Film Rescue International™
Film Rescue International™
Virtually without exception, we can process any and all expired photographic film ever manufactured. We have kept careful records and have a database of over 500 unique film brands and types of film within the brand. This allows us to track how specific films are responding using different approaches to developing.
Offering old film processing has its challenges. The vast majority of our clients don’t know what is on their film or what the condition of the pictures will be. The reaction from client to client as to what is an interesting, worthwhile or meaningful image is highly variable. It’s because of these issues we’ve settled on a gallery system to deliver images to clients. What we do is labor-intensive and we wanted to choose a system that has a softer landing for those with uninteresting or very poor quality pictures. Within the base price you will get our researched “safest possible process for your film”, all images digitized, all images Photoshopped and then uploaded to your private gallery. If you see something important to you, you can order higher resolution versions of the pictures or prints, on a pick and choose basis for an additional charge.
To greatly simplify, film has two essential components – a light sensitive silver layer that captures the image in B&W and color dye layers to create the color image. During a normal color process, once the silver has served it’s useful purpose, it is bleached from the film leaving behind only the color dye image. As film ages, the color dye image deteriorates more quickly than the B&W silver image. By not removing the silver content from your expired film during the initial process along with our carefully kept records on how over 500 unique film types are responding in a given process, we are doing the safest possible process for your film. We then digitize those images and if you choose, we can do a further chemical process called “film acceleration” that will reveal the color image or what is left of the color image. With color films that are newer (5 to 10 years past their expiry date), the color image may well be more desirable. With color films that are older, more often than not the B&W image is clearer and often far clearer; there may be little or no viable color image left. It’s only by working with this approach that we have a high enough success rate to be able to guarantee we will salvage something recognizable from your expired film — or you don’t pay. Please note: This isn’t possible with Kodachrome type films or B&W films.
After scanning each picture on your film, all are brought into Photoshop for a hands on correction. This is a very important step which greatly improves the picture well beyond what would be possible with conventional photo finishing. This is included in the base price of your film processing. By doing high quality digital captures and Photoshopping those files, we are often pulling recognizable images from film that appears blank upon casual visual inspection, making very poor quality negatives acceptable or improving poor quality images to high quality images.
The following samples are from small format 126 film that are in the first case, very poor quality and in the second, extremely poor quality negative. These are not representative of our average results at FRI but only to demonstrate how Photoshop will improve distressed images. Had these negatives been developed in the original process designed for the film, they would both likely have been totally blank.
Prices and billing are in US dollars with one exception: Film Rescue Europe orders are billed in Euros**
When applicable, VAT, GST and/or PST will be added to European and Canadian orders.
**Film Rescue Europe orders must be sent to and returned through the Netherlands location.
Film will be processed in the safest possible manner – B&W negative – to give us the highest chance of salvaging an image. If you’d like your film in color, we can attempt that too but only after first processing safely into B&W. See “Film Acceleration” below for details. The negative is then scanned and manually Photoshopped image by image — an important step that goes a long way to improving faded, long expired film. The images are then uploaded to a private gallery for client viewing.
While you can download these images directly from the gallery to your computer, the free downloads are small and really only intended as preview images to let you know what’s on your film. They are about the size of the images in our samples page here. The larger images you see in your gallery are watermarked. Any orders placed in the gallery have the watermark removed. See “Options Once you have your Gallery” below here for more details and Further clarification here in our FAQ
Remember: we do not charge for processing if a film turns out blank or without recognizable pictures.
| Tested safest possible process, digitizing, Photoshopping and upload to preview gallery | 30.00 per film* |
| If your film has only 2 to 4 recognizable pictures (at our discretion) | 20.00 |
| If your film has only a single recognizable picture or is borderline recognizable (at our discretion) | 15.00 |
| If your film is blank | No Charge |
With color film other than Kodachrome type film, we can do an additional chemical process that creates a color version of your negatives from the B&W negative that we will have already archived digitally.
See our FAQ for more information about film acceleration. Also, below that section are some facts that might help you make the choice if you think you should have your film accelerated or not.
These are your order options in the gallery on a pick and choose basis, per image:
| High resolution digital file (size info) | 0.99 |
| 4×4 to 4×6 traditional style print (large border on glossy paper) | 0.99 (volume discounts when multiple copies ordered) |
| 5×5 to 5×8 traditional style print (large border on glossy paper) | 1.50 (volume discounts when multiple copies ordered) |
| High resolution digital file with 4×4 to 4×6 traditional style print (large border on glossy paper) | 1.50 (volume discounts when multiple copies ordered) |
| High resolution digital file with 5×5 to 5×8 traditional style print (large border on glossy paper) | 1.99 (volume discounts when multiple copies ordered) |
| 8×8 to 8×11 print | 5.99 |
| Within USA and Canada | 15.00* |
| Film Rescue Europe | link * |
| All others | Contact Us |
| Clients Who Choose Downloads Only (Nothing Physically Returned) | No extra charge |
*Shipping charges may be higher for exceptionally heavy, large, or fragile orders.
