The translation of film materials and slides into digital format does not lose relevance even today, when, it would seem, everything has been processed and placed on virtual media for a long time. Old archives, photo albums and negatives require either special storage conditions, or the final transformation into computer files. In this regard, the question arises: "How to digitize film at home and at minimal cost?" It should be noted right away that it will not work at all with available means, especially if the result should be of high quality. Professional equipment that is used for digitization in laboratories and studios, of course, is not required, but you must be prepared to purchase the appropriate scanner. At worst, you can do with a SLR camera, however, in this case, the responsibility of already manual work increases.
Digitization process
To understand how, in principle, the methods of converting film frames to computer image formats work, it is necessary to analyze the technology of this transformation. By and large, the digitization of film provides for the breakdown of each frame into pixels - small elements that make up another, computer-generated image. The image formed during processing stores the data on the color gamut of the image and other photographic properties in a digital file.
Scanner for digitization - which one to choose?
At the moment, from the point of view of digitization, there is no worthy alternative to the scanner. There are two varieties of such devices: a film scanner and models equipped with a slide module. The advantages of tablet slide modules include the ability to digitize both film materials and finished photographs. If you need to digitize films at home, then a slide module will be the best solution. It will cost inexpensively, provide a functional minimum for the workflow and take up a little extra space.
The film scanner can be attributed to equipment close to professional models. It allows you to receive high-quality digitized images with user convenience. This option is suitable if you need to process both regularly appearing new frames and the old film. Many scanners help to digitize images at an amateur level, but if you want to get a high-quality professional result, you will need drum photo scanners and mini-laboratories.
Optimal resolution
Here it is important to be guided by a simple rule: as you know, 300dpi is the standard for printing - accordingly, the scanner should at least support this option. In general, modern photographic equipment and scanning devices are capable of supporting 4800dpi - it’s another matter that such a format simply does not justify itself in working with an old film. For example, many are interested in how to digitize film at home, so that each element is as detailed as possible. In practice, it is impossible to choose more from the finished frame than it provides. As an optimal resolution, you can take a format that is twice as large as the similar capabilities of the film. For example, 900dpi can fit almost all old photo materials. Even if the resolution significantly exceeds all the boundaries and limits of the negative, you can always trim the excess - the main thing is that there will be no loss in quality.
Digitization process
On the scanner, the procedure is elementary and requires almost no participation from the user. Of course, before the first processing, you will have to download the necessary drivers and software for the equipment to work - then the settings are set, and scanning starts. It is important to note that a film scanner for digitizing film films, depending on the model, may have a whole gamut of useful options that will increase the quality of the finished images. Among them:
- grit reduction;
- removal of dust and oil traces;
- restoration of shades;
- increased noise reduction and sharpness;
- auto exposure;
- histogram for adjusting tone curves.
In modern versions of Epson, Digital ICE technology is also provided, with the help of which the device independently performs cleaning of working and processed surfaces, and also removes scratches.
In which file to save?
The main mistake of novice amateur enthusiasts, for whom the digitalization of film at home is associated with the usual conversion of files, is the wrong format for saving the image. It is not recommended to use JPEG output, as this will lead to significant loss in compression. The best option is TIFF. The following principle is again relevant here: it’s better to immediately create voluminous, but high-quality sources than to suffer in the future with unsatisfactory resolution, etc. Indeed, TIFF is a rather cumbersome format, but a decent print will more than pay off for this inconvenience.
The problem of digitizing negatives
Most printers have a negative attitude toward scanning negatives. This is not due to the correction of color reproduction, fine-tuning of contrasts, etc. Often there is the question of how to digitize film at home and without pronounced "noise". So the negatives in this regard are considered the most problematic.
If you digitize slides, then the “noise” falls into the shadow, where it is quite difficult to detect. When processing a negative, the same thing happens, and it seems that all the flaws have gone into naturally dark areas. Disappointment comes when the scanner for digitizing film turns the negative into positive - after this operation, all the “noise” is transferred to the light. This should be remembered and the maximum use of the possibilities of autocorrelation aimed at suppressing "noise".
Digitizing negatives with a SLR camera
Many believe that this way of working with negatives is best for amateurs. The negative is recorded on the camera, after which it is reversed and processed. Technically, the procedure is as follows: the camera is firmly fixed in front of the working platform, an LED lamp is installed (with filters if necessary), and the exposure is adjusted. Such digitization of film can be streaming, but only on condition that the frames have the same lighting conditions. In other cases, for each frame, white balance, for example, is selected individually. Actually, this aspect of personal refinement and settings for each picture can be considered a plus: firstly, this is the freedom of creativity, and secondly, skills for working with photo materials are being developed.
Conclusion
At the last stage, it remains only to decide on the file cataloging system. In general, the question of how to digitize film at home and get high-quality images at the output suggests an elementary answer. To do this, you need to have an appropriate scanner or SLR camera - in the first case, most of the workflow is assigned to the equipment, and in the second, to the user, who, at his discretion, controls the digitization settings and the conditions for its implementation. That is, all opinions that scanning and digitizing kills all the virtues of photography are untenable. There are many tools, methods, parameters and adjusting subtleties that allow you to create a real work of art from the old negative.