From Negative to Print

Low Budget Film Photography Workflow

One night in June, struggling to sleep, I sat down to journal. I wrote a few lines and had an instinct to take out a blank sheet and draw some squares. I started jotting down names of friends and family. Soon, I had a vision for a wall of 4×6 film photos. Some people are living, but I really want to be joined by those who have passed. I’ll likely place all of these in my living room and kitchen. 

While down with Mono and Lyme, I picked up a cheap Canon TS200. This completed the pathway for me to take a 35mm film picture, develop it, scan it, and print it. Perhaps I’ll discuss using a film camera at some point, as well as the developing process. This post will discuss the process after the images are developed.

Once my images have been developed and dried, I cut them to fit into the archival sheets – usually six images in for each line. My first task is to check which images came out nicely. I use a lightboard and the FilmBox app to identify usable options. 

Generally, I wait until I have a few rolls to scan. This process is not quick, and it requires patience, especially once we get to cleaning up the images. A colleague gave me an Epson V600 scanner. Talk about a godsend! I use the Silverfast 8 program in coordination with the scanner. The first step is cleaning the scanner screen with an air blower and a cloth. I also clean the negatives as best I can. The cleaner everything is, the less work to be had later. 

The negatives lay in a holder and are locked in place with the top piece. Once more, I use the air blower. For 35mm, I align the holder to the “A” position. In Silverfast, I identify the type of film. In the case of this post: Kodak T-Max 100. The pre-scan provides a quick show of the film. Frames are used to tell the program where the images are for the full scans, which take much longer. It’s possible to “Find Frames,” but that hasn’t worked well for me. I create one frame around the first picture I intend to scan, then duplicate and repeat. 

Organization is key. Before I batch scan (which scans all the frames), it’s important to mark the destination of the pictures. I use a folder titled “Film” with the year: Film 2024. I use two subfolders: “RAW” and “Edited.” The images will depart from Silverfast and mosey to the “Raw” subfolder. I don’t mess with many settings on Silverfast. Format depends on your intended use. For me, 4x6s. I use the photo quality with 300ppi. Otherwise, it’s time to scan. With the images headed to “RAW,” I wait. 

Once the scans are finished (sometimes taking thirty minutes or so, depending on how many are usable), I open darktable. This is an open-source program where I do very light editing. Honestly, I use it to eliminate hair and dust elements. If Silverfast sends over scans that I don’t like the image of, I select the “monochrome” option in darktable. 

No matter how much I clean the scanner and negatives, there are dust particles and small hairs. The retouch tool clones from a selected area to remove the intruders. I won’t get too technical here, but if you are on Windows, I recommend using CTL+ left click to continue using the tool. Otherwise, you’ll have to continually select the tool over and over. 

After I’ve cleaned the images, I export them as PNGs to the “Edited” folder. From here, it’s quite simple to print. I use My Image Garden to print an image. I select the print option, which pulls up some options. Since I’m printing on 4×6 glossy photo paper, I use that paper size option. That’s all I do. And Print!

This is, by no means, a professional setup. I often lose patience with the post-process cleaning. For my purposes, this works just perfectly. I like printing these pictures for myself or as gifts to send with letters. While the process can be frustrating, the end product is greatly appreciated. I’m realizing now that I have come full circle since my dad has always printed pictures (from Walgreens, though) and sent them out. I’m now in need of 4×6 frames, which my cousin should be producing soon. If you have questions or recommendations, let me know.

Recap:

Programs:

FilmBox – mobile app for quick scans

Silverfast 8 – $50 scanning software alternative to Negative Lab Pro, which requires Adobe Lightroom

Darktable – a free open-source program to clean images

Tools: 

Lightbox – backlight images to scan with FilmBox

Canon TS200 printer – $40

Epson V600 scanner – $300 (thanks, friend!)

Air blower

Glass cloth