Digital Dust Removal for Slides and Negatives

Dust photograph by Zoi Koraki, (CC BY 2.0)

Infrared dust removal systems, like Digital ICE, are a valuable tool for film scanners to improve the quality of their scans. These systems work by using infrared light to identify dust and scratches on the film, and then automatically removing them during the scanning process. This results in a final scan that is free of distracting dust and scratches, allowing for a pleasing final image to be captured.

One of the benefits of infrared dust removal systems is that they are non-invasive, meaning they do not physically touch the film during the scanning process. This is important because handling film can cause additional damage, such as scratches or smudges. By using infrared light, the film remains untouched.

Using an infrared dust removal system like Digital ICE can save time and improve the quality of film scans. Instead of manually removing dust and scratches in post-processing, the scanner can automatically remove these distractions during the scanning process. This allows for a more efficient workflow and higher quality, more consistent scans.

While infrared dust removal systems like Digital ICE are highly effective, they do have limitations. Because the scanner is trying fill in the spot where the dust was, it’s not actually capturing the real details that were being blocked by the dust, it’s only making an educated guess as to what should be there. This system is not always perfect and can result in strange artifacts that might be more distracting than the original speck of dust would have been. This is why it is important to physically clean slides and other film before scanning them, and letting Digital ICE just do a final touch up.

Cleaning slides by hand involves carefully removing any visible dirt, dust, or debris from the surface of the film. This can be done using a special film cleaning brush and compressed air. The goal is to remove as much of the visible dirt and debris as possible before scanning the film.

In addition to improving the quality of the scan, physically cleaning slides and other film can also help to protect the film from further damage. Handling film can sometimes cause scratches or smudges, especially if there is dirt or debris stuck to the surface. By cleaning the film before scanning, you can reduce the risk of causing additional damage.

Lastly, it’s important to note that Digital ICE does not work on all types of film. Most notably, it does not normally work on Kodak’s famous Kodachrome slide film, or most black and white films.

However, some scanners, such as the Nikon Super CoolScan 9000 ED, can perform a more limited version of Digital ICE on Kodachrome film. However, the results are much less predicable and should always receive a manual review. Here at Archival Works, we use a custom slide scanner that was developed in-house. Similar to the Nikon 9000 ED, it can perform a more limited form of infrared dust removal, but a manual review and final touch up is still performed on all slides scanned.

Infrared dust removal systems like Digital ICE are a valuable tool for those looking to improve the quality of their scans. They provide a non-invasive way to remove dust and scratches. While it’s not a replacement for physically cleaning the film, it supplements it nicely. Whether you are a professional photographer, hobbyist, or are simply looking to scan that box of old family photos, Digital ICE can be a valuable addition to the film scanning process.