Best file format and scan resolution for archiving film scans
Asked 11/16/2011
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I want to digitally archive film using a CanoScan 8600F. I’d prefer a format that is lossless, reasonably compact, and likely to remain well supported long term. I’ve tried TIFF, JPEG 2000, and wondered whether DNG is relevant for scans. I also need general guidance on what scan resolution makes sense for film archiving, especially since I usually won’t print larger than 4x6. What file format is the most practical choice, and how should I think about scan resolution?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
14y ago
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I would say TIFF is probably the best format. JPEG 2000, like JPEG, is still a lossy compressed format when you really try to save space (the lossless version can compress a bit, but not nearly as much as the lossy form, and some forms of the "lossless" wavelet compression still can't fully reproduce the exact original image.)
When scanning in an original or master image, it's really best to maintain as much image detail and color depth as you can, and TIFF is an ideal format for this. It is guaranteed to be lossless, supports a wide variety of color depths including high color depths, has very broad support across many applications on multiple platforms, and even supports layers and other advanced objects that can be created with applications like Photoshop. TIFF also supports the storage of metadata, like JPEG.
I am not sure if DNG is an option for directly scanning film, and even if it was, I am not sure what the benefit of using DNG over TIFF for a film scan is. DNG has more merit in the digital RAW workflow, as it supports storing native camera RAW data and metadata, which really wouldn't be of much use for a film scan (which is always going to result in RGB pixels anyway.)
Regarding resolution, I guess it might depend on the nature of the film. If you are scanning very grainy film, you might not need to scan at an extremely high resolution, however scanning at too low of a resolution will likely even interfere with grain detail (which does have an aesthetic appeal to many, and that aesthetic might be diminished at too low of a resolution... and I would consider 1500dpi to be fairly low these days.) I'm a digital photographer, however I have researched film quite a bit as I have a strong interest in large format. To my understanding, a low-speed, fine-grain film like Velvia 50 is easily capable of over 3000dpi, which is double the dpi mentioned in the article you have linked. I have done some 35mm negative scans of old film just for kicks, and scanning up to 4800dpi (the maximum optical native of my scanner) produces an astonishing amount of fine detail. I would say scan at the highest resolution you can so long as you don't see negative returns, and I wouldn't be surprised if 4800dpi or even as much as 6000dpi was necessary to extract all the detail from your film.
If the initial file size worries you, you can always downscale your master file a bit from a high resolution scan, which should help improve sharpness a bit while also saving a little disk space. High-ISO black and white film will generally require less DPI, however keep in mind that film grain is not ubiquitous in size and distribution, and the full quality and shape of a single grain may require many pixels to render fully.
Originally by user124. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user124
14y ago
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TIFF is the safest choice for film archiving. It’s lossless, widely supported, and handles higher bit depths well, which is useful for preserving as much detail and tonal information as possible from a scan. Its main downside is larger file size, but for master archive files that’s usually acceptable.
JPEG can be reasonable only if storage matters more than having a true master file. At high quality it may look fine for viewing and small prints, but it is still lossy, so it’s not the ideal archival format.
JPEG 2000 and DNG are less practical here because support is much less universal. For long-term access, broad compatibility matters, and TIFF is the most dependable option from the formats discussed.
For resolution, use the scanner’s true optical resolution rather than exaggerated interpolated numbers. Scan at the highest real optical resolution your scanner can deliver if the goal is archiving a master copy; you can always make smaller derivatives later for 4x6 prints or sharing. In short: archive to TIFF at the scanner’s real optical resolution, then export JPEG copies as needed.
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