Scanned Film Vs. Digital Prints

Photographers can have archival paper copies of their photos made by having film negatives scanned at a photo lab, or by ordering digital prints from their digital camera files online or at a brick and mortar photo lab. Both processes result in the printed copy of an image, however, they differ in quality, convenience and cost.

Grain

Fuzziness in the shadows is natural for prints made from scanned film. This grain structure is part of the film medium. Small fragments of the emulsion are visible in the prints, where dark shadow details were never recorded by the camera. Digital prints may also show a loss of quality in the shadows. Digital grain is referred to as noise, and can appear as tiny red, green and blue dots, or pixels.

Color

Enhancing the color of an image is simple from both scanned film and digital images. Since both are processed using a computer, the use of photo editing software can easily make adjustments to brightness, hue and saturation. Conversion from color to black and white is also simple once the image has been loaded into a computer. Depending on the original exposure, both scanned film and digital prints can have good color.

Clarity

Focusing, resolution and exposure all help determine the clarity of an image. Digital prints will look clear and sharp is they were taken at a resolution setting recommended for the print size desired. This must be chosen on the digital camera before the shutter has been clicked. The clarity of scanned film prints and digital prints will also depend on the exposure and focus of the lens at the time of shooting.

Service Times

Expect to wait for prints made from scanned film. The process is more labor intensive than making digital prints. Film must first be scanned into a computer, and then the print can be ordered. Digital printing skips this step, and can often be performed by the customer on a self-serve kiosk. Instant printing services can be expected with digital prints and allow at least an hour or overnight service for prints made from scanned film.

Cost

Paying more for scanning film should be expected. The process takes longer than making digital prints. As digital photography becomes more popular, and demand for film services decline, expect to see an increase in cost for film scanning.

Processing Company

Expect better results at a photo finishing store, rather than in a photo department of a big box retailer. Small independent photo labs place a focus on quality, and will work to enhance each image, from film or digital, to keep their customers happy. Larger retail stores that offer photo services as just one of their many services often batch process photos to keep up with high quantities of orders, leading to lower quality prints.