HELMUT Film Scanner
Free AppAbout HELMUT Film Scanner
Helmut is a photographic film scanner on your phone.
Usage scenarios
* NEW: capture frame using phone's camera, or use an image from Gallery (e.g. taken with your DSLR).
* Digitize your (old) negatives.
* Share your (lomo) shots easily without format or film type restrictions.
* Fast contact sheet tool.
Features & Instructions
1. Place and press a negative uniformly on whatever you like (see section Lighting the Film below).
2. Launch Helmut and capture the frame, or choose already captured image from Gallery.
3. Crop the frame.
4. Tweak the scan with tools you're used to work with while scanning:
* Brightness/Contrast.
* Levels (General, and all 3 RGB).
* Color Balance.
* Hue/Saturation/Lightness.
* Unsharp Mask.
5. Flip, rotate, and share! So far we've implemented 3 services to work directly from the app: Dropbox, Facebook and EyeEm. You can always open the resulting scan in a native Gallery and share elsewhere from there.
6. See our set on Flickr for visual inspiration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88137108@N06/sets/72157633282298542/.
(7. Spread the word about the app, share your successful scans!)
General Guidelines
* Make sure you light the film frame uniformly. If part of it is lit more than the remaining area -- you'll get a poor scan.
* Don't use flash or any color effects while capturing the frame with the camera. Yeah, right. Common sense. Just sayin'..
* Crop the frame accurately, leave out the film perforations. The colors will be more accurate then. Everyone knows it's a film anyway.
* Be nice and report (see email below) if something doesn't work instead of exploding here. We know it's not perfect. You know that technically it's very challenging. This is an open-source initiative, so participate. If you know a way to improve Helmut, please tell us. We will implement all the valuable ideas.
* If possible, be sure to press the frame against the light source. Poor man's solution -- simple glass. Anti-Newton-Ring typish is, of course, more suitable.
* Also, try eliminating other sources of light. Put your main light source (see next section) into a box with a single hole for a phone lens on top of it. This fixes the excessive contrast or color cast in the resulting scan.
Lighting the Film
Again, no matter what you use, make sure it's lit uniformly.
Here a list our ideas for a light source:
* Your laptop screen with an empty Notepad window (and turn on max brightness of the screen).
* iPad, Tab, any tablet with some lightbox app open. Or just plain white screen.
* Your window pointing to the sky.
* Google "DIY film lightbox". Add "lomo" to the query.
* We are working on creating several budget open-source lightbox versions. Something you could build easily on your own; or send to some 3D/laser printing service to cut the pieces which you could assemble manually. We will publish the sketches as soon as they're ready. Any creative suggestions are highly appreciated.
* Use some commercial solutions, e.g. a recently release black box by the well-known producer.
Known Bugs
* If the app is crashing after you capture the frame -- try lowering the 'Scan Quality' in the app Preferences. Our aim was to make as large resulting scan as possible. We therefore push the memory limits and for some phones that's simply too much.
* Currently app only works in portrait orientation.
Permissions Explanation
* Camera: for capturing the frame.
* Storage: for saving the scans and intermediary files.
* Network: for sharing the scans.
All in all, stay tuned. This is just the beginning. We have a lot more to offer in the project. Be sure to check http://HelmutApp.com for updates.
Have fun, boys and girls! Let's keep the film alive.
Usage scenarios
* NEW: capture frame using phone's camera, or use an image from Gallery (e.g. taken with your DSLR).
* Digitize your (old) negatives.
* Share your (lomo) shots easily without format or film type restrictions.
* Fast contact sheet tool.
Features & Instructions
1. Place and press a negative uniformly on whatever you like (see section Lighting the Film below).
2. Launch Helmut and capture the frame, or choose already captured image from Gallery.
3. Crop the frame.
4. Tweak the scan with tools you're used to work with while scanning:
* Brightness/Contrast.
* Levels (General, and all 3 RGB).
* Color Balance.
* Hue/Saturation/Lightness.
* Unsharp Mask.
