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Negative Film Conversion

Victor
  • Updated

Negative Film Conversion, introduced in the Capture One 16.7.4, gives you a faster way to turn camera-scanned negatives into clean, editable positives. With the dedicated Film Negative processing mode, a one-click Convert Negative button, and the streamlined Film Negative workspace, you can move from tethered capture to a strong starting conversion in seconds.

This workflow allows to invert negatives, set dependable black and white points, and keep results consistent across a full roll. This article walks you through setting up a scanning station, capturing a roll with repeatable settings, converting negatives to positives, and refining tone and color in Capture One — without turning conversion into a multi-step manual process.

Contents

Compatibility

  • Capture One version: 16.7.4 or higher
  • Supported workflows: Camera scanning (tethered capture) and imported scan files
  • Recommended file type for conversion: RAW (best results)
  • Note: Film Negative mode is applied per image and can be mixed with standard Photography-mode images in the same Session or Catalog

Before you start

Prior to scanning and converting negatives, make sure you can access the Film Negative tools and understand how Film Negative images are processed. This helps you find the right controls quickly and avoid confusing results.

Film Negative workspace 

Capture One includes a dedicated Film Negative workspace under Window > Workspace. It’s a simplified workspace designed for this workflow and includes two tool tabs:

  • Scan tool tab: recommended tools for scanning and capture consistency (tools included: Exposure Evaluation, Camera, Base Characteristics, White Balance, Next Capture Naming, Next Capture Adjustments, LCC, Camera Settings)
  • Negative tool tab: recommended tools for conversion and refinement (Histogram, White Balance, Exposure, Levels, Color Balance, Curve, Color Editor, Clarity, Black and White)

If you prefer your own workspace, you can also add these tool tabs as presets. Click the three-dots menu at the top-right of the Tools panel, then add the Scan and Negative tool tabs.

Film Negative workspace also includes Convert Negative button that allows to convert your negatives to positives in just one click.

After conversion, inverted negatives display a small indicator in the Viewer and Browser so you can quickly distinguish Film Negative images from standard Photography-mode edits.

 

Film Negative mode in Base Characteristics

Base Characteristics includes a Mode option that switches between Photography and Film Negative processing.

  • Photography uses the standard Capture One processing pipeline.
  • Film Negative uses a dedicated pipeline designed for negative scans, including image inversion and adjusted tool behavior and processing order.

When you select Film Negative, the Curve is locked to Auto using a default curve designed to extract maximum tonal detail from negatives for consistent conversion results and tonal reconstruction.

You can change ICC profiles in Film Negative mode.

Note: Film Negative mode applies per image, so you can mix Film Negative images and standard Photography-mode images in the same Session or Catalog.

Scanning negatives with tethered capture

Setting up your scanning station

As part of preparing to scan negatives, set up a stable scanning station so your film stays flat and your camera stays aligned. The recommended setup uses a film carrier to hold the film, a copy stand for stability, and an LED light source for consistent illumination.

Focus and framing

To get the best possible results, use these recommended settings:

  • Mount the film strip in your film carrier.
  • Use the camera’s native ISO to capture as much data as possible. For GFX cameras, this is typically 0 to 100. For most cameras, this often falls in the range of 50 to 200.
  • Use a prime lens with an aperture around f/5.6 to f/8. f/5.6 is often sharpest, but f/8 can help if field curvature makes it difficult to keep the entire frame sharp.
  • Use autofocus or manual focus. The goal is consistent framing and exposure between frames. Some cameras also support focus nudging while tethered.
  • Using Live View in Capture One (or on the camera), adjust camera height and focus so the negative covers a large area of the sensor. If you use a high-resolution sensor over 35MP with 35mm film, slightly smaller coverage can help with field curvature while keeping similar resolvability.

  1. Align with Live View: Use Live View to align your film before capture.

  2. Sample the film base and lock white balance: Use the White Balance picker to sample an unexposed film base area, then lock your camera’s white balance to that value.
  3. Stay in Photography mode for capture: In Base Characteristics, stay in Photography mode and set the Curve to Linear Response.
  4. Expose to the right without clipping: Expose as far to the right as possible without clipping highlights. Use Exposure Warnings to confirm.
  5. Take a shot: this is the same as when tethering your camera – click the shutter button in the Camera tool. 
  6. Carry settings across the roll: Apply Next Capture Adjustments to carry these settings to the full roll.

