Scan film negatives into positive photos: C-41 color or B&W, crop and adjust
Film Negative Scanner turns a phone photo of a developed film negative into a positive image. Lay a 35 mm or 120 strip on an even backlight, capture it with the in-app camera or pick a photo from your gallery, and develop it as C-41 color or black-and-white film.
MORE THAN A COLOR FLIP
The app finds the film base, the clear unexposed film at the edge of the frame, and divides it out channel by channel, so the orange base of color negatives is neutralized. It then converts the negative to density and sets black and white points per channel from the area inside your crop. If the automatic base looks off, tap Film base and touch the clear strip between frames; Auto switches back.
HOW TO USE IT
1. Put the negative on a light panel, a tablet showing a white screen or a bright window.
2. Tap Capture, or From Library for a photo you already took.
3. Choose C41 color or B&W.
4. Open Frame to crop by dragging the corners, rotate 90° or mirror. Colors are measured inside the crop only, so trimming away the holder gives a cleaner result.
5. Open Adjust for Exposure (±2 EV), Contrast, Temperature and Tint. Reset returns to the measured result. Temperature and Tint apply to color film only.
WORK THROUGH A ROLL
Save frame adds the result to a thumbnail rail with its crop, film base and adjustments. Tap a thumbnail to reopen, edit and Save changes; the app asks before unsaved edits are discarded. Apply to all frames copies exposure, contrast, temperature and tint to your other saved frames, while each keeps its own crop and base.
EXPORT
Save to Photos renders the crop at full working resolution and shows the pixel size. Share result opens the system share sheet. Long-press a thumbnail to select several frames, then save them to Photos together or delete them; you can stop a batch after the current frame, and a summary lists what failed and why. Photos up to 6144 px on the long edge keep every pixel; larger files are reduced once at import and the app tells you both sizes.
TIPS
• Use an even light and switch off lamps that reflect on the film.
• Keep the phone parallel to the negative, or use a stand.
• Include a little clear film edge so the automatic base finds film, not bare backlight.
WHAT IT DOES NOT DO
This is a phone-camera conversion tool, not a flatbed or dedicated film scanner, and it does not replace a lab scan. It does not find frames on a strip automatically, remove dust or scratches, apply film-stock profiles, convert slide film or promise lab-calibrated color. Results depend on your light, focus and exposure.
PERMISSIONS AND DATA
The camera is requested when you tap Allow camera. Photos are picked with the Android photo picker, and results are added to your gallery only when you save them. Saved frames stay in the app's storage on your phone. The app shows ads through Google AdMob and uses Firebase for analytics and crash diagnostics; consent choices are in the menu where required.
Nouveautés
Capture and From Library develop your negative again. In the previous version every photo stopped at "Could not develop this photo"; now the positive appears with "Result ready" and the Film base and Adjust tools work on it. Coming back from the Review page or another app's store page returns you straight to your frame.