Surely many of us have dozens, hundreds, thousands of color and black-and-white photographic films from the distant past, and maybe even the present. But not many people know how to digitize film at home. But I just don’t feel like throwing away pieces of the past, and I don’t really want to look at slides using an overhead projector in the age of leaps and bounds of technological development.

Where can a slide projector keep up? In another half century, people may be using teleportation to travel. Digitizing photographs will help you kill two birds with one stone - get rid of photographic films and at the same time save them in another format. How to digitize photographic film at home? This will be discussed in this article.

How to digitize old photographic films at home?

There are basically two ways:

1) Scanning of photographic films, which is carried out using a photo scanner or a tablet with a built-in adapter for films. A flatbed scanner with a built-in slide module is significantly different from a simple scanner - it has a different cover and a single-color lamp.

2) Re-shooting slides and negatives using a digital camera.

Thanks to these methods, you can clear your space of clutter and not have to worry about how to properly store your old film archives.

Did you know that...?

Film photography, although a relic of the technological revolution, is still used for photography. It provides photographs with the most high quality pictures, if, for example, you digitize existing photographic films. Then you can use a computer to make the image even better. It's no surprise that film photography is coming back into fashion. However, many people do not know how to digitize photographic film themselves.

What is it?

Digitizing photographic film involves breaking each frame into individual elements (pixels) and storing information about color and coordinates in a program file. How to digitize photographic film at home? To accomplish this task, you will need either a scanner or a digital device.

What scanner are you using?

A scanner is the most convenient device for digitizing slides or photographic films of various formats. Thanks to it, you can quickly convert a film archive into a full-fledged digital form, while maintaining optimal good quality images. The quality in this case depends entirely on the design of the scanner.

Digitization of photographic film on various types of scanners

Today, there are various types of scanners with the ability to digitize films, slides and other transparent photographic materials. All of these devices are designed to work with film, but they all have different capabilities, and accordingly, so does the price.

You can digitize film at home using two types of scanner: the first is with a slide module, and the second is a film scanner.

Of course, a tablet with a built-in slide module is much cheaper, but this does not mean that it will do its job poorly: it allows you to get a good quality picture, and it digitizes not only film, but also photographs. Now that you know how to digitize photographic film, you can safely use scanners of this type to save home photo archives. They are compact and multifunctional.

If you remain an adherent of film photographic equipment and are thinking about how to digitize large quantities of photographic film at home, then you definitely need to make a choice in favor of a film scanner. And although its cost is much higher than that of the first type, it is more convenient. Of course, the image quality is also at a high level.

There are two more types of scanners that can digitize both color photographic film and black and white. These are drum photo scanners and minilabs. If digitizing photographs is not so common for you, a scanner is a secondary matter, and it is easier to pay for this service at a photo kiosk. High-quality images can only be achieved in a professional laboratory, so be extremely careful when contacting a professional.

Digitizing film without a scanner

It is enough to have your own camera to digitize both black and white photographic film and color film at home. The best option in this case it will be a camera that has interchangeable lenses. Some photographic equipment manufacturers make special attachments for camera lenses. With such devices, film is photographed against a bright, light background.

Digitizing film in a special attachment for a digital camera

In addition to devices produced by companies, you can digitize photographic film using an attachment made from scrap materials. You need to find a hollow cylinder corresponding to the diameter of the lens, attach to it a platform with a hole made in it to suit the size of the required frame. In appearance, such a design should resemble a proprietary one.

The necessary operation can be performed at home even without a lens attachment. Instead, you can cut a frame to fit the frame and install it opposite white background. This way you can use a monitor screen with a white document as a white background. To achieve the desired effect, you need to insert film into this frame and take a photograph of it from a tripod.

Of course, to digitize photographic films at home, it is possible to use a more complex design. It may include a device for rewinding roll film, a screen with backlighting for scattering, and a frame on which the camera is mounted. All these manipulations depend on your sleight of hand and ingenuity.

A lens attachment or a homemade design is used if digitizing is necessary excellent quality at minimal cash costs. In this case it will be very advisable. In addition, with the help of sleight of hand, you can create a design that will fully meet your requirements when digitizing any type of transparent photographic materials.

Cost of digitizing photographic materials

The issue of price and quality, convenience and speed of operation is inextricably linked with the procedure for digitizing photographic film. You shouldn’t blame the low quality of digital images and the inconvenience of work if your budget doesn’t allow you to do everything right. the best level. It is worth considering that quality work is always expensive. Here it is important to weigh all sides and make a decision, because if the photographic film itself does not contain valuable information highest quality, then no matter what devices you use, you cannot get good image quality from it. It is worth approaching wisely and weighing your capabilities and needs.

