How I Edit My Film Scans

A BTS look at the creative and technical decisions I make while editing my film scans.
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[@coreywolfenbarger8992]

A 33 minute Kyle video....well there goes whatever I was working on right now.

[@mattdayphoto]

Corey Wolfenbarger You do, in fact, love to see it. 🙏🏻

[@Zetaphotography]

Best time to hit the water rower! Make the time go fast. Thank you Sir for your video

[@KyleMcDougall]

🍻👊

[@zenonbillings9008]

really admire the way you understand colour....i am a long time landscape painter , and the magic on my canvases has always been in the colour. Yes the scene initially catches the viewer's eye but he /she is subconsciously captured by the colour relationships. So good on you for having the gift that so many visual artists under value or even totally lack a sense in the subjective magic of colour. I'm truly impressed with the depth of your understanding ! ..... zen billings

[@alanpods______8260]

Thanks - this is amazing. Such simple adjustments that make such a huge difference. From this I've figured that the reverse adjustment - highlights down, increase shadow darkness - provides greater saturation and contrast to my flat looking Portra lab scans

[@michaelcarrithers6811]

This is a very engaging and thoroughly enlightening video. It shows us how to realize a way of looking through some very simple but penetrating adjustments, such that we can realize consistency across a project. Thank you very much!

[@15minutestoread97]

You're so generous for sharing all of this knowledge with us. Thank you

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks for watching.

[@eveanddell]

Thanks so much. I'm a graphic designer but have never used Lightroom for whatever reason. So now that I've been getting back into film, this helps so much. I was a bit disappointed in the scans I got back, but now at least I can salvage a few. Your channel is gold, sir.

[@panelsandbars1529]

So glad to see a new upload from you & especially on a subject like this

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you!

[@musicajuansuarezm]

I love your videos, thanks for coming back and sharing pathos things with us

[@ChaseBenjaminCollects]

I want to thank you SO MUCH for your videos. It's making me feel a lot more confident in what I'm shooting, why I shoot, why I love what I love. As well as teaching me how to edit or go about editing in my own way. Thank you SO MUCH

[@KyleMcDougall]

You're welcome, Chase. Happy to hear they've helped!

[@jeiger]

Great vid! Thanks for taking the time to go through your edits.

[@MercUndGut]

I love how the Ansel Adams book is just a raiser for the Laptop :D Thanks for the video as always!

[@magicwaffl3z]

Thanks for this, man. Ive been in a huge creative rut for the last 4+ months, got a bunch of rolls I haven't developed/scanned and this just inspired me to get some of that done and start editing again.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@Fleet42]

That’s what’s up a young Brotha doing his thing and the world loving and encouraging it! We need more people like this in the world, shout out to the fabulous couple and Hanna!❤️✊🏿❤️

[@cesarcordero9496]

I read this on your channel Most underrated photography channel on KZbin. Keep it up! 🙏🏻💯

[@tantsura]

@cesar cordero I agree with you completely

[@icynas5121]

what app is he usinv for his edits?

[@ahem8735]

This was SO helpful, thank you for making this video!

[@theoldcameraguy]

Thanks for sharing your workflow!

[@andygray7776]

Great video thanks Kyle. I can't believe how little editing you do, it just shows how much you get right in camera. I love you style and in particular your colour palet.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks Andy! Yep, sometimes just a little is all you need to do.

[@JohnRichardsonAuthor]

Such a different look than other popular photographers like Peter McKinnon and Alen Palander who go overboard this time of year with rust and teal in their photos. I really like the slightly washed out film look of your photos. It makes shooting film worth it.

[@mathewmccarthy9848]

Lovin' it! Will be kick ass in print!

[@suheylkarakaya4238]

always happy to hear from you! one of the few channels i give like before i watch

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks for the support.

[@urdaddy5153]

Finally! Like it a lot, thank you)

Thanks man! This is a great video for me who has the understanding but need that little nodge and motivation of donit together! Awesome stuff.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed!

[@leelo9570]

this is what i looking for..thank you so much for sharing!

[@TheGuigotz]

I really enjoyed your process! Cheers from Brazil

[@mattdayphoto]

Man, you always kill it. 🙏🏻❤️

[@KyleMcDougall]

Dude, thank u! 🤛

[@StephenMilner]

Hi, what an awesome video. Keep up the great work! I look forward to your next video.

[@andersblomster]

A pleasure as always.

