How I Edit my Film Scans in Lightroom

Willem: I'm going to start by cropping the borders.

Everyone else: *GASP*

Hi will can you do a preset for us learners

Having a Tif file instead of JPG makes a big difference also. Did he mention that?

Anyone who refuses to edit film scans has obviously never printed their own images in a darkroom. Just cause we have computers to edit what we used a darkroom to do originally doesn't make editing film digitally any less valid and art form.

Willem do you scan your own negatives or rely on lab scans? I saw in your other editing video that you were trying an epson V600 but seemed unpleased with some of the results so I assume you use something else for your scans?

Do you provide any online courses etc on this subject?

I take my kids to the arcade from the thumbnail of the video.

I don't understand not editing either. Like why not make it the best you possibly can. Also this is very specific, if you're doing very professional work for a client. Not gonna be fun explaining why you don't edit when they need it for marketing😂

You can use the Sync button at the bottom of the adjustments panel to copy your settings from one image to all selected images. Much faster than copying and pasting each image...

The "no editing" crowd should look at Ansel Adams. He was a master of editing and printing. Great photographs don't start and end in the camera.

love willem's work, but you might as well be shooting digital if you're going to edit this much...

This topic about editing or not editing film is a bunch of nonsense! The process was/is just different! For example dodge and burning gets done during the development process, developing for shadows or highlights, crop gets determined on contact sheets before the print. Of course all this is custom work at the lab and cost extra money. Do I carry around red, green, blue , yellow filters or use these filters in Photoshop? People need to get a life, all this purest blah blah the only thing that is important is, take photos! I just loaded up my 70 year old Rolleicord but next week I am back using DSLR. Cheers

wow I was actually in the camp of not editing my film photos... but after watching this... I may have to start. Changes are subtle but needed

i am follow you from Thailand which is the country that has the most laps for develop the photographic films in the world and the cheapest price in the world (price for develop a photographic films @ 3 dollar - 6 dollar for one roll) and thank you for the knowledge. I hope that one day you will come to visit and take pictures in Thailand. (I apologize in advance if I use English incorrectly)

Good on you for addressing this sometimes controversial topic! As a film photographer since 1975 and digital/film since 2005 I'm all to familiar with both worlds. I really believe the people who claim film scans should not be manipulated haven't been around very long. Before digital technology there were darkrooms with numerous dodging, burning, toning, and whatnot tools. I remember softening images with nylons stretched in embroidery rings, creating vignettes with a cardboard disk taped to the end of a cut wire and using my hands and fingers under the enlarger lens to move the light. Ansel Adams was known to make elaborate sketches of how he planned to manipulate print exposures in the darkroom. The zone system itself was a form of editing the results from the beginning. I scan my own negatives so I have a bit more control over the result, but every image needs a little touch here and there. This is where digital technology comes in. Keep it up! I've been following you for a few years and your enthusiasm for film keeps this old shooter motivated.

ywah

Nice editing but I feel like you completely remove the “film” effect 😭

These are good edits for being quite "meh" shots. There's something "wabi-sabi" about generic street photography.

What camera was used for these pictures? :)

Please make a video for us broke-ass photographers who uses darktable🥺

Share us more like these ✌️

this is soo helpful, thank uuuu !!

Bro! Was that portrait of Matt taken at Rankin Restaurant in Knoxville?

Love this series thanks a bunch!

great video, I loved it

so great he doesn't make everything contrast as fuck

How you save the photos to avoid the color change when you open the photo in iphone?

Green: exists
Willem: hey, you’re not allowed to do that

I love that you shot Young MA (saw your preset for her shoot!), we randomly came across her on a random Spotify playlist a few years ago, such a small world <3.

Lovely! Thanks for reminding me of my love for photo, great editing!

i want the old spltit toning thing back :(

I feel so bad that I couldn't see all the stuff, that Willem has seen on those photos.
Like what to add, what to reduce. Which hue to correct and so on.

Even the one with the model. If I'd nail a photo like that, I'd think to myself there is no need to edit, because I just don't see what could be better!

his loupdeck is gone o.0

i could listen to you forever

Yes, people say "that is not the point of film" and I did as well but if printing from negatives rather than scanning I would bet most of them burn and dodge and tweak colors when printing to alter or enhance when the film saw.

Can you speak Belgian?

Back un Venezuela I used to shot expired film and develop in crappy labs with expired chemicals. Editing film was mandatory there.

So helpful man! Love your channel and art

mi novio dice que le caes bien c:

It’s all about the artist vision ... film or digital, edited or not. We shouldn’t judge one another. Enjoyed your video.

Have you ever used a Loupedeck to edit with in LR? It definitely made my editing faster. It works with color grading in Premiere as well.

i hope you make some presets someday

Kept wondering whether your actually are a fellow flatlander, just found your channel. This is some genuine awesome content. Bedankt Willem!

do you use lightroom cc or lightroom classic?

I fully agree with Willem's rejection of those arguing against editing scanned images. Those scans present image modifications based on the scanner technology used and the programming of the scanner, so there is not reasonable basis to argue that the scans reflect the images contemplated by the film photographer. Further editing ofWillem's image will be required by his devotion to over-exposure of his color negative images, resulting in loss of saturation and compression of highlight tones, as shown in his post-processing of the Chinese Restaurant image.

I just invested 1500$ in cameras and developing gear only to find out I can't get the developing chemical to Texas,they wont ship it!!

The fashion of the film that ends with digital treatment. I use Film and then I run it through the enlarger and onto the paper, then I scan the photograph. I don't play lightroom etc ...

should I use Lr cc or Lr Classic?

Great edit tutorial and examples, Willem. Keep up the amazing work.