Updated: film Q, a web app for inverting film negatives in batches.
Version `v1.0.0-beta.6` includes several important bug fixes and a new feature, Auto Start.
With the Auto Start setting turned on, film Q will automatically process files as soon as they are uploaded. This can be helpful for speeding up the workflow, especially if you scan directly into your Dropbox folder.
For example, you can set up a folder on your computer, which will automatically invert your negatives as soon as you place your files in it. Watch this video to see how it works: youtube.com/watch?v=xQk2gy….
This update also fixes dark or distorted results when processing DNG files made with Silverfast scanner software and simplifies the user interface (fewer buttons). See help docs for more info: analog.cafe/app/film-q/help.
`Invert v1.2-beta`
Invert is a computer vision component of film Q. It calculates values for histogram equalization and manages camera RAW interpreter software.
This update fixes the image area detection mechanism, which has previously caused blank frames with certain types of scans. Version `v1.2-beta` also improves the saturation levels for camera RAW formats and colours on frames that may have scanning issues near the fringes.
Polaroid film reacts to sun exposure by fading, which has long been considered its downside. But this disadvantage (common amongst most printed materials) can be used creatively to make fun designs that reveal themselves after a few days of exposure, while saving birds from hitting a window.
I made a short video to demonstrate how easy Sol Prints are, what they look like, and how does it feels to reveal them after all the time spent waiting for a result: youtube.com/shorts/tjlqrhC….
For more details on how this works and how to make one (or a few) Sol Prints yourself, see this article: analog.cafe/r/how-to-make-….
Given the response Sissi received, her simple, well-designed pouch has been a success — at least when it comes to her fans’ desire to have one. Eventually, she got overwhelmed by the number of orders and had Roberts Distribution step in to help.
“I used to make small batches of the pouches in multiple sizes, and I’d love to offer that again. But as this project grew into something bigger, I had to be mindful of what was realistic for a wider launch.”
“Since this pouch started as a personal need and has helped me so much in my own journey, I’m really hoping the pouch will be accessible wherever people need it, and I’m definitely open to expanding stockists based on community feedback and demand.” — Sissi Lu.
The only way to avoid having film exposed to X-rays is to ask.
Luggage gets X-rayed (some say with greater intensity), and lead-lined pouches you may’ve seen on sale may only cause trouble. Sissi’s design includes multiple languages, which may not always be necessary as many agents around the world will speak English, but it can’t hurt either. I’ve had a few language-caused misunderstandings that led to unwanted X-ray scans of my film stash.
“The original pouch design included just the language of the city I was flying into. But when I decided to introduce this product to a wider market, I asked both my friends and the online film community which countries they travelled to most often with film—and I ended up receiving over 30 different languages and dialects.
To keep the design clean and readable, I had to narrow it down to the seven most frequently mentioned destinations. But I didn’t want to leave any languages out, so I created a bonus travel card that comes with each pouch. It includes translations in 21 additional languages!”
“If you know me, you know I love things that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing. Inspired by an old Kodak label and tips from Tim Ryugo, I designed my own version. I didn’t expect anything of it, but it’s now become a little side business!”
Flying with film can be tricky since we have to ask busy and sometimes intimidating security agents to do extra work. Many people still don’t know about film and how X-rays can damage it. Sissi’s solution was to print an appealing label that clearly explained in the local language what’s inside and why it can’t go through the scanner:
“Asking for a hand check at airport security can feel overwhelming—for both travellers and agents—so I wanted to make the process as smooth and straightforward as possible.
To my surprise, the pouch and its design were actually really respected by the agents. It made travelling with film feel a lot more ‘official,’ and it took the pressure off having to explain myself at every checkpoint.”
Flying with film? DO NOT X-RAY — a new travel pouch by Sissi Lu may help.
Sissi Lu, a New York-based photographer, has just launched her DO NOT X-RAY Film Pouch product, available at most camera stores in the US and Canada, and directly from Sissi’s website: sissilu.com.
The pouches are designed to organize your film rolls/packs and communicate with the security agent at an airport where you’d like to have your film hand-checked in 27 languages.
I asked Sissi a few questions about her creation ahead of launch. In turn, she revealed a success story of a well-received product for photographers intending to travel with film.
My first question was about the motivation behind it. Here’s her reply:
“It started from a personal need. I had a long international trip planned at the end of 2023, and it was my first time travelling with only film cameras—110, 135, 120, and Polaroid. I was honestly so stressed about X-ray and CT scanners damaging my unexposed and undeveloped film. To protect them—and to avoid the language barrier at airport security—I printed a simple label in multiple languages asking for a hand check and stuck it on a clear pouch.”
“When I shared a photo of it on my Instagram story, my DM was flooded with people asking where it was from.”
Last year, Daren, Yvonne, and I proved that you can. We tried a whole range of unconventional developers, and our “Sativa Cannanol” mixture proved to be very effective for low-grain, high-quality results with Ilford HP5+.
This pot-based recipe has a development time of 420 seconds at 69℉ (no joke). We tested it with our wonderful model, Lily, who helped us build a chart of exposures used to determine its effective ISO.
You can find the instructions for developing your black-and-white film with “Sativa Cannanol” and other unusual mixtures here: analog.cafe/r/i-developed-….
Polaroid had included some sample scans in their promo materials. This is a very nice photo by Isadora Kosofsky.
If I were to guess about the quality of the lens, I’d say it’s sharper than Now but not as sharp as I-2. This guess is based on the technology that drives the plastic resin lens (2-step autofocus for Now, 4-step autofocus on Flip, and stepless on I-2) and the samples I’ve seen so far. I’ve only shot with Now.