[@codyallen3729]

Just what I needed after getting my first two rolls back from the lab :D

[@sebastiannakashima5328]

W video bro love the bando shots

[@isidropedals]

Simple is good. Great images.

[@garypentecost833]

Really enjoyed that one Kyle , I get my scans done by a Lab from my OM1n ,usually I only use black and White but I’m now going to try colour and try to edit using your technique ,cheers

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks Gary. Glad you enjoyed.

[@dddw6427]

omg you are awesome ! You are so sensitive to lights and colors

[@jlinwinter]

This video is fantastic!! thanks!

[@robgerety]

Thanks for this. You confirm my instinct that generally less is more. I'm 71. I traveled through the desert country in the US a good deal in 1975/6 ish. I did a lot of 35mm photography at the time. I have a memory of the feeling of the places and how it looked to the naked eye. But, my memory is from a long time ago. My slides are well preserved and I'm planning to scan them now that I am retired and have the time. But, it might be that the look you are aiming at is based more on seeing over exposed film, or fading slides, than it is on the reality of the actual look of the places in real time? I get it. Your look is certainly lovely and nostalgic. It gives you the sense that you are out in the blazing desert sun. It certainly gets at the feeling of those places. I'll likely end up doing the same. Or, maybe these are taken from slides/negatives shot recently?

Thank you for sharing all of this knowledge!

[@KyleMcDougall]

You’re welcome!

[@traetriplett1472]

Great Videos Bro!!

[@mjb1954]

Thanks for this, really interesting to see the way other people work. Editing is tricky, and seems to be a divisive subject - I see a lot of overedited images, but also a lot of people sort of turn their noses up at the process, as if it were simply a way to correct mistakes made in camera. Certainly it can be a slippery slope, but when done with mindfulness and intention (rather than mindlessly moving sliders around for the sake of it), and in service to the ultimate vision, I think it is a crucial part of the process - and fun, too! I also think, as you mentioned, that it can be a key way to visually unify a body of work, or impart your unique signature on an image.

[@darrengodssonfielding]

I have that same Ansel Adams book. Haven’t thought of using it as a computer stand yet though. Haha. Thanks for this video. I learned from it and feel inspired to edit some more and play around.

[@gui4j]

good video dude , very helpful , nice images too... love the south west series ...

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you!

[@mpk33]

Wicked mate!

[@jayonair]

Professional and passionate.

[@johnnyflowers9639]

Just got a new subscriber. Good work bro

[@nnelgsiggah]

Very informative Kyle...thank you.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks. Glad you enjoyed!

[@robifleming]

Love the photos! Have you tried this process in capture one and got similar results??

[@GuidoValdata]

gold, tnx!

[@nanakwakuawuah487]

Very underrated Keep goinggg

[@Smoothblue90]

Excellent. I could watch videos like this a lot. I am in Lightroom right now...but from digital...using Mastin Labs Portra or Fujifilm presets as my starting point. I pull the Highlights way left and the Shadows way right and center the Contrast first thing.

[@josefinae.p6125]

Great Video and finally found it what I am looking for :) . I hope you can do same tutorial using light room mobile as well.

[@sabobin]

Great video, very interesting

[@bodythetan]

Awesome 😎

[@MB-or8js]

Would be nice to see how you do the WB correction and changes needed when you scan the images on your own. I find this the hardest part! Working of from a professional lab scan is indeed easy.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Plan to do a video on home scanning in the future.

[@Beamboxstudio]

Great video! Random question;”: what Flanders monitor is that?

[@dr_davidmd2065]

Kyle, what lab do you work with? The scans are outstanding.

[@Al_El_Kai]

Hi Kyle, always love your tutorial on film! I’m wondering how did you meter for your photos to get your histogram like that? Is it on the darkest or mids?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Most of these were just metered with the in-camera centre weighted meter, usually rating the film a stop lower for some overexposure.

[@analoguestills]

Hey Kyle, great process on editing your film photos. I too edit in a similar fashion by adjusting the shadows and highlights. Also, could you elaborate your macbook + screen setup? I am planning to get a similar setup as editing on an iPad Pro isn't as optimised. Thanks.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks. This was an older setup. I'm now using an LG 5K Ultrafine monitor with either my 15" macbook or the new Mac Mini M1.

[@CornishMotorcycleDiaries]

I've been following Nick Carver recently and there certainly seems to be a great deal of congruence in your styles, which is a compliment, because I love his style.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you! Nick does a great job with his work.

