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What went wrong?

My scans have blown highlights or empty shadows, but the negative looks fine

Scans

What you're seeing

Skies or white clothes are pure white with no detail, or shadows are solid black, yet on a light box the film shows detail there.

Check this first

Check this first

Look at the raw histogram or the clipped-pixel display in your scanning software. If the raw data has detail and the final image does not, it is the settings.

Likely causes, most common first

  1. 01

    Auto exposure, black point or white point clipping

    Common
    How to tell
    The raw histogram reaches neither end, but the adjusted histogram is piled up against one end. Contrast looks punchy.
    Test it
    Turn on the clipped black and white display, or rescan with the white point and black point set to 0 %. If detail returns, the software was clipping.
    The fix
    Set the white and black points so nothing important clips (VueScan defaults to 1 % white point, 0 % black point), and adjust brightness or curves afterwards.

    Sources Hamrick Software (VueScan), VueScan Manual: Color Tab; Hamrick Software (VueScan), VueScan Manual: Histograms; Epson America, Perfection V800 Photo/V850 Pro User's Guide: Image is Too Dark

  2. 02

    Holder, film edge or light gaps in the exposure area

    Common
    How to tell
    Frames with more border or holder in the preview come out darker or more clipped than others.
    Test it
    Draw the scan area just inside the picture and preview again.
    The fix
    Exclude the holder and any unmasked light from the analysis area, and lock exposure for the roll.

    Sources Epson America, Perfection V800 Photo/V850 Pro User's Guide: Negative Film Preview Image Looks Incorrect; Negative Lab Pro (Nate Johnson), Getting Started (Negative Lab Pro guide); Hamrick Software (VueScan), How and Why to Lock Exposure when Scanning Film

  3. 03

    Lab scan settings

    Common
    How to tell
    Lab scans are clipped, but your own rescan of the same negative shows detail. Lab scanners and minilabs make their own decisions about which end of a high-contrast scene to keep.
    Test it
    Rescan one negative yourself, or ask the lab for a flatter rescan of one frame.
    The fix
    Ask the lab for flat or low-contrast scans, or rescan the important frames yourself.

    Source Hamrick Software (VueScan), How to Scan Negative Film

  4. 04

    Film denser than the scanner can read

    Occasional
    How to tell
    On slides, the darkest shadows are noisy and empty; on dense negatives, the brightest highlights are. Changing software settings does not help.
    Test it
    Rescan with multi-exposure (a second, longer exposure) if available. If shadow detail appears, the scanner's range was the limit.
    The fix
    Use multi-exposure where your scanner and software support it, or a scanner with a wider density range.

    Sources LaserSoft Imaging (SilverFast), Multi-Exposure increases Dynamic Range for scanning; Hamrick Software (VueScan), VueScan Manual: Input Tab

  5. 05

    The film really is over- or underexposed

    Occasional
    How to tell
    On a light box, the highlight areas of a negative are nearly opaque, or the shadow areas of a slide are featureless black.
    Test it
    Look at the film on a light box with a loupe. If there is no detail on the film, there is none to scan.
    The fix
    See the thin and dense negatives entries and the slide exposure entry.

    Sources Eastman Kodak (archived copy at 125px.com), Visual Troubleshooting of Process E-6 (Using KODAK Chemicals, Process E-6, section 12); Kodak, Kodak Portra 400 Technical Data

Avoiding it next time

  • Check the clipped-pixel display before each final scan.
  • Keep the holder out of the scan area.
  • Ask the lab for flat scans if you edit them yourself.

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