Most of the old shots were taken on photographic film, once popular in Soviet era. The names of popular films in past times were “SVEMA” and “TASMA”. Photographic films such as Fujifilm, Kodak, and Konica were also used, which were used by many Soviet amateur photographers. At that time, the quality of these films was not optimal, and the optics of this period left only much to be desired. High quality was not so easy to achieve. Of course, you can connect expensive equipment to digitize this type of photographic film. But everything will go down the drain if the quality of the photo was not good to begin with.

Therefore, we can conclude that digitizing photographic films from past decades is a difficult and time-consuming task, and often thankless, since it is almost impossible to achieve a high-quality image.

The price range of the device will average about 17,500-24,000 rubles. Thanks to such scanners, you can extract good image quality, they are easy to use, do not take up much space, and certainly will not sit idle.

To obtain the highest quality, it is better to digitize photographic film using a professional scanner. Of course, this will cost you a pretty penny. The main thing here is to understand whether quality for any money is really important to you or not. Moreover, it is unlikely that you will be able to convey the highest quality of film from a monitor screen or in a paper version.

Conclusion

How to digitize photographic film at home? The risk is not always worth it, so leave this matter to the professionals. To achieve average positive result digitization, it is better to contact the nearest minilab. Such a service will not break your pocket. But before going to a professional, don’t forget to choose the frames that you really want to print or post somewhere on the Internet.

Don't be afraid to add valuable photographs to your archive with film digitization!

Digitizing photographic film at home is not a myth, but a completely normal phenomenon. From the text below you will learn about two simple and inexpensive ways to digitize photos yourself. In both cases you will need “PhotoMASTER”. In this program you can turn a negative into a positive and improve the quality of your pictures. Download the distribution kit from our website right now, then you can easily solve these problems:

Method one: scanning the film

For digitizing photographic film, special mini-scanners are best suited: KONICA MINOLTA Dimage Scan Dual IV, Espada QPix MDFC-1400, etc. However, there is no need to spend money on purchasing such devices: a regular scanner will do the job. In addition, modern models often have a special compartment for storing photographic film. For example, it can be found in Canon CanoScan 9000F Mark II, Epson Perfection V600 Photo and other scanners.

With such a device, the principle of digitization becomes extremely simple: you need to fix the film in the holder and scan it. Then save the resulting negatives to your PC and move on to post-processing.

Method two: “reshooting” negatives

Not everyone has a scanner at home or in the office. This means that the first method is not suitable. But even then, you shouldn’t give up trying, collect the films in a bag and put them away in the pantry until better times. They can still be digitized at home. The second easiest way is to reshoot the negatives. You will need:

• camera.

You can use either a camera or a smartphone camera. Be sure to turn off the flash in advance and set the settings to maximum resolution.

• backlight

Its role can be played by a table lamp, a flashlight, or even a laptop screen if you set its settings to maximum brightness. It is also advisable to open Notepad in full screen or blank slate in Paint.

• device for fixing film.

Figure out how to attach the film in front of the light source. Otherwise, it will curl during shooting and the photo will turn out blurry. A device for fixing the film can be constructed from scrap materials. For example, you can take a small sheet of cardboard or thick paper and cut out a 35x35 window in the center. Make two cuts two centimeters from it to the left and right. You can insert the film into it, then it will not fold or bend. You can quickly and easily take a good shot.

To make the structure stable, make two folds along the edges of the sheet. Secure the resulting “legs” with a stapler or tape. Now you can install the film opposite the monitor screen or above a lamp and figure out how to digitize photographic film at home.

Arrange the objects in the following order: light source, film structure, camera. It is highly advisable to first install the camera or smartphone on a tripod or a stack of books. If you shoot handheld, the photos may turn out blurry. Take photos of all the necessary frames, and then transfer them to your PC.

Post-processing: perfect result

Now we need it. In this program you can turn the resulting negatives into normal photographs and, if necessary, improve their quality, remove minor defects and much more.

Launch the editor and open any of the photos. Go to the "Tools" section and select the "Curves" tool. Change the position of the RGB curve: move the bottom edge up and the top edge down. All light shades will instantly turn into dark shades, and light shades into dark tones.

If necessary, you can adjust the brightness of the photo. Create an additional point (or several) on the line and drag it down or up. Watch the result in the preview window.

If the edges of the photo do not look very neat, then crop them. This is where the Crop feature comes in handy. You can manually mark the cropping boundaries or use the proportions suggested in the program. With their help, you can easily and quickly prepare a photo for a VKontakte post or for publication on any other site.

Sometimes films have various defects: burnouts, stains, scratches or holes. If it is problematic to digitize a video cassette or film with such shortcomings, then the situation with photographic film is different. Digitization is the only chance to save the lives of old personnel.