[@NOICEmagazine]

Can you maybe explain what the difference is in adjusting the highlights and the whites? Which would you typically touch first?

[@louisboo543]

love the photos and editing. really good. you think you can run a similar edit on portraits? or would you need to edit them differently?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks. I don't shoot too many portraits, so a bit hard to say.

[@louisboo543]

Kyle McDougall okay. thanks for the reply though!

[@davidjames8948]

Hello Kyle, loved this video. Thank you. I may have missed it, but what size and kinds of files are you editing on here in the video? Are the Jpgs from the lab? Thank you again Subscribed! Best David

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey David, thanks! And yes, they're jpegs from the lab. Probably a mix of sizes. Most of the 35mm work is likely smaller lab scans. Maybe around 3000px wide.

[@nicasiophotographer8322]

Thank you a lot

[@alexandersaint-amand3199]

Hey Kyle, is there a lab that you think does a particularly good job? Sorry if I missed a post on this. Thanks!

[@careycarson7629]

Really good note at 1:11.

[@richardg6109]

You're also overexposing your Portra 400 a stop or two? That would make a good starting point for the 1st series.

[@KyleMcDougall]

You got it. One to two stops.

[@DesertOryx]

Very interesting to see! I wonder why you seem to never touch the structure / clarity slider nor the details (sharpen etc..) How comes that? Especially on old cars and old buildings it should do a good job or no?

[@DesertOryx]

I just noticed that you actually did use the clarity slider in the last picture, I did not see it when I watched this video on the TV (instead of PC with my eyes nearer to the screen)

[@MrFakNo]

So I should choose the cheapest scan at the lab place-- and then, if I want, I can enhanced my scan later with a scanning software of some kind?

[@sheldonwu1285]

For the first photo, I feel like the BEFORE looks better than After. Perhaps because the photo was over-exposed, I like it with a little bit more shadows. Shadows make it look more natrual. But for the Chinese restaurant photo, the AFTER really looks better than BEFORE.

[@ThomasL.116]

Thank you very much for this wonderful video! Great photos, I would love to see a book about your series! I have a question: When I get back my scans (the biggest lab in Germany I think), especially the 35mm have 'real black' (indicated in the histogram) almost all the time ... It is not a problem of underexposure since I usually overexpose by a stop. Do you happen to know why this happens? Is this part of the scanning process or is it something else? Because when there is already black in the image, there won't be any information left. This can be seen in your image at 9:50. Thanks for an answer - best wishes, Thomas.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Hey Thomas, so that's likely to due with the scans. Even if you underexposed your negatives, you could still scan them to not have any crushed black (although it would just be noisy). I'd ask the lab to watch the blacks, or scan with a little bit lower contrast if possible.

[@ThomasL.116]

@@KyleMcDougall Thank you very much for your reply! I tried to communicate with the lab about that, but unfortunately they seem not willing to scan with a lower contrast profile, because they know exactly (!) what they are doing (well, price/quality ratio is very good) ! =) Thanks again and best wishes (always looking forward to your images) !

[@robertbouchardt3357]

Do you find there is much latitude when editing the Tiff files you get from the lab? I mean do you get artefacts or banding when push and pulling the files in lightroom?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've never had an issue, even with JPEGs. But the editing I'm doing really isn't that extreme.

[@ZachParksPhoto]

A new video from Kyle Mcdougall? There goes my Friday night.

[@brendanwho]

How large are the file sizes for the scans you're working with?

[@JacobBland]

Really enjoyed this minimal approach to editing your film - achieving most of the look in camera with the film is for me the way to work. Working with 30 layers in Photoshop is not why I got into shooting film :) Lightroom really makes it easy to apply the fixes across a body of work

[@KyleMcDougall]

Glad you enjoyed, Jacob!

[@ironmonkey1512]

Also the heavier you adjust in photoshop the result tends to look less natural, so it's good to match the film to your final result.

[@tantsura]

Nice to see your pictures @Kyle McDougall

[@LuisHernandez-rf6ru]

I'm very new with film photography so please don't get me wrong if it sounds bad. But in my opinion, editing the negatives on the laptop, aren't we losing the magic of the film? I understand that corrections should be made for exposure, contrast, etc. But by changing the color temperature, for example, we are not changing the characteristics of the film? I have seen black and white photos that the negative was HP5 + but the final version looked like a 400tx.