5. Flip, rotate, and share! So far we've implemented 3 services to work directly from the app: Dropbox, Facebook and EyeEm. You can always open the resulting scan in a native Gallery and share elsewhere from there.
6. See our set on Flickr for visual inspiration: http://www.flickr.com/photos/88137108@N06/sets/72157633282298542/.
(7. Spread the word about the app, share your successful scans!)
General Guidelines
* Make sure you light the film frame uniformly. If part of it is lit more than the remaining area -- you'll get a poor scan.
* Don't use flash or any color effects while capturing the frame with the camera. Yeah, right. Common sense. Just sayin'..
* Crop the frame accurately, leave out the film perforations. The colors will be more accurate then. Everyone knows it's a film anyway.
* Be nice and report (see email below) if something doesn't work instead of exploding here. We know it's not perfect. You know that technically it's very challenging. This is an open-source initiative, so participate. If you know a way to improve Helmut, please tell us. We will implement all the valuable ideas.
* If possible, be sure to press the frame against the light source. Poor man's solution -- simple glass. Anti-Newton-Ring typish is, of course, more suitable.
* Also, try eliminating other sources of light. Put your main light source (see next section) into a box with a single hole for a phone lens on top of it. This fixes the excessive contrast or color cast in the resulting scan.
Lighting the Film
Again, no matter what you use, make sure it's lit uniformly.
Here a list our ideas for a light source:
* Your laptop screen with an empty Notepad window (and turn on max brightness of the screen).
* iPad, Tab, any tablet with some lightbox app open. Or just plain white screen.
* Your window pointing to the sky.
* Google "DIY film lightbox". Add "lomo" to the query.
* We are working on creating several budget open-source lightbox versions. Something you could build easily on your own; or send to some 3D/laser printing service to cut the pieces which you could assemble manually. We will publish the sketches as soon as they're ready. Any creative suggestions are highly appreciated.
* Use some commercial solutions, e.g. a recently release black box by the well-known producer.
Known Bugs
* If the app is crashing after you capture the frame -- try lowering the 'Scan Quality' in the app Preferences. Our aim was to make as large resulting scan as possible. We therefore push the memory limits and for some phones that's simply too much.
* Currently app only works in portrait orientation.
Permissions Explanation
* Camera: for capturing the frame.
* Storage: for saving the scans and intermediary files.
* Network: for sharing the scans.
All in all, stay tuned. This is just the beginning. We have a lot more to offer in the project. Be sure to check http://HelmutApp.com for updates.
Have fun, boys and girls! Let's keep the film alive.
All Application Badges
Free
downl.
downl.
Android
2.2+
2.2+
Android app
App History & Updates
What's Changed
* Tweaked auto-adjustment algorithms.
* Stabilized cropping mechanism.
* Minor bugfix when loading a preset with adjustments in Levels.
* Added support for more tablets.
* Tweaked auto-adjustment algorithms.
* Stabilized cropping mechanism.
* Minor bugfix when loading a preset with adjustments in Levels.
* Added support for more tablets.
More downloads HELMUT Film Scanner reached 100 000 - 500 000 downloads
More downloads HELMUT Film Scanner reached 50 000 - 100 000 downloads
More downloads HELMUT Film Scanner reached 10 000 - 50 000 downloads
What are users saying about HELMUT Film Scanner
K
by K####:
by K####:
Actually a really good app. It is useful to get live pictures and give them quick effects as well. I have just one problem, if I capture using the cam with "image preview size" LARGE option the app, after accepting the picture, comes back to the start screen. Screen just flickers the edit background and then restarts. Using SMALL it works fine. Great app anyway.
X
by X####:
by X####:
I have a TON of old skinny style negatives from the 80's (I forget the type/size), but no place has been able to scan them any longer. I was able to simply hold them up towards a white wall to take a quick snapshot or use a light box for better quality.
X
by X####:
by X####:
I do give five stars for what this app is capable of. I'm sure it could be better, improved, provide more functionality but as well as it does what it does, how could anyone complain. OK the capture area sucks. Let's make it more of a photo shape not square. Otherwise Awesome! Once you find the right environment for it, works like a dream. ☆If you're struggling to make this work for you, try using a computer screen with a white full screen image and adjust the brightness accordingly.
