We live in a digital world with its advantages and disadvantages. A nice aspect of analogue photography can be the complete renunciation of the digital, but it can still be an advantage to digitalize the pictures. Unfortunately there is no right way from the negative to the file. There are simply too many variables in the process. A software that wants to simplify the process is Negative Lab Pro.
One of the most time consuming aspects of negative digitization is the conversion of the negative into a positive. A simple “inverting” is not possible in most cases, as color films often have a color mask.
The Negative Lab Pro Plugin by Nate Johnson makes most sense if you “scan” your negatives with a DSLR or other digital camera. But it can also be used for scans with a normal scanner.
The plugin attaches itself to Adobe Lightroom, if you already use this photo software, it fits so wonderfully into your workflow.
After a short installation the plugin is ready for use. The imported photo from the negative, in the best case a RAW, must now be prepared a little bit. The white balance has to be set, for this purpose you click with the pipette on the color mask between the pictures. Next, the image has to be cropped. There must be no mask around the outside of the image, otherwise the plugin will get confused. In the meantime you can also specify a tolerance range for this problem. If necessary you have to rotate or flip the image. Now the preparations are finished.
Now call the plugin, you can set your preferences and press Convert Negative. The image is now analyzed and inverted. Now the colors and contrasts can be adjusted.
An extensive instruction
As you know it from Lightroom, all steps can be undone. It is also possible to directly apply the settings for several images and thus speed up the process considerably. Of course it is also possible to save your preferred settings.
Comparison of with other scans
A comparison between scans of color negative films is always a little difficult, as it is always an interpretation in a certain respect and depends on the taste. In this comparison one has to add that the source of the negatives is not really optimal for Negative Lab Pro.
Negative Lab Pro is a small plugin, but takes an incredible amount of work and stress off your shoulders. So you can concentrate on taking pictures again.
There is a trial version of Negative Lab Pro with which you can test the functions with twelve pictures. Afterwards, if you are satisfied, you can buy the license key and continue working. The full version of Negative Lab Pro can be ordered online through the website. The price in Germany for the software is 117.81 US dollars (105 Euro) including sales tax.
Website: Negative Lab Pro (https://www.negativelabpro.com)