Converting negatives to positives

For most workflows, Convert Negative is the fastest and most reliable starting point. With one click, it switches the image to Film Negative mode, and applies Auto Levels to set black and white points and stretch tonal range.

Convert Negative is available by default in the Film Negative workspace, but not in the default workspace. To add it to your toolbar, right-click the toolbar, then choose Customize Toolbar... and drag Convert Negative icon to the free spot in the toolbar. 

Step-by-step: Convert Negative

  1. Sample the film base: If you haven’t already, use the White Balance picker and click an unexposed film base area.

    Note
    Note: The white balance slider is meant to correct the shot's white balance, not the inverted image colors. It is meant to model “what light was this shot under?”, not “how do I want the colors to look in the positive?”.

  2. Crop out film borders: Crop so unexposed borders and film base areas are not visible.

  3. Click Convert Negative: Use Convert Negative to convert the image to a positive starting point.

Why cropping matters: Auto Levels and Convert Negative operate on the visible cropped area. Unexposed film margins can heavily distort the conversion result. You will also get an Uncropped Negative warning if the image has uncropped borders.

Batch converting

  • While tethering: Apply Convert Negative to the first frame, then use Next Capture Adjustments to preview a positive conversion while scanning.
  • After scanning: Select multiple images (Cmd-A for Mac, Ctrl-A for Windows), then click Convert Negative to convert them as a batch.

Current limitations and workarounds

Supported file formats

Film Negative mode is optimized for RAW files. TIFF, JPEG, and other formats are supported, but results may vary due to embedded color management.

Advanced workflow

Once your core scanning and conversion workflow is consistent, these advanced techniques can help you correct uneven illumination, improve highlight handling, and reduce artifacts like colored grain and moiré.

LCC (Lens Cast Correction)

Most light sources are not perfectly uniform. Shooting an LCC plate can help even out illumination and reduce color shifts caused by the light source or capture setup.

Here's how you can take an LCC reference shot:

  1. With focus already set for your scanning setup, place an LCC plate (semi-opaque white plastic) on top of the light source.
  2. Capture an image of the LCC plate.
  3. If you don’t have an LCC plate, try capturing the light source without the film and carrier.

Important: If you shoot the light source through the film carrier, the LCC tool may not create a functional LCC plate, and you may see discontinuities around the frame.

To create LCC reference and apply it to the target image:

  1. Open the LCC tool and click Create LCC.
  2. Reinsert the film and capture a frame.
  3. Select both the LCC image and the newly captured frame, then click Apply LCC.
  4. To keep using LCC while tethering, confirm Next Capture Adjustments is set so Others uses Copy From Last.
     

Highlight thresholds and Auto Levels

If Auto Levels produces highlights that feel clipped or too harsh, you can either refine the highlights manually in Levels or adjust the Auto Levels clipping threshold for highlights.

  • To adjust thresholds, go to Capture One > Settings > Exposure and set the Auto Levels clipping threshold for highlights to a lower value (closer to 0).
  • The default is typically 0.10% for both highlights and shadows.

Lower thresholds clip less highlight and shadow information and can help reduce color casts that appear when clipping happens too early.

Smoother highlights 

In some images, Auto Levels can push highlights too far, which is often noticeable on skin. To smooth the roll-off, remap highlight values using the Levels tool:

  1. Open Levels and switch to the RGB tab.
  2. Adjust the highlight end so bright tones roll off more gradually.

The example photo has Levels remapped from 255 (left) to 233 (right). 

Neutralize color cast faster with Curves

Negative scans may have unwanted color casts that can affect the whole image look. The new Pick Neutralize Point Cursor Tool helps you get to a cleaner, more neutral starting point in just a click, so you can move on to contrast, color, and the rest of your look.

Switch to the Curves Tool, select the RGB tab (the combined RGB tab), and choose the Pick Neutralize Point Cursor Tool from the picker drop-down (or access it from the Toolbar). Then click an area in the image that should be neutral. We’ll adjust the picked point so the Red, Green, and Blue values match the L (luminance) value, reducing color cast right where you sampled.