S
by S####:
by S####:
Great app, infact its a wonderful idea. The issue is with your auto-corrections after cropping. It totally blows out the whites before going to edit mode on ~50% of photos, for no distinguishable reason, other than that the algorithm is simply getting it totally wrong. Other than this, its brilliant, and hats off to you. Please make auto adjustments an option, as opposed to being applied automatically? Please/thanks.
V
by V####:
by V####:
Im honestly surprised how well this app works. We had some old negatives in a box that never got developed and now we dont need to. Just take the time to get a good clear shot of the negative and this app does wonders!
X
by X####:
by X####:
I found an old negative of my brothers and I from when we were kids and I wanted to post it on Facebook. I didn't have a way to convert it to a picture so I turned to the Playstore and found this app. I taped the negative to my picture window and it worked perfectly! Voila! A Facebook worthy picture! Thank you!
X
by X####:
by X####:
its really awesome. i have tried the othe way using photo editor tools on my pc but the result was far from perfect. with this app i just need a few click and voila, so perfect
X
by X####:
by X####:
When I photograph the negative and it asks if I want to accept or reject the photo it routes me back to the home screen. Then when it initially scans it works then when actually scanning it crashes 3 out of 10 times. The crop mechanism is still buggy. Its the only app with the best results. Please update more regularly developers!
X
by X####:
by X####:
The negative converter is ok but you can't see the positive before you convert it. This app would be way more useful if it showed a preview of the negative before having to take the time to photograph it and convert it.
V
by V####:
by V####:
Seems decent, but when editing the scan I can't see the picture at all. It's covered by the gray/black-dotted background, allowing only a glimpse of a small edge of the image.
X
by X####:
by X####:
So sh*t. Colour neg preview doesn't work. Tried uninstalling, didn't work. The tips are fking annoying. Do better.
I
by I####:
by I####:
Cant see the pic when tweaking colors, brightness, hue ect. So its pretty much worthless as is. Hope they get the bugs out. It could be a great app
Z
by Z####:
by Z####:
Crashed a couple of times. It seems to work better when you load the photos from the gallery. Still works great though. How can I build an "open-source lightbox" ? Can you help with that?
U
by U####:
by U####:
After my grandfather had to move out of his house into an assisted living home, my mother was left with many of his belongings to sort through - including many old negatives. This app made it possible to convert the images (with the help of an internally lit lapdesk) into something that can be printed and given to my grandpa as a wonderful surprise from the past instead of just sitting in a box hidden forever. Now my grandpa can relish memories from family gatherings, some proffessional shots he took, and the war thanks to this app!
O
by O####:
by O####:
This app is a joke. Its not for any serious photographer who shoors film. No professional photographer in their right mind would scan their negatives or slides from their smartphone camera instead of an Imacon Flextight or Drum Scanner.
M
by M####:
by M####:
So far great! Nice app with simple and important features. But how do I change the save location? Saving in a set folder using my phone's memory is not preferable if I want it on my SD card.
E
by E####:
by E####:
Tried to like this app as it looked good. In reality complete waste of time. Locks up or will not switch to next option. Easier to not bother with negative scanner and use your inbuilt mobile camera. Then change to positive, crop etc in a photo editor app. Albeit remember to turn off camera flash. Also found similar Lomography app was just as useless as locked up. Tested both on various android phones.
U
by U####:
by U####:
Installed and opened negative image from gallery (took picture of B&W negative earlier) and can't save. Hard to navigate. Otherwise, looks like a nice app.
U
by U####:
by U####:
I love the concept of this app. But I've scanned about 10 negatives and it's crashed an average of 3 times per negative. Very frustrating.
N
by N####:
by N####:
Actually a really good app. It is useful to get live pictures and give them quick effects as well. I have just one problem, if I capture using the cam with "image preview size" LARGE option the app, after accepting the picture, comes back to the start screen. Screen just flickers the edit background and then restarts. Using SMALL it works fine. Great app anyway.
