Work-flow film to digital

[ThoreL]

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Very basic question. I have been all digital for many year, using the M9 Monochrom. Looking to move to film with my M2 and M6. Will outsource development. What are the preferred work-flows working with external developers digitalizing from film?

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[ianman]

Not sure what you are asking. You have two options, ask the processing lag to scan the negs if they offer that service or scan them yourself.  The preferred option is up to you.

if you are looking for specifics, some here including myself use a dedicated 35mm scanner. Others use a flatbed, and some use high end drum scanners. Another option which many prefer is to use a digital camera to “scan” their negatives.

[Sailronin]

There are a myriad of options for a hybrid workflow.

For B&W I process my film and then scan with a cheap Epson V500 and Vuescan software. The resulting DNG file is then uploaded to Photoshop for "spotting" (removal of dust, etc.). For color I send to a local lab and have them scan it and put on a CD.

Eventually I'll probably get a dedicated 35mm film scanner and keep the Epson for 120 film; for 4x5 (old negatives) I use a light box and digital camera.

[Tom R]

I use labs to process and provide low-res scans of all films. The scans are downloaded from Dropbox (or similar services) onto my local storage and I treat these as "contact sheets." I regularly examine these scans in Photo Mechanic (PM) prior to the film arriving from the Lab. Using PM, I rate the "contacts" saving time downstream ... .

By the time the films arrive, I cut and sleeve the negatives and begin scanning the selects (using the contact sheets as my guide). I use a Plustek 8200 (dedicated 135 scanner). Presently I use Vuescan for most negatives. [SilverFast is included with the purchase of the Scanner but it's less intuitive for most users.] I scan (black and white) to Greyscale (gamma 2.0), color films to Adobe RGB. All scans during this phase are saved as TIF files. [This scanner advertises 7200 dpi resolution, but I'm given to understand that even at that setting you're not getting much better than 3600--haven't independently verified this, but the 3600 setting is more than adequate for the sizes that I use.] While we're on the subject of scanning, etc., I also calibrate my screen (27" Retina display) using iDisplay Pro software every two to three months. 

Each TIF file is stored in project-dependent folders. Again, I use PM to enter/edit all of the metadata for these TIF files before any additional processing. All physical negatives are sleeved, labelled and stored in three-ring binders. I use a consistent naming system for frames, books, etc. You might consider doing this because it saves time and stress later on.

For PostProcessing software. I use Affinity Photo for all black and white work. [I've also used GIMP, but I find it more complicated for what I typically need. I haven't the patience to get into Adobe Photoshop ...] If nothing else, Affinity makes the removal of scratches, dust, etc., from the negatives fairly straightforward. For color work, I use Capture One--although, I could use Affinity for Color negatives as well, but Capture One has some nice presets.

Everything from this point depends upon your needs. For instance, I do a lot of compositing work; I use Affinity Publisher which interfaces nicely with Affinity Photo, but your needs may differ.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Tom R

[Erato]

4x5, 6x6, 6x7 level professional scanner 

-- Heidelberg Drum Scanner

-- Hasselblad Scanner der Flextight-Serie (Virtual Drum Scanner) Dmax 4.9., BTW, Flextight X5 is much faster while compared with Flextight X1

Reference Footage, FYR(French)

 

Consumer level

-- SUPER COOLSCAN LS-9000 ED

-- many other acceptable

Edited October 25, 2021 by Erato

[ThoreL]

Thanks to you all for great information.  

Edited October 25, 2021 by ThoreL