by Thomas Gade
Digital cameras are ideal for digitizing negatives, but converting digitized negatives into positive images involves hard work and specialist skills. Simply inverting the tones in a negative produces strange-looking colors that have little to do with the original scene, partly because of the orange mask used in most color negative films. However, with the right knowledge and tools, you will be able to deal with it effectively. This article looks at the pros and cons of using raw converters, Photoshop, plug-ins and scanner software to get converted digitized negatives looking as good as the original prints.
When it comes to digitizing negatives, a high-end digital camera is just as good as a scanner, producing resolution and sharpness that leave nothing to be desired. However, color negatives have a translucent orange mask that covers the entire frame and are comprised of tones that are the inverse of those in the original subject. Digital cameras are not equipped with tools for transforming negatives into positive images with genuine-looking colors.
The post How to Get Great Colors From Digitized Negatives appeared first on c't Digital Photography.