[@RocketinExile]

Great stuff man...are all these metered with the Pentax 645N meter? How accurate do you feel that meter is? thanks

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thanks. These were with different cameras. A bunch with the Yashica FX-3. As for the Pentax 645, have only used it a little bit, but I find it very accurate so far.

[@RocketinExile]

@@KyleMcDougall Thanks man

[@marvineastman460]

I have been spending considerate efforts towards finding a forever lab. You have any good recs?

[@KyleMcDougall]

I've been really happy with 'The Find Lab' in the US, and in Canada I use 'Downtown Camera'.

[@bradleybull1787]

Good video, informative and great shots. You did repeat yourself a fair bit, but otherwise nicely done 💪

[@JV_Automotive]

Hi nicely said. Just wondering are you scaning in tifs i gues because of high level of editing ?:)

[@KyleMcDougall]

Sometimes tif, sometimes jpeg.

[@hyuneza]

Do you ask the lab to do straight scans, ie. with no color or exposure adjustments?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Yep, just send it to them, and either say nothing, or tell them I'd like lower contrast scans.

[@paul8914]

This video is encouraging because it's a great reminder that all you need are basic adjustments. I'm used to heavy editing digital photos. Because I'm color blind with reds and greens, I typically just take my scans into Lr mobile and do auto tone and auto wb but then reset saturation and vibrance back to zero after the auto tone function. My sensitivity to color subtleties or lack thereof is why I go that route. The way my brain is wired because of color blindness is that I don't have a specific vision. I can have 20 different edits and like them all but my brain can't really embrace a vision in advance and then edit to get me there. I edit first and pick a version that I like based on my tastes that day. What about sharpening in Lr and in export?

[@icynas5121]

Paul Michael James what is his app for the edits?

[@paul8914]

@@icynas5121 lightroom

[@ankitfotografia]

Hi Kyle, very informative video. Question:: I observed you were using the LR slider the way they should :: when I work on LR on my digitally scanned negatives . All the slides work opposite and it gets really difficult to work on them. Do you know any trick to make covert the image and still use the sliders in normal fashion.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Are you using Negative Lab Pro to convert? If so, you have to make a TIF copy of the image, otherwise, all of your adjustments will be backwards.

[@ankitfotografia]

@@KyleMcDougall thank you Sir, I am going to try that ... I was trying to do something like that for so long !!!!

[@omarmateo8670]

Yashica sittin pretty 😏 I shoot on one too !

[@edscannell1019]

Hi Kyle, when you send your film to the lab what settings do you ask them to scan the negatives at...ie standard, highlights soft etc??

[@KyleMcDougall]

I don't get lab scans done nowadays. But when I did, I often asked for lower contrast, and to save the highlights and shadows. Basically, I didn't want a super contrasty scan where I wasn't able to recover things. I'm always looking for something that will give me room to make tweaks if needed.

[@edscannell1019]

@@KyleMcDougall thanks for the info Kyle....I’ll be looking to get those same kind of settings from my local lab in future 👍🏻👍🏻

[@neilgenower9950]

A decent lab would be able to get pretty close to your requirements straight out of the scanner if you give them an example. But, I think, understandably, you enjoy doing that yourself. Great shot BTW.

[@KyleMcDougall]

Thank you. And yes, I enjoy the process and having final control.

[@tompoynton]

Like that there wasn’t a big emphasis on secret tips and tricks, and that the implication is that you should try and get your metering right on location so that all you should have to do in post is just a few light tweaks. That’s my take from this anyway

[@juancarlosguzman2827]

Do you apply sharpening to those images? I want to start shootings film, but I feel like then I won’t get the real color of the film like the real PORTRA colors cause you have to modify after

[@KyleMcDougall]

I apply light sharpening, but it all depends on the scan.

[@elvincartagena1481]

This might be a dumb question but when you take your film to get scanned do you ask for color correction and then just correct it even more at home or do you just as for no correction?

[@KyleMcDougall]

You don’t have to ask for anything. The lab will automatically give you a base image to work with. Kind of a neutral starting point. And then you can tweak from there. This will vary with each lab.

[@federicotorra4626]

Hi Kyle, which scanner does your lab use? Is it a drum scan?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Most of the time it's a Fuji Frontier, and sometimes a Noritsu. Never a drum scan.

[@vertigoheights]

November 8th 2019. Episode 19. 19k subs. Just wanted to point out that (almost) perfect symmetry 😀

[@KyleMcDougall]

Good catch!

