Some photos have a blue tint, and some are just terrible looking

Oppenheimerz said:

I just recently got a Canon AE-1 and an Epson V600 scanner. I've shot a few rolls and I developed them myself and scanned them myself. Using the Epson Scan 2 software, the shots look like they were taken on a Nintendo DS, which should not be the case, so I use Negative Lab Pro and it barely does anything better. A few of the shots look perfectly fine, but some are just awful looking. There are blue tints everywhere, and even the ones that don't have the blue tint just look terrible, I'm not familiar with the photography lingo so I can't specify what I think is wrong with them. I wonder if it might be the camera, or maybe I'm just doing something wrong. But even still, I see all these YouTube videos and Reddit posts of "bad shots" and the quality and colors still look like an actual picture. Any help would be appreciated.

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By patch of blue at the top do you mean about 1/4 of the way in at the top left ?

Oppenheimerz said:

Notice that weird patch of blue on the top, and then it fades into normal colors to the left.

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This looks to be underexposed and the scanner has struggled to bring it back

Oppenheimerz said:

It should not look like this.

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Could you upload photos of the negatives ( taken with them placed on a light box or phone/tablet if possible ) so that we can see the density of the negatives e.g. is the negative for the second one very “thin”, with almost no image on it

Oppenheimerz said:

I just recently got a Canon AE-1 and an Epson V600 scanner. I've shot a few rolls and I developed them myself and scanned them myself. Using the Epson Scan 2 software, the shots look like they were taken on a Nintendo DS, which should not be the case, so I use Negative Lab Pro and it barely does anything better. A few of the shots look perfectly fine, but some are just awful looking. There are blue tints everywhere, and even the ones that don't have the blue tint just look terrible, I'm not familiar with the photography lingo so I can't specify what I think is wrong with them. I wonder if it might be the camera, or maybe I'm just doing something wrong. But even still, I see all these YouTube videos and Reddit posts of "bad shots" and the quality and colors still look like an actual picture. Any help would be appreciated.


Notice that weird patch of blue on the top, and then it fades into normal colors to the left.


It should not look like this.

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What sort of film are you using and how did you develop it?

I presume that you used some sort of colour negative film, but there is very little colour in either of those shots, quite apart from the other faults. Either you developed it incorrectly or the film itself was seriously faulty.

The blue tint in your scans is likely due to a combination of factors, including:

• The film you are using. Some films, such as Kodak Ektar, are known to have a slight blue cast.
• The way you are scanning the film. If you are not using a professional scanner, it is possible that you are not scanning the film correctly, which can lead to color casts.
• The software you are using to scan the film. Some software programs are better at handling color casts than others.

Here are some things you can try to fix the blue tint in your scans:

• Try using a different film. If you are using a film that is known to have a blue cast, try using another film that is more neutral.
• Scan the film using a professional scanner. A professional scanner can scan the film more accurately and produce scans with fewer color casts.
• Use different software to scan the film. Some software programs are better at handling color casts than others. Try using a different software program to see if it produces better results.

Oppenheimerz said:

I just recently got a Canon AE-1 and an Epson V600 scanner. I've shot a few rolls and I developed them myself and scanned them myself. Using the Epson Scan 2 software, the shots look like they were taken on a Nintendo DS, which should not be the case, so I use Negative Lab Pro and it barely does anything better. A few of the shots look perfectly fine, but some are just awful looking. There are blue tints everywhere, and even the ones that don't have the blue tint just look terrible, I'm not familiar with the photography lingo so I can't specify what I think is wrong with them. I wonder if it might be the camera, or maybe I'm just doing something wrong. But even still, I see all these YouTube videos and Reddit posts of "bad shots" and the quality and colors still look like an actual picture. Any help would be appreciated.

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Can you run us through your scanning process?

I use a V550 and Epson Scan 2 and get pretty reliable colours, but it takes a lot of time to set up the scans right and a lot of practice to get good at it.

I start by getting colours as close as possible pre-scan by adjusting the individual colour channels in 'Detailed Adjustments'. Once the scan is complete I import to Lightroom further tweek colour balance here.

If you're using Epson Scan in auto the results are going to be hit and miss.

jamesoliver3239 said:

The blue tint in your scans is likely due to a combination of factors, including:

• The film you are using. Some films, such as Kodak Ektar, are known to have a slight blue cast.
• The way you are scanning the film. If you are not using a professional scanner, it is possible that you are not scanning the film correctly, which can lead to color casts.
• The software you are using to scan the film. Some software programs are better at handling color casts than others.

Here are some things you can try to fix the blue tint in your scans:

• Try using a different film. If you are using a film that is known to have a blue cast, try using another film that is more neutral.
• Scan the film using a professional scanner. A professional scanner can scan the film more accurately and produce scans with fewer color casts.
• Use different software to scan the film. Some software programs are better at handling color casts than others. Try using a different software program to see if it produces better results.

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Looks like another AI post, as does this persons other posts here on dpreview.

I have used Epson Scan and Epson Scan II. I have always used the Professional section of Epson Scan (II). This has always given me excellent results, it is much more simple than other scanning software and is a good place to start. But it is not automatic, set your resolution to 2400, color negative. Do a preview scan and select the negatives you want to scan.

We need to know what film yourare using, what ISO is your camera set to and if your meter is working. Did you have the film processed in a lab or did you DIY? With film you are locked into the film ISO, you can get 2 stops or more over exposure, but one stop or so under exposure, then you start getting negatives like the second one. With film you have to pay attention to your camera settings, follow what the meter says, get a light meter app for your phone to check the camera. One way to get a fairly automatic camera is to use Aperture Priority setting (A), so you set an aperture on your lens and the camera will set the shutter speed. Good luck.

mdmarqphoto said:

mdmarqphoto wrote: Looks like another AI post, as does this persons other posts here on dpreview.

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This last month or so there seems to be hundreds of first time single posts by new members , and no further activity .

I think they had someone at Amazon just signing up new accounts to ask a random question to make it look like the site was more active while they were after selling it .

It can't be a coincidence .

Either that or there's been a sudden flurry of ignorant people signing up to ask a question but haven't got the manners to reply to people who took the time to reply .

Like the O.P of this thread .

You could of course develop a style around those photos - https://www.35mmc.com/29/06/2023/5-frames-with-zenit-e-on-ilford-hp5/