From negative to image — digital editing for analogue photography

Analogue photography doesn’t end in the wet darkroom. The developed negative is the raw material; digital editing is the second development. Just as in the darkroom we chose exposure time and contrast filter, in Lightroom and Photoshop we do the same — but with a precision and range of correction no enlarger can match.

This workshop is for anyone who scans their negatives and isn’t sure what to do next, or for those who already edit but want to do it with intention and stop wasting hours in front of a screen.

Contents

• The workflow — from file to final image: formats, import, organisation and export
• Defect correction — removing dust and particles, repairing scratches and negative marks, reducing scanner digital grain
• Cropping and composition — reframing without quality loss, correcting horizons and perspective
• Tonal editing — exposure, highlights, shadows, whites and blacks: mastering luminosity
• Contrast and colour — tone curves, selective saturation, white balance for colour negatives
• The analogue look — how to preserve (or exaggerate) the grain character and colour palette of film
• Adobe alternatives — the same workflow in Affinity Photo and GIMP for those who prefer not to pay a monthly subscription

Tools we’ll use

Adobe (monthly subscription):

• Lightroom Classic — non-destructive organisation and editing
• Photoshop — spot retouching, defect removal and compositing

Subscription-free alternatives:

• Affinity Photo — very close to Photoshop, one-time purchase
• GIMP — free and open source, all the essential features

The workshop teaches the underlying logic — which is the same across all programmes. Once you understand it, switching tools is trivial.

Included in the price

• Computer and calibrated monitor at the studio
• Transparency scanner if you need it (handles up to 8×10 inches: 35mm, 120, 4×5 and 5×8)
• Access to Lightroom and Photoshop during the workshop
• Practice material (high-resolution scanned negatives to work with)

What to bring

• Your scanned negatives if you have them (TIFF or scanner RAW, minimum 2000px on the long side)
• If you prefer to work on your own laptop, bring it — we’ll learn with your hardware and your software
• If you have your own scanner and want to practise the full workflow from start to finish, you’re welcome to bring it

Not included

• Lightroom, Photoshop or Affinity Photo licences (studio licences are used during the workshop; free alternatives can be installed on your own computer)
• Film developing or scanning (if you need to digitise your negatives first, the Scanning negatives workshop is the logical first step)