiber based photographic paper: Wash the print in running water. They will soon lose their curl in just a few minutes. Prepare a print flattening solution, 2 ounce ...
- 38.5k
4
votes
Just got a film camera, how to develop?
Color Negative films are developed using a process called C-41.
Color Positive Films (slides) are developed using a process called E-6.
What's the difference, you ask?
As Michael said, the pro ...
- 20.5k
4
votes
Is scanner calibration possible or necessary for scanning negatives?
In the case of a film scanner, an IT-8 target is a slide of known colours that you scan, and then you use software to analyse the scanned image to compare with those known colours. This characterises ...
- 11.5k
4
votes
Accepted
From Linux shell, how to batch-remove dust from images using scan of dust?
Dust removal using a dust mask can be done with G'MIC with the "Inpaint [Multi-Scale]" filter. The easiest way to use G'MIC is as a plugin for GIMP, Krita, or Paint.NET. However, it is available as a ...
- 26.8k
4
votes
Accepted
Why are there lines on some of my photos?
It looks to my eye like the negatives may have been significantly underexposed or underdeveloped. This resulted in negatives with very little density (they're almost transparent). Then when the ...
- 174k
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