Using your smart phone and laptop screen as a scanner

[Steve M.]

Sometimes I get wacky ideas soaking in the tub at home. So I dried off, taped a couple of negs to my laptop screen, took photos of them w/ my phone, emailed them to myself, downloaded them into a folder, and played with the files in Photoshop.

The 6x6 neg came out pretty well because it was well exposed, but the phone was picking up the grid lines on my laptop screen, so this would work better w/ a light table (or a homemade one, and that's the next project).

The 6x9 neg came out crappy because it was under exposed, and there's only so much you can do w/ a handheld smart phone used as a scanner. But I think that if I had a proper light source and well exposed negs this might work well enough for emails and basic proofs.

 

[dfranklin]

I recommend the new FilmLab app for the iPhone as a tool for the uses you mention--email and basic proofs.

 

[Steve M.]

That's an interesting tip. Thanks. Would it improve the image quality any?

 

[Steve M.]

Oh, I see now. That app apparantly combines multiple RAW images into one image w/ the idea of improving the image quality? I'll have to give it a shot. I did notice in the video that the guy had a proper light table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE6GQXJfm6M

Whoops, never mind. They want to charge people for each scan after your free scans are used up? In their dreams! I'll do it myself, and I bet I can equal or better their quality. The idea of multiple RAW images from one photo sounds pretty questionable to me anyway, what w/ physics and all.

 

[Godfrey]

Oh, I see now. That app apparantly combines multiple RAW images into one image w/ the idea of improving the image quality? I'll have to give it a shot. I did notice in the video that the guy had a proper light table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE6GQXJfm6M

Whoops, never mind. They want to charge people for each scan after your free scans are used up? In their dreams! I'll do it myself, and I bet I can equal or better their quality. The idea of multiple RAW images from one photo sounds pretty questionable to me anyway, what w/ physics and all.

Yes, you need a proper light source. The pixelations of a tablet display degrade the image.

FilmLab doesn't make a charge per image. I think that the download simply runs free for a number of exposures and then asks you to pay for the app. I can't be sure since as a Kickstarter supporter of the project, I received the final release version all paid for.

FilmLab works very well, I'm pleased with what Abe Fettig has delivered.

G

 

[Huss]

Oh, I see now. That app apparantly combines multiple RAW images into one image w/ the idea of improving the image quality? I'll have to give it a shot. I did notice in the video that the guy had a proper light table.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE6GQXJfm6M

Whoops, never mind. They want to charge people for each scan after your free scans are used up? In their dreams! I'll do it myself, and I bet I can equal or better their quality. The idea of multiple RAW images from one photo sounds pretty questionable to me anyway, what w/ physics and all.

In their dreams? They had to create it, put money into it and they only charge $5.99 for it.

Thread here:
https://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=166403

But yes for quality scans u can't use your monitor or ipad, u need a proper light pad. Lots of threads on that.

 

[Filter Factor]

Hi Steve,

Yes, you've stumbled onto a very bare-bones version of the popular DSLR/macrolens scanning technique. One that has been very successful for many of our members here! Use of a tripod and a way to accurately ensure that the plane of the negative is parallel to that of the sensor will help improve things quite a bit. As well as finding a way to raise the negative up off the computer screen/light source. The grid pattern or pixels of the screen will disappear if you can raise the negative up off of the light source.

Cheers, Robert

 

[Scapevision]

you can use the screen as long as you elevate the negatives away from it. This way the pixels get out of focus and you won't notice.

 

[skucera]

You could go more analog. A simpler way to illuminate from the back might be to tape a piece of plain white paper to a north facing window, then tape your negatives to that, and snap away with your smart phone. Your phone will automatically compensate for white balance, but you can compensate for that in post. Depending on your latitude and the amount of clouds outside, the illuminant will be somewhere between D50 and D65, and this illumination can be color corrected in Photoshop or some other. (If I'm speaking Greek, please ask for explanations of the terms.)

Scott

 

[bulevardi]

you can use the screen as long as you elevate the negatives away from it. This way the pixels get out of focus and you won't notice.

Try capturing the pixels if they have good bokeh 😉