Very thin, very dense, and very contrasted negatives (i.e. over or under developed, or poorly exposed) can be particularly difficult to scan. We will try if requested but the risk of muddy/noisy scans in these cases is yours. Generally speaking, if you can print the neg reasonably, it can be scanned reasonably. Chromagenic film (i.e. C41 process) scans very well and we recommend it.

In short:
Colour from negative film is very tricky, as negative film varies so much. We'll do our best to produce natural and accurate colour, however please be aware some final colour and density balancing will always be required.

In detail:
Colour negative is HIGHLY variable stuff, and it's extremely difficult to get anything resembling 'reliable' (i.e. accurate) colour from a neg (scanned or printed, doesn't matter). The reason for this is, ultimately, the orange mask and the completely variable processing of colour neg that occurs. This is one of the main reasons for transparency film is typically used when colour accuracy is required (and even then, there's more variance between film runs than you might think, which is why ColourChecker charts and clip tests are part of the further arsenal of techniques and equipment required for colour consistency).

When we do a neg scan - we do not completely colour balance files, or aim to colour match proof prints etc. We aim to get maximum detail from the neg and put the image in a position whereby a small amount of editing will get it into very good shape - with around 5% movement or less (i.e. close, not massively out, but not 'bang on' to some arbitrary and subjective judgment). The result is scans from the neg that are likely to be flatter than you expect (deliberately, to retain maximum detail) and close, but not yet perfect colour. The goal is to put you into a good position for fine print work (i.e. maximum detail) rather than to provide perfect colour (since we ultimately have no reference point for that anyway).

In doing this, we start from a base point with respect to a film type. From there, depending on what has been supplied and the conversation we've had, we may or may not tweak the base point slightly in some direction. We don't promise to do this, and we don't consistently do this - in fact, it's generally our policy NOT to do this as it's very subjective and fraught with peril - an adjustment for one image will most likely not suit another, thus 'fixing' one will throw out the next, and before too long, we're in trouble. In the end, you're best off making these adjustments for yourself post-scan. The adjustments are typically minor, and obviously you're the best person to make decisions about your images. It's important to understand that the scans are (deliberately) somewhat unfinished and only one part of the whole process of achieving the fine print.

Print Matching

Following on from above, we don't offer a print matching service. We scan what's on the film and aim to give you all the information the film can contain - we're happy to use your prints as a guide but we'll aim to retrieve what's on the film more than we'll aim to produce an exact match of a low quality proof print.