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Some customer in Portsmouth may be wondering just how much information is actually on film!! That's a good question. Film is an analogue source, like a painting. There is a certain resolution needed to faithfully capture all the details in a digital form. The following images are a simplification to illustrate some general points and are not exact.

In general it is recommended that you scan at or above the resolution of the film. For 8mm and Super 8 that means scanning at HD or 2K.

16mm Film Portsmouth

16mm HD 2K 4K Scan

Process Comparison

  • Super 16 can have over 2K resolution. Older 16mm will have up to 2K resolution.
  • An SD scan will only get about 1/4 of the resolution on the 16mm film.
  • An HD scan will get about 1/2 of the details on the film.
  • To archive 16mm film a 2k scan (1556 lines) is required.


Pro SD Scan

  • Our Pro SD process uses a professional motion picture film scanner. A 480 line SD scan will get about 1/4 of the available details on the film. You can see how blurry the Pro SD scan is compared to the Pro HD or 2K scan.
  • The red color shift. This is very common on 16mm and 35mm film.
  • Because this is a low resolution scan you can't see the surface defects that well. Look at the HD scan below and you will see them better.


Pro HD Scan

  • Our Pro HD process uses a HD professional motion picture film scanner. Although an 1080 line HD scan is better, it only gets at most 50% of the details from the film.
  • Compared to the Pro SD scan you can see it has more detail in the child's face and in the green leaves in the lower left hand corner.
  • Also, the red shift was fixed for the most part.

 


Pro 2K Scan

  • Our Pro 2K process uses a professional 2K/4K Datacine machine. To archive 16mm film a 2K scan is required.
  • Look at the additional detail on the child's face and in the green leaves on the lower left hand corner compared to the Pro HD Scan.
  • In addition, to the sharpness you can clearly see that the Pro 2K process removes 80% of the defects on the film using the Pro Hollywood restoration.
  • You probably won't find anyone in Portsmouth that can scan at this resolution and with restoration. If you don't, contact us.

 

35mm Film

16mm HD 2K 4K Scan

Process Comparison

  • 35mm film has at or above 4K resolution.
  • A 1080 line HD scan will get about 1/4-1/3 of the available details on the film.
  • Although a 2K scan is better, it only gets at most 50% of the details from the film.
  • To archive 35mm film a 4K scan is required.


Pro HD Scan

  • This HD scan was performed with a HD professional motion picture film scanner. A 1080 line HD scan will get about 1/4-1/3 of the available details on the film. You can see how much sharper the 2K and 4K scan are even on this low resolution online picture.
  • In addition, you can see the blue color shift. This is very common on both 16mm and 35mm film.

 


Pro 2K Scan

  • This 2K scan was performed with a professional 2K/4K Datacine machine. Although a 2K scan is better, it only gets at most 50% of the details from the film.
  • Compared to the HD scan you can see it has more detail in the face and his chest, etc.
  • In addition, you can see the blue color shift was fixed. There just isn't anyone in Portsmouth that can scan your film like this at 2K or 4K. Contact us today.

 


Pro 4K Scan

  • This 4K scan was performed with a professional 2K/4K Datacine machine. To archive 35mm film a 4K scan is required (our 4K process).
  • Professional films usually have access to the original camera negative in addition to work prints, answer prints, etc. It is always better to scan using the original camera negative.

Portsmouth Fun Facts: Routes 17 and 58. Portsmouth's location as an East Coast deep water port has influenced its history throughout its centuries of growth. Founded as a town in 1752 by William Crawford, a wealthy merchant and ship owner, Portsmouth derived its name from the English naval port of the same name. In fact, many of the streets of the new town reflected its English heritage.

Virginia Fun Facts: One of the 13 original colonies, Virginia was the first part of the country permanently settled by the English, who established Jamestown on the banks of the James River in 1607. The home state of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers, Virginia played an important role in the American Revolution (1775-83). During the Civil War (1861-65), the city of Richmond, Virginia, became the capital of the Confederacy, and more than half of the conflict’s battles were fought in the state. Today, many government institutions are headquartered in Virginia, particularly in Arlington, located across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C.

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