In the photo editor, you can easily “patch” holes and generally improve the quality of your sources. To get rid of scratches and stains, activate the Healing Brush. Adjust its size and feathering in the right panel and click on the problem area. A moment - and the defect is no longer there.

Now you know how to digitize old photographic films at home. Photos can be saved on your computer or printed immediately. Download the PhotoMASTER program and give new life frames from photographic films today!

From the translator: This article continues a series of publications by different authors dedicated to film photography. The previous article was called “Film: Tips, Cameras and First Instructions” and is available at .

This tutorial will show you how to "scan" your film using a Digital SLR. Reason to use for this operation digital camera instead of a slide scanner is to save money and ensure the safety of the films. A good film scanner is expensive, so you should only buy one if you need to scan a lot of film. Another option would be to scan the films in specialized darkrooms that have professional scanners, but many people are put off by the prospect of sending films by mail.

First of all, it is necessary to recognize that the method proposed in the lesson will not give the same results as a professional scanner. However, this is a fantastic idea and a great way to digitize your films at home.

Preparing for work

Before you start, make sure you have everything you need:

1. Digital SLR camera.
2. A piece of glass on supports, such as a glass table, picture frame glass, mounted on 2 stacks of books or boxes to create a "table".
3. A piece of glossy photo paper with no writing on the back. Most brands produce this type of paper.
4. Wireless flash or high-powered desk lamp.
5. Tripod.
6. A macro lens is recommended but not required.
7. Photoshop or other image editing program.

Step 1

First, you will need a glass surface to shoot on. I used a glass table, but a photo frame would work just as well. To use a photo frame, just remove the backdrop and photo from it - what remains is the glass with the frame. Next, you will need to find something to use as a glass coaster. Try using stacks of books or several boxes. A structure height of 30 cm is quite enough.

Step 2

Now that we have our stage, it's time to set up the camera and tripod. The lens you use determines how close to the glass you can shoot. No matter what lens you may use, try to fill the frame of film as much as possible large area field of view of the lens.

The most important thing in setting up a tripod is to set the camera sensor plane parallel to the glass plane. The best way to do this - lengthen back leg more than two front tripods, so that the camera is directly above the glass. Remember that if you overextend the tripod leg, it may become unstable and may eventually fall over!

Step 3

Now you need a piece of clean photo paper without any extraneous writing. A large piece is not needed - 10*15 cm is quite enough. Place photo paper on the glass below the camera.

Then place the film on photo paper. You'll probably need something to hold the film down - two film containers will do. When installing them, be careful, try not to move them along the film to avoid scratches and damage.

Step 4

At this stage, you can use a remote-controlled flash, or a bright table lamp. Be careful when using a lamp with constant light as it creates large number heat, which may damage the film. Place the light source under the glass and point it directly at the film. If you're using a flash, you'll have to do some testing to find the right settings. The purpose of the settings is to produce slightly overexposed photo paper. I used Canon flash 430 EX at half power at a distance of approximately 30 cm.

Now put the camera into manual mode. One of your most important settings is your aperture - set it to around f.7.1. Shutter speed is a little less important - something around 1/10 - 1/20 should be fine. The ISO should be set as low as possible to reduce noise. Now you're ready to shoot film!

Step 5

Open the image in Photoshop. If the photo is oriented incorrectly, correct it through the “Image” -> “Rotate Canvas” menu.

Step 6

Duplicate the background layer by pressing Command-J on Mac or Control-J on Windows. This is not a required step, but it is simple good habit- saving the original image.

Step 7

If you scanned slide (positive) film, skip this step. For negative film, with the duplicated layer selected, press Command-I on Mac or Control-I on Windows to invert the image.

Step 8

If you scanned color film, skip this step. For black and white film, go to Image > Adjustments > Desaturate to desaturate the image and remove all color.

Step 9

Select the crop tool and remove all digital values ​​in its settings.

Step 10

Position the crop tool roughly around your frame, but don't worry about getting perfect edges just yet.

Step 11

Align one of the corners of the frame as close as possible to the corresponding corner of the photo. You can use the arrow keys to more accurately place it in place.

Step 12

There is a small circle in the center of your frame - this is the reference point around which the rotation occurs. Click and drag the anchor point to the corner you adjusted in the previous step. Let the anchor point be anchored at this corner.

Step 13

Next, we will rotate the frame until it is parallel to the frame border. Using the mouse, go to one of the corners of the frame adjacent to the anchor point and place the cursor slightly to the side of the corner so that the mouse pointer arrow takes on a curved appearance. Click the mouse button and drag the frame until it is parallel to the border of the photo.

Step 14

Now adjust the remaining sides of the frame to properly crop the photo. Drag the sides by the squares in the middle of the frame lines. Press "enter" when you have your frame ready. Now you can export the image or send it to print!

