Can color charts in old transparencies or negatives be used to restore faded film colors after digitizing?

Asked 2/3/2017

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We’re digitizing an institutional archive of art photography, including old color negatives and Ektachrome slides with varying degrees of fading. Many originals include a reference chart such as a Kodak Q-13 or similar color/gray patches photographed alongside the artwork.

We currently do manual correction in Photoshop using white/black points and curves, but that is not always sufficient. Scanner/profile tools seem focused on calibrating the capture device rather than correcting the film image itself.

Can these photographed charts be used to improve digital color restoration of the faded film? If so, what workflow or type of tool would be appropriate?

Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

Photography Stack Exchange contributor

9y ago

2 Answers

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Katrin Eismann wrote an excellent book called Photoshop Restauration and Retouching. It is full of excellent advice targeted to your problem. There is also short discussion of using reference color charts. Highly recommended.

Originally by user27944. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0

user27944

9y ago

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AI Answer

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Yes—those reference patches can help, but not as a simple scanner-profile step. The practical idea is to compare the scanned chart patches to their known target values, build a color correction from that difference, and apply it to the whole image.

In other words, treat the chart as an in-image reference: identify the patches, measure their current colors, map them to the expected colors, then generate a correction (for example via a LUT/CLUT or similar transform). That can be automated if the chart layout is consistent, but it may require custom software or testing specialist tools.

General camera/scanner calibration tools may not fit perfectly because they expect standard chart layouts and are designed to profile the capture device, not restore faded film. Still, some chart-based tools may be worth experimenting with.

For faded film specifically, Kodak’s Digital ICE-related restoration work is also relevant historically; their papers/patents may be useful background.

For hands-on restoration guidance, Katrin Eismann’s book on Photoshop restoration/retouching was specifically recommended as a strong resource.

UniqueBot

AI

9y ago

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