What Are the Best Methods to Digitize 8mm Film?

The best method to digitize 8mm film requires consideration of several variables. Dozens of combinations of equipment, software, and settings present many options.

Step 1: Capturing Film

To somehow reproduce a strip of film, comprised of individual images, arranged to look like a motion picture, through a projector, and onto a screen (or wall) into a format that can be played on a computer, smart TV, or a DVD is the nontrivial core of the 8mm Film Digitizing process.

For decades, video cameras taped the screens or walls where film was projected. Brilliant for the time, technology leaps over the decades now give us options that dramatically improve the ease and quality of digital film conversion. Not only are film-to-videotape transfers low quality, but the magnetic tape format is no longer in use, and those tapes must now be digitized to be useful again.

Beyond the film to videotape option, technology advanced such that projectors could shoot the film directly into digital cameras frame by frame. Today, 8mm film is scanned frame-by-frame with equipment that no longer uses the projectors at all or the sprocket holes. Every frame of the film is digitally captured before being assembled into a digital video file.

Within the frame-by-frame family, there are many levels of quality of the scanning technology from basic ‘quick-and-dirty’ consumer conversions to professional grade options. Most digital film conversion projects convert 8mm film to digital will using 720P or 2k resolutions for normal uses, with additional options as needed.

Step 2: Convert Captured Film

Using best-practice conversion methods to capture film, frames (thousands) are digitally assembled into video formats that are viewed and edited. During this process, several options can be selected for the output, including resolution, frame size, and speed. Be advised that some companies see this as the final step and skip the next two steps.

Step 3: Edit Digitized 8mm Film

Captured film (and videotape, too) needs to be edited in order to produce the best viewing experience for digitized film.

1. The frames on a strip of film are not exactly square, nor is every frame filled on all 4 sides. Each camera uses film slightly differently. Frames are centered vertically and horizontally and then expanded from 3% to 10% for a clean, crisp border.
2. Generally, all blank space before the start and after the end of usable frames should be trimmed.
3. While some people were excellent videographers, lighting and coloring are often adjusted as well to enhance individual scenes. (Some professionals offer scene by scene lighting adjustment during the capture phase as well).

Thankfully, today’s professional software has the full array of options to address all of these issues for the best transfer experience possible.

Step 4: Select Final Form and Medium

Once all edits have been specified, the captured 8mm film is ready for the final digitizing step. Selecting the desired format (usually mp4 or mov, but many others are available), resolution, and medium (USB drive, external hard drive, cloud, etc.) for delivery organizes digitized video into appropriate files and folders.

If desired, 8mm film to DVD can be created from the final, edited video as well. If DVD is chosen, keep in mind that larger projects require multiple DVDs or reduced resolution in order to fit on the disks.

Damaged Film

A 50 or 100-year-old film can become damaged over time or just plain wear out. Some can be repaired, some skipped, but some can preclude a successful conversion.

Depending on humidity levels during film storage, mold can invade a film collection. Minor mold can be ignored and appears like normal old film wear and tear. Severe mold can eat into and cover up or destroy the cellulose and ink. While the mold can be cleaned off the film, the result is often blank space in the frame, because the mold has already destroyed the ink.

Sprocket holes can be damaged during filming and subsequent projecting. While the sprocket holes are not needed for moving the film through modern scanning equipment, they are used for timing via laser to trigger the scanner as frames pass by.

Film can also be cleaned with special solvent. Most film is not dirty enough to harm the viewing experience. If film is to be used in a professional presentation, cleaning might be an option.

Depending on the storage environment, film can also become brittle over time. Splices can turn to dust and in extreme cases, the film can be so brittle that it cannot hold up in order pass through the scanner, breaking every few inches. While occasional breaks are expected in old film, very brittle film cannot be processed at all. All film eventually becomes this brittle.

Best Methods to Digitize Film:  Next Steps

1. Call or text Jamey (About Jamey) at 720 204-5464.
2. Set an appointment (every project receives my individual attention).
3. Drop off your tapes (and records, cassettes, slides, or negatives, too). Check Pricing!

In a week or less, pick up your new digital conversions.