The correction is applied by placing points on the individual Red, Green, and Blue curves. That means the tool needs a clean slate on those channel curves. If you’ve already made channel-specific curve edits, you’ll be prompted to reset them before continuing.

Handling film grain (Noise Reduction and Moiré)

Negative scans can show colored grain, and some film and sensor combinations can create moiré-like patterns.

  • Colored film grain: Open Noise Reduction and set Color to 100.
  • Moiré patterns: Use the Moiré tool and adjust Amount and Pattern until the interference is reduced without softening detail too much. As a starting point, you can try Amount 65 and Pattern 15, then fine-tune.

Remove dust and scratches with Spot Removal or Heal/Clone tool

Use the Spot Removal Tool to remove dust, lint, and small scratches from your scan. For larger marks, hard edges, or repeated patterns, switch to the Heal Tool or Clone Tool for more precise control. Work at 100% view or higher, and use the smallest brush size that fully covers the defect for the cleanest blend.

Unsupported tools

Some tools may have different outcomes in the Film Negative pipeline, and some are disabled:

  • Subject, Background, and People masks: may produce incorrect results. Subject and Background may detect the whole film as the subject, not the image content, meanwhile People masks won't work at all. If you need Subject/Background/People masking or retouching tools, export your converted image as a positive TIFF and re-import it – Capture One will use Photography Mode pipeline for those images. 
  • High Dynamic Range: disabled. Similar adjustments can be achieved through Curves, especially the Luma curve.
  • Retouching tools: disabled.
  • Dehaze: disabled.
  • Match Look: can use any image as a reference, including inverted negatives. When applying Match Look to Film Negative images, disable Normalize (Exposure and White Balance) and Levels (Input), as these may interfere with negative conversion.

Workarounds

  • Edits similar to High Dynamic Range can be achieved through Curves, especially the Luma curve.
  • If you need Subject/Background/People masking or retouching tools, export your converted image as a positive TIFF and re-import it. Tools work on the re-imported file because it uses the Photography pipeline.

Common issues and fixes

The conversion has a strong color cast

If strong casts appear after conversion, check Levels. In Film Negative mode, Auto Levels adjusts red, green, and blue channels independently. Reviewing each channel can help you spot clipping or an incorrect white point placement.

The result looks too blue or too orange

This can happen when the film stock does not match the color temperature of the original scene lighting. Confirm you sampled the film base (unexposed area). For additional correction, use Neutralizer or Color Balance.

Results vary from frame to frame

Before converting, confirm that you:

  • sampled white balance from the film base (not from the image content),
  • cropped out borders so Auto Levels measures only the image area, and
  • used consistent capture settings (Live View alignment, Linear Response, exposure warnings, and Next Capture Adjustments).

The image is too dark after conversion

Try to capture well-exposed scans and avoid adjusting Exposure after conversion. For overall lightness adjustments after conversion, use Brightness instead.

Uncropped Negative Warning

If the image has uncropped borders, you will get a warning. The image has to be cropped for the correct conversion – the main precondition is that the film base is not visible. This is mainly to determine what the correct levels of the film should be.

A tool is disabled, or a mask result looks incorrect

Some tools behave differently in the Film Negative pipeline, and some are disabled (see above for the list of tools disabled for negative conversion). If you need masking or retouching, export as a positive TIFF and re-import it so you can work in the Photography pipeline.

FAQ

What does Convert Negative do?

Convert Negative switches the image to Film Negative mode and applies Auto Levels to set black and white points and stretch tonal range.

Why should I sample white balance from the film base?

Sampling from the film base helps neutralize the orange mask. Sampling within the image can cause unexpected color shifts.

Do I need to crop out film borders before converting?

Convert Negative and Auto Levels operate on the visible cropped area. Unexposed borders can distort the conversion result.

Can I mix Film Negative images with regular edits?

Yes. Film Negative mode applies per image and can be mixed with Photography-mode images in the same Session or Catalog. Note that some tools won't work in Film Negative mode – check this list of unsupported tools above. 

What file types work best for conversion?

RAW typically produces the most consistent results. TIFF, JPEG, and other formats are supported, but results may vary due to embedded color management.

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