Converting color negatives to positives. Without Plugins.

Two simple ways to convert your negatives without waisting time and money.

Most people convert their negatives during the scan process using programms like Silverfast or Vue scan.

But what if you don´t have a film scanner? or what if you are simply not satisfied with the
Results of the premade film Profiles?
This article will answer all your questions.

Does this work with DSLR scans.

Yes!

The methods i am going to show you will work absolutely well with your DSLR scans.
I would say even better then expensive Plugins.

Please note! Method number two is shown in the Video only!

Do i have to remember all the steps?

No and yes!

No because i provide you with a free action for download, which will take a way a big part of the work of converting your negatives to
positives.

Yes, because I think it is alway better to really understand what you do, so you can manipulate and alter the methods to your needs.

Method one

Let´s start right in with method one.

Methode one is a method that takes a little bit longer for converting your negatives into positives. But at the same time, often gives you
a better starting point for complicated images. For example: If you have an image without clear white point or without a neutral gray subject in it, this method gives you the better results, from where on you can work on your images.

Removing the orange mask from the negative.

• Duplicate your Background layer (just for the case).
• Take your eyedropper tool and sample the color of the orange mask. Make sure it´s sample average is between 5×5 and 11×11.
• Create a new empty layer.
• Fill the empty layer with the just sampled foreground color (color of the orange mask)
• Set the blend mode of the layer to “divide”

You just perfectly removed the orange mask from your negative.

• now hit cmd (ctrl) + alt (option) + shift + E to create a new merged layer.

Original

selecting the orange mask

creating an empty layer

filling layer with foreground color

changing blendmode to “divide”

create new merged layer

Making it positive and set the black point.

Now that we removed the orange mask of the color negative and created a merged layer, it is time to invert the just created image to a positive.

• select your merged layer and hit cmd(ctrl) + i, to invert the image.

the next thing we are going to do is setting the black point.

• create a new levels adjustment layer
• choose the black eyedropper tool and sample the dark boarder of the image as your black point.

invert merged layer

create a new curves layer and sample the black boarder of the image as black point.

Let the magic happen.

At this point we are using a tool hidden in the curves adjustment layer, that will help us to further enhance our image.
This is the same tool, that most of the plugins you buy will use for their work.
The so called “Auto Color Options”.

• Crop away the black borders of the image
• create a new curves layer
• hit the alt (option) key on your keyboard and press “Auto” on the curves adjustment panel.
  Now the Auto Options will appear.
• choose “enhance per chanel contrast” or “find dark and light colors”. If image has a storng color cast also choose “snap neutral midtones”

crop the black borders of the image away.

create levels and use “auto color corection options”.

hit “alt” on your keyboard and press “Auto” on the levels layer.

choose “enhance per chanel contrast” or “find dark and light colors”. If image has a storng color cast also choose “snap neutral midtones”

Final enhancements

After applaying the Auto color correction options, you can apply further enhancements to your image.
in our case we will use some Color Balance layers and alter the Midtones and shadows.

Result of auto color cast options

Further enhance your image by altering color balance to your taste.

Further enhance your image by altering color balance to your taste.

Final result

Download your free negative to positve photoshop action.

Get the action here :-)

Kodak Gold 200 Test & Reviw

A cheap 35mm film, with nice characteristics.

The Kodak Gold 200 is a 200 ASA/ISO film, manufactured by Kodak.

The film was originally introduced in 1997 and was reintroduced or renewed in 2007.
Kodak Gold 200 was designed to be used in Daylight or with electronic flash.
It is available with 24 or 36 exposures, in single, double and triple packs.

Get some Kodak Gold here! Advertising

Tech. specs

• 35mm film
• ISO/ASA 200
• 24 or 36 exposures
• c-41 process film
• warm colors
• daylight balanced

Daylight balanced, what does it mean?

Kodak Gold 200 shot in a mix of tungsten and flourescent light.

As already mentioned, the Kodak Gold 200 is a daylight balanced film.
That means it has to be used in Natural light during day time or with a daylight balanced flash (around 5500 Kelvin). Using the film indoors with tungsten lights (around 3200 Kelvin) will cause some heavy yellow tones in the image. which most of the time does not look nice.

You could shoot the film in tungsten light but you would have to use a blue filter (No. 80A) to counterbalance the yellow light.

What is daytime?

According to Kodaks data sheet, daytime is two hours after sunrise until two hours before sunset.

Colors & dynamic range.

The colours of the Kodak Gold 200 have a very nice and warm touch. It represents yellow, orange and blue colours very well. In my opinion, the film has nice colours in general.
The dynamic range is absolutely ok for a consumer grade film. In some very contrasty scenes, it tends to lose shadow details very quickly.

Scanning

The film has (if handled the right way) great scanning capabilities.
It does show soft to medium strong grain.

One of the biggest problems during scanning is colour casts. In my case and also in case of other users, the film showed a really strong magenta colour cast.
Using the Auto Color Cast Correction (CCR in silver fast), corrected the film tho death. Means it took out all characteristics of the film and really neutralized everything. That’s why I decided to correct the colours by hand.
I used the Film profile for Kodak gold, kept all the magenta colour casts in the image, opened it up in PS and used a colour balance layer to correct the colours.
My goal was to correct them to a point where the film has as less magenta as possible, but without destroying the feeling of the film. In some images, I kind of liked the colour cast cause it added to the look. but for consistency, i edited them all.
In the next pictures, you find some before and after images. On the left is always the original and on the right there is the correction.

My Photoshop Settings

Typical mistakes, made when using Kodak Gold.

Typical mistakes made with Kodak Gold 200 are:

• Shooting in Tungsten Light: The film will look by far to warm an not really pleasing anymore
• Using it in fluorescent light: Kodak Gold 200 will get heavy green casts.
• Shooting in too dark situations: the film will lose shadow details quickly and introduce more grain.

Some usefull links

Here i have some links for you:

Get Kodak Gold 200 advertisement

Kodak Gold 200 datasheet

Sample images

Here you find some example images, taken with Kodak Gold 200.
Scanned with SilverFast 8, colourcast corrected by hand.