What went wrong?
There are rainbow rings on my scans
Irregular rainbow-coloured rings or wavy patterns, mostly in even areas like sky.
Check this first
Is the film touching glass anywhere in your scanner holder?
Likely causes
- 1.
Newton rings: film in contact with smooth glass
Common- How to tell
- Rainbow rings that move or change when you reposition the film.
- Fix
- Use anti-Newton glass, a glassless holder, or scan with the base side towards the glass.
Avoiding it next time
- Use anti-Newton glass or glassless holders.
Go deeper
- Scanning Problems Troubleshooting →
- Film Scanning Workflow Basics →
- DSLR and Mirrorless Film Scanning →
- Scanner comparison →
Other scans problems
Last checked October 2026. Seen something different? Tell us.