Since we don’t charge for processing if a film is blank and because we offer previews so the client is able pick and choose only the pictures they want, we have special motivation to do the best possible work. If we don’t get pictures from your film, we make no money; the better the quality of the pictures we produce, the more likely a client is to place an order for those pictures. A final cost cannot be pre-determined so we cannot accept payment by check or money order. You may pay online with MasterCard, Visa or American Express (via Stripe) or Paypal.
Film is processed in regular 10-12 week cycles. Unlike a conventional processing lab that may do one or two large volume processes in-house, we have 12 small-volume processes. We need to process in batches, mixing fresh chemistry and preparing for each process before moving to the next. Only after all the processing is complete does the negative scanning begin. Once that step is complete, the film acceleration is done as applicable. Once the accelerated films are scanned, the digital enhancement work is done and the image galleries created. Finally, approximately 6 weeks after the cycle cutoff date, the galleries are ready to upload. If you place an order after previewing your images, it may take 2-4 weeks to complete and be ready to ship.
Work for the next cycle must be received by:
We have huge experience in processing lost and found expired film. Through our history we’ve kept records of each and every film type we get in and how it is performing in different chemical processes. That list exceeds 500 unique film types at this point. One approach we’re particularly proud of is our ability to do the safest possible processes with most color films by first processing them into B&W and then afterwards, if requested by the client, do an additional chemical process known as film acceleration. This step brings the B&W negative into color. Of course, we first protect the first, safely-processed B&W images by scanning them. What we may end up with in color is unpredictable, as described below.
| After first processing these two color films into B&W negatives, the resulting scans give us this. | The B&W versions were good quality so there is a chance that the color version would also be. These two films undergo an additional process to finish them in color. The resulting scans give us this. |
While both of these pictures are from separate films from early 1990s Kodak film shot by the same client, the end results in color were very different. This shows just how unpredictable color processing of expired color film can be. This is why we first process and scan all color film into B&W first before proceeding into color.
Read more on film Acceleration here
When we are deciding whether to scan or not scan a client’s film we are doing this upon visual inspection of the processed negative. Often times it is difficult to tell what the end quality will be without scanning and enhancing the negative. We therefore will continue with scanning and enhancing any film that we see anything on, whether that be a person, animal or object. We do not want to be put into the position of trying to make a subjective determination of what may or may not be important to a person. What is one person’s “trash” is another’s treasure. Really terrible quality films will still be charged for – entire blank films will not. You will not be paying for absolutely nothing if your film is unexposed, improperly exposed or completely age fogged.
When we digitize your film, we are using a high bit depth DSLR for B&W images because we’re often dealing with film that is too dense to scan with a conventional scanner. A quality DSLR is a fine tool for capturing B&W film images, however, it isn’t for capturing color images so for our color images we’re using a Fuji SP3000 lab scanner and for medium and large format we’re using a Creo iQsmart 3. If you order high resolution versions of your pictures from your gallery we will supply you files that are from 2400 to 3600 pixels on the short dimension of the frame. Plenty of resolution for all practical purposes.
When you get your gallery, the images that you will see onscreen are quite large but there is a light watermark on them. If you hit the download button beside each picture, it will download that image onto your computer where ever you have your computer set to accept downloads. If you order large downloads, once you check out and pay, those will be immediately available for you to download via a link that will be present onscreen immediately after the payment screen. If you order prints, those can take 2 to 4 weeks to deliver to you.
Our prints emulate the look of the past with wide borders and glossy paper. The short dimension of the frame will be 4, 5 or 8 inches depending on what size you order. Keep in mind, with vintage film there are many different aspect ratios. Some print onto square paper, some are modest rectangles and some are wide rectangles.
We don’t offer a “process only” service. Too often in the past, we had “process only” films returned to us that a client was unable to scan due to the condition of the film. We, however, were able to get images from the exact same negatives. We now scan all film and provide an online image gallery. You aren’t obligated to download the images from your gallery or order anything from the gallery. You will receive your negatives back unless you indicate on the order form that you do not want them returned to you.
All we deal with is expired film and we have the experience, the equipment and the techniques to salvage image from extremely poor quality negatives:
Example of an image that was over looked by the client after he closely inspected his negative. 
If your negative is in very poor condition after processing, we are very good at salvaging something from them. This customer did not want our on-line previews and simply asked that we copy all of the pictures to CD. Upon receiving his order back and not having access immediately to a computer to view his CD, he inspected the negatives and couldn’t find any images. Not understanding why he was being charged for blank film when Film Rescue doesn’t charge for blank film he called with his concern. We opened our archive folder of his images and while the quality was quite poor we had in fact managed to salvage 13 fully recognizable very old pictures from a roll of film the customer could only see with close inspection, as being entirely blank. Many thanks to Mr. Berg of Seattle Washington for letting us use this picture and tell his story.