Free course · 7 steps · An evening
Scan your negatives
Choose a way to scan, digitise a roll, and turn the negatives into good positive images.
For anyone with developed negatives, whether you developed them yourself or a lab did.
What you need
- A scanner, or a digital camera with a macro lens
- A blower brush and cotton gloves
Steps
1Choose how to scan
You can scan with a flatbed, a dedicated film scanner, a digital camera or through a lab, and each trades cost, quality and speed differently. For most beginners a flatbed is the balanced place to start.
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Use the scanner chooser to compare options against your budget and film format. Decide which route you will take for this roll.
Checkpoint: You have chosen a scanning method that suits your film and budget.
2Clean and handle the negatives
Every speck of dust on a negative becomes a spot in the scan, and fingerprints can mark the film for good. Careful handling saves a lot of retouching later.
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Wash and dry your hands, then hold each strip by its edges only. Remove loose dust with a blower or an anti-static brush before it goes near the scanner.
Checkpoint: You can now handle negatives by the edges and clear dust from them before scanning.
3Scan with a scanner
A scanner turns your negatives into files, and the settings you choose decide how much editing room you have. Keeping the raw scan flat leaves the tonal information intact for later.
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Mount the strip flat in the holder, preview it and frame each picture. Then follow the guide for your scanner and save the files in the format it recommends. If you are using a lab or a camera instead, read this step and move on.
Checkpoint: You can now scan a strip of negatives and save the files.
4Or scan with a camera
Photographing negatives with a digital camera and a macro lens is quick and gives excellent quality. It needs an even light, flat film and a camera lined up squarely over it.
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If you plan to use a camera, read the guide and set up the light, film holder and camera as it describes. If you are using a scanner, read it through anyway so you know what the alternative involves.
Checkpoint: You can now describe how camera scanning works and what you would need to set it up.
5Turn negatives into positives
A raw scan or camera capture still shows a negative, so it has to be inverted and tidied. Black and white is simple, while colour negative is harder because of its orange base.
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Invert a frame with the negative inverter, or with your scanner or editing software. Then adjust the black and white points until the picture uses the full range of tones.
Checkpoint: You can now turn a negative scan into a positive image and adjust its tones.
6Fix common scanning problems
Dust, rainbow patterns, banding, colour casts and soft areas are the usual scanning complaints. Most have a simple cause once you know what to look for.
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Zoom in on your scans and look for any of these faults. Find the matching section in the guide and try its fix on one frame.
Checkpoint: You can now spot common scanning faults and know where to look for the fix.
7Store your negatives
Developed negatives can last for generations if they are stored well, and fail within decades if they are not. Safe sleeves, a stable place and a backup of your scans all help.
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Put your negatives into archival sleeves, label them and store them away from heat and damp. Back up your scans somewhere separate from your computer.
Checkpoint: You have stored your negatives safely and backed up your scans.