Conclusion

This method may not replace scanners anytime soon, but it is a great alternative if you don't need to scan a lot of film. If you would like to see some examples of the results that can be obtained using this method, follow the links below to photographs created using the method described in the lesson:

Have fun, and tell us about your film scanning experiences!

On those days when digital photography was not yet commonplace, there were 2 ways to obtain images from photographic film: photographs and slides. Photographs were the result of transferring images onto photographic paper, and slides were frames on photographic film framed with cardboard. With the invention of the scanner, photographs have become very easy to convert into digital format. On the other hand, scanning slides is very problematic. We'll tell you how to solve this problem and convert your old photos into a digital format relevant to the 21st century!

Steps

Contact the professionals

Slide scanner

Regular document scanner

Take a photo

Take a photo of the slide. Set up an overhead projector, screen, camera stand and take a photo of the image on the screen with a digital camera. If your camera has manual focus, adjust it to achieve maximum sharpness.

• If your camera allows it, try varying the shutter speed at a fixed aperture position, and then process the pictures in graphic editor, for example, Photoshop. The resolution still won't be the best, but you can get more dynamic range.

1. Make a stand. If your lens allows you to take pictures at a distance of a few centimeters from the subject, build a stand to take pictures from a minimum distance. With the camera fixed, you can take pictures by simply pressing a button. Read online about whether your camera is suitable for copying slides, for example, at the site: www.shotcopy.com/compatibility.htm Armed with knowledge, make your own stand if you decide to use this method.

• Photo workshops ask 150-300 rubles for digitizing and retouching a slide. This doesn't mean you have to spend money on all the slides, but in some cases the significance of the photo can significantly exceed the cost of processing.
• Watch who you give your photos to. The photo shop may lose or cause irreparable damage to the film and will not be held responsible for this.
• Find stores that rent out photography equipment. They can rent professional photo scanners and offer a free weekend service - if you rent a scanner on Friday, you won't have to return it until Monday.

Warnings

• Some companies send photos to be scanned elsewhere by mail. This may be cheaper, but during transportation the slides may get lost, they may be damaged by moisture, etc.

Ordinary scanners are not designed for scanning slides and negatives due to insufficient backlighting. However, there is a trick that will allow you to do this using a small amount of cardboard. By constructing a clever design, you can redirect the light flux and achieve the desired result.

If you have old negatives lying around in your archive that you would like to convert into digital format, you have the opportunity to scan them. But simple scanning will not work for these purposes. In order for everything to work out, you need a powerful light source, which should be located behind the negative or a multi-functional scanner.

Of course, you can buy a special scanner for films, but if you already have a regular flatbed scanning device, you can get by with it. You can use a regular cardboard reflector to scan film or slide. It will capture the light emitted by the scanner and reflect it from reverse side slide. Such a reflector will make it possible to scan films and slides like regular documents.

To make a reflector we will need the following materials:
Sheet of thick A4 cardboard with silver side
Pencil
Scissors
Scotch
Ruler

Instructions

Step 1: On the non-silver side of the cardstock, print or draw the following pattern.

Step 2: Cut out the template and fold it so that the silver side is facing inward.

Step 3: Connect the template into a triangle. It should resemble a wedge. This will leave one side open. The shiny part must be inside.

Step 4: Next you need to glue the corners of the reflector. After the glue has dried, the device is ready for use.

Let's start using our reflector. Place film or slide on the scanner glass. Place a reflector on top. To reach good result Align one side of the slide with the center of the reflector. There is no need to close the scanner cover. You can start scanning. If you end up with uneven lighting in your photo, you can try placing a thin sheet of tissue paper between the negative and the reflector. The paper will diffuse the light flux and prevent the scanner from capturing the space behind the film.

Having achieved a satisfactory result, you need to crop the image along the contour of the slide, since the scanner scans the entire glass, and we only need a small frame. Cropping can be done in any graphics editor. To obtain the clearest image, you should scan from high resolution. It is recommended to use 1200 DPI.

After scanning, you will need to do some photo manipulation with the image. If you scanned a negative, you will have to invert the colors. This can be done even in Microsoft Paint, so there shouldn't be any difficulties. You can also do a little processing of the image in any graphic editor. It is recommended to increase the brightness or contrast.

If dust gets on the negative during scanning, it can be removed with a soft lens brush or cosmetic brush. To remove stains or scratches, you can use the healing brush tool. For this you can use free programs, such as GIMP or Paint.net. They are available for free download and are easy to find on the Internet.

This image shows (from left to right): the forward scan, the inverted scan, and the final image after removing scratches and dust. The whole job took no more than 10 minutes.