Digital ICE⁴ Advanced^TM is a revolutionary technique invented by Applied Science Fiction for the scanning and restoration of photographic films. The implementation is hardware within the film scanner itself and then post processing software. The end result is a credit to the inventors, comprising of four tools which can restore just about image put to them!

Digital ICE^TM (Image Correction & Enhancement). Removes surface artefacts from the film, such as dust and scratches, without losing any details from the original image. The scanner optically maps the defects by illuminating the film with a fourth wavelength of light (in addition to the usual Red, Green & Blue). Using this 4th channel of information, the software then removes the defects from the digital image. In this way only true artefacts are removed and the original is left intact.   

Digital ROC^TM (Restoration of Colour). Restores faded films and slides back to life, producing vibrant, faithful images like on the day they were taken. The ROC feature allows the colours to be faithfully restored on a scale of 0~10 depending on the degree of fading. Several Test runs are performed to determine the best settings prior to scanning your film collection.

Digital GEM^TM (Grain Equalization & Management). Reduces the effect of film grain ensuring clear sharp images free of any graininess normally associated with faster films or low light. Depending on the film make, film ISO and original shooting conditions, grains are visible in any image. Using GEM, these grain boundaries can be smoothed out. The technique is extremely powerful at rejuvenating the original details, producing clear and sharp images even after extreme zooming in. 

Digital DEE^TM (Dynamic Exposure Extender). Reveals details hidden in the shadows. To do this, DEE dynamically adjusts the exposure across the surface of the film and compensates for localised under and over exposures. The final result is a more uniform brightness image with details exposed that were previously not visible in the darker areas of the shot.

Other options available:

SIE (Scan Image Enhancer). Automated correction for brightness & colour saturation to give images of consistent contrast. This can boost the image impact by optimizing the contrast and colours to produce more vibrant and stunning photographs.

Multiple Scans (2X,4X,8X,16X). Removes electrical noise within digital images under very fine detail inspection. Multiple scans of the same frame will eliminate this random noise and produce cleaner images with smooth graduation.

Hi Bit Depth. Increases the digital encoding of the pixel colours from 24 bits to 48 bits. Raising the colour depth from 8bits / colour to 16bits / colour, greatly increases the number of colours available to faithfully reproduce the original image. Good  Image Editors can manipulating images in this format to produce professional final results. Images to be saved in TIFF format.

TIFF (Tagged Image File format). Lossless storage of the image in 48 bit colour depth (vs. usual 24bit Jpeg compressed format). Enables images to be manipulated at professional level but the disadvantage is the file sizes and processing power involved.

Which options to use?

With such a powerful toolset, the options and combinations are daunting. To obtain the best possible results our methodology is simple: 1) Clean and test run before scanning; 2) Use Digital ICE during scan; 3) Apply the minimum options as necessary to get a faithful reproduction to the original.

Digital ICE is a MUST! No doubt you have taken great care of your slides, and perhaps never had the negatives out of the plastic cover, but the reality is all film degrades over time. From accidental damage during handling, accumulation of dust or just the effects of time. Digital ICE will remove all but the most significant dust and damage. After cleaning, this option is fundamental to the final result quality, hence it is included as part of the service.

SIE / ROC / GEM / DEE can turnaround a disappointing picture into a vivid display of clarity, colour and contrast. SIE is recommended for newer films & is included as part of the service. Whereas ROC is preferable for older films. Use DEE for pictures of varying exposure and GEM to negate the effects of film grain. ICE & SIE are included, however ROC, GEM and DEE are extra as they double/triple/quadruple the processing time of each scan. 

Multiple Scans / Hi Bit Depth / TIFF  for people passionate about photography wanting the best possible image quality and editing flexibility. The processing time and file sizes involved are massively larger then the 'standard' options but the results make these options appeal to amateurs & professionals alike. 

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