U
by U####:
by U####:
I do give five stars for what this app is capable of. I'm sure it could be better, improved, provide more functionality but as well as it does what it does, how could anyone complain. OK the capture area sucks. Let's make it more of a photo shape not square. Otherwise Awesome! Once you find the right environment for it, works like a dream. ☆If you're struggling to make this work for you, try using a computer screen with a white full screen image and adjust the brightness accordingly.
U
by U####:
by U####:
Hands down best appp. Just having trouble saving or linking other accounts to share.
O
by O####:
by O####:
LOVE IT! although there a few bugs seems like (i experienced when turn on the Hint Overlay, it doesn't go away until i kill the app) but this apps comes in real handy for people who shoot film. It's definitely not going to replace your real film scanner. but it's good to visualize the picture when scanner is not around. also would be nice to add "real time" mode, so it basically invert/proceess as the negetive slide across the camera view. this would help photographer to pick which shots are actually worth the detail scanning.. having said that. i am already giving a 5 for current version!
D
by D####:
by D####:
It does a great job of scanning the negatives, but no way to save. There is no 'save' option, and all of the 'share' options are grayed out.
U
by U####:
by U####:
after i take the photo and check, it jump back to main screen (the one i choose bw or color) and it keeps doing that. please fix it! I really want it to work!
G
by G####:
by G####:
Excellent if you want to quickly share the negatives that you just processed. Can not replace a proper scanner though, but I don't think that is the purpose of this app. (It would be nice by the way if it was possible to adjust the crop on single side i.e. not symmetrical)
U
by U####:
by U####:
Never imagined that such a could exist..Can re live all old memories!
U
by U####:
by U####:
I really love this app, it is my new best friend I have received some copies of negative photos from my sister and this app turned them into proper photos, obviously it is still early days and I am still getting used to the app but very very impressed so far. I can see faces and features that you just can't see on a negative thank you.
U
by U####:
by U####:
Neat app, but seems really buggy. Keeps going back to the opening screen in the middle of projects. The hints were more annoying than helpful, but at least were easily disabled.
Y
by Y####:
by Y####:
Great App and does an excellent job of scanning my B&W negatives. (150 plus rolls of 35mm negatives) The only reason i have not given it 5 stars is the small image it produces to adjust the image with Wish list: Make Full Screen
U
by U####:
by U####:
Not work in my xiomi redmi 2 mobile. Please help me.
U
by U####:
by U####:
OMG I'm a pro photographer and i completely loved it to scan my Polaroid 100 Negatives!!!
U
by U####:
by U####:
Takes a very long time to download. Once you take a picture of the negative the 1st preview can look great but once you accept the picture is then goes slightly out of focus automatically. The final picture is not great but it was nice to see all the same. Sorry I don't think this app is all it makes out to be. Waste of time & and will uninstall it.
C
by C####:
by C####:
Great App . After done few experiments got surprise result in the end . Place a white paper behind the negative with approx 2-3 inch space distance and click after clear auto focus. Will try now laptop screen with notepad white background :)
R
by R####:
by R####:
I'm so impressed with this app, I wish I had found it sooner. I tried using image editing software on my desktop to edit my negatives, but getting the colour corrections right was way over my n00by head. This app does the job with very little effort required. One little problem I'm having though is that the app doesn't have an option to adjust the crop box, I can only crop to one sized square.
P
by P####:
by P####:
Just download this to use with the lomo film scanner! Better than the lomo app. Love the UI too!
B
by B####:
by B####:
I wish I could directly start editting my scans after taking the pictures, instead of having to go to the gallery and pick it. Sometimes I have to select the photo again,because there is no preview. Otherwise BEST app for scanning.
H
by H####:
by H####:
Gave it a try just to see what it would do and to my surprise it actually did a great job scanning color negatives. Great for proofing.
D
by D####:
by D####:
Love this app but having real trouble understanding how to save. I don't use FB app.
by X####:
My sister and I were going through my mother's things and ran across almost 100 negatives of pictures we had never seen. Used Helmut Film Scanner and found some wonderful photos, that more than likely would have ended up in the trash. Every scan was like finding a treasure. Thanks Helmut.