I like how the new cameras look. Haven’t held one yet, but they appear more solid than the originals, at least based on what today’s Polaroid products are like. The colours are fun!
Polaroid Flip is a new film camera that uses classic tech to take better photos.
Those of us who grew up in the ‘90s may remember the old boxy Polaroid cameras like the Polaroid Sun 660. I lived in Moscow then, and we had one too. Polaroid Flip appears to be a modern reincarnation of those 600-series.
The Flip uses sonar and a 4-lens step focus just like my Sun 660. Polaroid’s earlier design, Polaroid Now, does not have that ability (later designs got 2-step autofocus).
I’m fascinated by Polaroid’s choice of sonar for autofocus, despite other tech like Lidar being more popular today. But the Flip also does some new things: film packs with a rechargeable battery, under/over exposure warning, a (presumably) more powerful flash, and Bluetooth connectivity with an app for manual control, double-exposures, etc.
From the release: “The Polaroid Flip will be available for €219 / $199,99 / £199,99 / CNY 1699, with early access for members starting April 15. It launches on polaroid.com on April 29 and in retailers from May 13.”
Like this camera, Polaroid is a reincarnation of the original brand that began with a defunct factory takeover. A brief history of Polaroid: analog.cafe/r/a-brief-hist…
Video: How I scan, invert, and archive film negatives.
In this video, I’ll walk you through my scanning workflow, which has helped me keep an uncompressed archive of my precious scans and given me more control over the results:
I built this software to invert film negatives in batches using a simple and easy-to-understand image processing method three years ago. For the longest time, it only worked on my machine, but this year, I finally took the plunge and turned it into a service anyone can use.
Previously, I referred to the technique that sets the black-and-white points of an image to their respective maximum values as “histogram equalization.” That was incorrect. This technique should be called “histogram stretching” or “normalization.”
I’ve corrected all the articles and documentation references to use either “histogram stretching” or “normalization” when talking about this topic.
“Histogram normalization” is a wrong term for what I’ve been explaining, but it is also a (different) image processing technique. You can learn more about both terms on Wikipedia.
Thank you reader, who pointed this out! Feedback like this helps me improve the quality of this website and its content. I appreciate it.
We’ve been fortunate to have the prices of colour film drop during the past year.
Film Price Trends, an app that analyzes data from nine retailers in North America, Europe, the UK, and Asia on dozens of popular film stocks since 2018, shows a clear decline in price for Fujifilm Velvia and Provia films: analog.cafe/app/film-price… and analog.cafe/r/colour-film-….
There are various reasons for this welcome change — from decreasing interest rates to increasing competition. I would not rule out that Fujifilm was trying to make good on its promise of improving production efficiency either.
The true price of film depends on a lot of things, and it’s not always intuitive. For example, Kosmo Foto Mono, a film reportedly made from Foma 100 stock, is cheaper here in Canada than the original Foma 100 film.
Still, it’s hard to imagine that the price of film will continue to decrease in the current market.
Fujifilm announced the first price hike on film of 2025.
Fujifilm, Kodak, and Ilford (Harman) announce film price increases roughly once, sometimes twice a year.
In their announcement (fujifilm.com/ffis/ja/news/…, previously shared by PetaPixel petapixel.com/2025/04/04/f… and DPReview), Fujifilm said they worked on improving their efficiency, but, unfortunately, the increasing price of raw materials still drove the prices up. It’s implied that they won’t be subsidizing their film manufacturing.
As a result, the film prices will go up 21-52% (the higher number applies to reversal films like Velvia and Provia).
We are yet to see the results of those increases and the new US-imposed tariffs on price at the counter. Subscribe to Film Price Reports newsletter to get notified of major film price changes later this year: analog.cafe/account/subscr…
ORWO Net AG is insolvent, but ORWO film production is apparently unaffected.
The ORWO brand has had a tumultuous history, with bankruptcies, company splits, false starts, and numerous failed businesses. And last week, ORWO Net AG became insolvent.
ORWO Net AG owns the name “ORWO” in Germany. It sells printed goods and operates a large photo lab. But it doesn’t make film.
We buy ORWO-branded film from FilmoTec GmbH, which is under shared ownership with InovisCoat — a company which manufactures film components for brands like Polaroid B.V., Adox, Bergger, Lomography (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ORWO).
Though FilmoTec has had some troubles in the recent past (orwo.wtf/blog/orwo-managed…), it’s a separate entity and does not seem to be affected by ORWO Net’s financial troubles.
This post was inspired by the recent news of ORWO Net AG’s insolvency (mz.de/lokal/bitterfeld/orw…), which confused me until I’ve done some deeper reading about the company’s history. It’s sad to see another business fail, but I’m glad it’s not the one that makes film.
To be sure, I’ve contacted ORWO directly and will update this article if anything changes.
Film photography is now recognized as a cultural heritage in Germany and is on the path to UNESCO listing.
Silvergrain Classics, a German English-language film photography magazine, has just shared the news on their blog: silvergrainclassics.com/en….
“Analog photography has now been officially registered in the State Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia. This has made it possible for the state to nominate analog photography for inclusion at the German federal level.”
This nomination and its advancement could mean several things for analogue photography, including greater recognition and perhaps further efforts and investments by German and European governments to preserve and advance this medium.
I think that film is on the same level of importance as books and paintings. Hopefully, the governments agree, as keeping this medium alive on the level we have today costs billions of dollars, and it would be unfortunate to see it dwindle should an economic downturn take place.
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