[@RS-Amsterdam]

playing 19th Nervous Breakdown from the Stones in the BG ;-)

[@dominey]

I'm sure this wasn't your intent, but you've done an excellent job of illustrating everything frustrating about digital photography. You barely have to edit those film scans because they're born with great color, tonality, and highlight control. All it takes is a little shadow lift and warmth to make them sing even sweeter than their original form. Could a digital camera capture the same scenes as RAW photos without clipping or exposure blending? I kind of doubt it.

[@claudioparadanunes861]

You get a ton of detail from your shadows! I'm wondering if it has to do with the fact that you're shooting with 120. For some reason, whenever I get my scans from the lab I can never get that much detail by pulling up the shadows..eerrr. Thanks for sharing, Kyle! :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

A lot of these images were 35mm. All comes down to how it was scanned and also making sure you do have density in the shadows on the negative.

[@claudioparadanunes861]

@@KyleMcDougall thanks for the tip, Kyle! :)

[@nalinjain7343]

whats the difference between brining up the whites or bringing up the highlights?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Whites focuses more on the white point, whereas highlights focuses on brighter tones that are a bit lower in the curve.

[@jennifergrainger2480]

Hey Kyle Guess what! I bought a scanner today on eBay (the same as yours) in Australia. I paid $107 AUD which is $94 Canadian. It belonged to a photographer. 2020 is going to be a huge tech learning curve for me! Very excited! 😳🤓😎😊

[@KyleMcDougall]

Amazing! Can't go wrong with the 4990 for the price. It'll be the perfect scanner for you to get started with.

[@jennifergrainger2480]

Kyle McDougall Yes thanks, Im excited. So Just goes to show you your channel and work is making a difference - in my world! Hey also check out the new app for your phone by MOMENT lens called RTRO - a sort of preset made by film makers. They have one called Desert. It's a look and feel like your Route 66 vibe. Cheers

[@djakkdjakkd]

What's the DPI of the scan you get from the lab?

[@musicsavesu]

When you say you get low res scans first, what size are we talking?

[@KyleMcDougall]

Roughly around 2000-3000px on the long side.

[@simonmiller5095]

This is probably a stupid question, but I noticed that you are editing JPGs. Is that just for the examples' sake or do you not need TIFFs? (I'm new to analog photography.)

[@KyleMcDougall]

When I would get film scanned at the lab, I’d often get the cheaper scans (jpegs), because they were mainly just for web use. Since I scan at home as well, I can rescan for print, etc. If you’re only getting lab scans, and you can afford it, go for tiffs.

[@eladbari]

Not sure I know exactly how i want the image to look from the get go. I have a general idea maybe, but it's more a walk in the park...strolling, exploring and then stopping when you found what you want. I like how you said "getting the image to how it looked in real life", because many film shooters really believe you should not touch your scans. Which is pretty dumb. Letting a scanner take decisions for you while it had never been in location :)

[@KyleMcDougall]

For sure. All comes down to personal preference, but a image straight from the scanner is by no means 'perfect and true'. There are so many variables that can change the outcome. I believe that you have to do some processing.

[@HueyPProductions]

What is the export settings for these

[@TwangThang57]

Forgive me if you have already addressed this in the long list of comments..... I'm curious as to your hardware chain?

[@TechnikMeister2]

For me I left film in 1996 when my newspaper moved to digital. To me is was a backward step becuase it required less skill. They were hiring 18 year olds and the machine gun approach to get the shot took over. I sold the last of my film cameras and lenses in 2008. Recently I thought I would buy a nice film camera again and try some black and white photography. But the costs, at least here in Australia, are prohibitive. I could buy a decent camera like an Olympus OM1 and 50mm 1.8 for maybe $300. A Nikon FM would cost more. A roll of 100 ISO film costs $15-30 and a scanner that will give me 24mp scans would cost $600. To get scans done professionally costs a fortune down here. Add to that developing tanks and chemicals and I am up to $1100. For that sort of money I can buy a Fuji X-T100 and a 23mm F2 lens...one of Fuji's best and save my shots using the Acros film simulation mode. So though its a wrench, I will not go back to film. Its all just too hard and expensive.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

Which lab do you use? I get standard scans from my lab but find they come back such low res I can’t even edit them.

[@KyleMcDougall]

The Find Lab or Downtown Camera.

[@AlysVintageCameraAlley]

@@KyleMcDougall thank you Kyle. I’ll give them a try. What scanner do you use for your 120 and 35 negs?