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What went wrong?

My scans are covered in dust, hairs and scratches

Scans

What you're seeing

Specks, hairs and fine lines in the scan, usually light on scans of negatives and dark on scans of slides. Some may be on the film, some on the scanner.

Check this first

Check this first

Rescan the frame after moving the film slightly. Marks that move with the picture are on the film; marks that stay put are on the scanner.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Dust and hairs on the film

    Common
    How to tell
    Marks move with the picture when you shift or rotate the film and can be seen on the film with a loupe.
    Test it
    Shift the film a few millimetres and rescan. If the specks move with the image, they are on the film.
    The fix
    Clean the film gently before scanning, handle it by the edges or with gloves, and store it in sleeves. Infrared cleaning can remove dust from colour film.

    Sources Kodak Alaris, Storage and Care of KODAK Photographic Materials; Epson America, Perfection V800 Photo/V850 Pro User's Guide: Placing 35 mm Film Strips on the Scanner; Negative Lab Pro (Nate Johnson), Scanning Guide

  2. 02

    Dust on the scanner glass or light source window

    Common
    How to tell
    The same specks appear in the same place on every scan, whatever the film.
    Test it
    Run a scan with no film in the holder, or rotate the film 90° and rescan. Marks that do not move with the film are on the scanner.
    The fix
    Unplug the scanner and clean the glass and the transparency unit window with a soft, dry cloth. No alcohol, hard brushes or sprayed cleaner.

    Sources Epson America, Perfection V800 Photo/V850 Pro User's Guide: Cleaning Your Scanner; Epson America, Cleaning the Scanner (Epson reference guide)

  3. 03

    Infrared dust removal unavailable or failing on this film

    Common
    How to tell
    Dust removal works on colour film but leaves dust, blotches or odd blobs on traditional black-and-white film. On Kodachrome it misses dust or damages dark areas. Camera scans have no infrared channel at all.
    Test it
    Scan the frame with infrared cleaning on and off. If the 'on' version looks blotchy or no cleaner, the film is one infrared cannot see through.
    The fix
    Turn infrared cleaning off for silver black-and-white film (chromogenic B&W films such as C-41 types work) and use software dust removal or retouching. Treat Kodachrome with caution and test first.

    Sources Epson America, Perfection V800 Photo/V850 Pro User's Guide: DIGITAL ICE Technology Specifications; LaserSoft Imaging (SilverFast), iSRD is SilverFast's dust and scratch removal using infrared technology; Hamrick Software (VueScan), VueScan Manual: Scanning slides and negatives; Negative Lab Pro (Nate Johnson), Scanning Guide

  4. 04

    Scratches on the film

    Occasional
    How to tell
    Fine lines that move with the picture, often running along the length of the strip. A loupe at an angle to the light shows them on the base or emulsion.
    Test it
    Look at both sides with a loupe in raking light. If you can see the line, it is a scratch, not dust.
    The fix
    On colour film, infrared cleaning (ICE, iSRD, VueScan Infrared clean) can hide many scratches. Otherwise retouch them. See the scratches entry for causes.

    Sources Epson, Removing Dust and Scratch Marks from Originals Using DIGITAL ICE Technology (Perfection V600 Photo); LaserSoft Imaging (SilverFast), iSRD is SilverFast's dust and scratch removal using infrared technology; Hamrick Software (VueScan), VueScan Manual: Filter Tab

Avoiding it next time

  • Keep film in sleeves and handle it by the edges.
  • Clean the scanner glass regularly.
  • Dry film in a dust-free place.

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