Professional Cine Film Transfer...
Images4life is proud to be one of the first companies in the UK to offer cine film transfers using patented technology called "ScanStream".
Supporting both 8mm and 16mm film formats we offer a complete end to end transfer process that delivers stunning results that other companies can only dream of.
Providing true frame by frame scanning of your film and real time colour enhancement the end result is nothing short of stunning,
Click Here To View Our On-Line Demonstrations
The Process ...
Step 1 - Before we process any of your film on our equipment we manually check the film for defects that could cause problems during the transfer, these defects include poor quality joints, damaged feed holes and poor emulsion bonding. All defects are repaired manually using our in-house technicians and then approved for transfer.
Step 2 - Prior to loading the cine film into the digital transfer unit we clean all film with a special fluid specifically formulated to remove dirt and grease from the cine film transport layer. This step ensures a clean transfer of film footage ( less years of dirt and grime ). Also the cleaning of the film helps the natural flow of the film as it passes the digital scanning head thus leading to a crystal clear image.
Step 3 - The cine film is now loaded into our digital transfer unit ready for transfer, this is where the magic really starts..... Using the latest optics and a technology called "ScanStream" the digital unit captures approx. 4000 independent images for every 50 foot of cine film processed. These 
images are then processed using a specialized software application called "Velocity" which stitches the images together into a high resolution video file ready for speed correction and colour balancing.
Step 4 - We now have a high resolution video file containing a pure digital copy of your cine footage. At this stage we now need to perform 2 key steps in order to create a video file ready for export to DVD or DV tape. First we need to adjust the speed of the video file to match the original camera capture speed ( either 16 or 18 fps ), at the same time we need to add some special image blending algorithms so that when the image displayed on a commercial or domestic display monitor the image runs smoothly at 25fps, this is all done within the Apple Final Cut and Apple Shake environment and manually enhanced by our editors.
At this stage we spend time adjusting the colour balance, brightness, contrast and Gamma levels of the video file to ensure a natural reproduction of the original film, and also to compensate for years of film storage and film deteriation. This step is performed manually by our editors using years and years of experience. ( Pure digital versions of the captured video is also available on request ).
And finally the whole production is then supported by a selection of background music which captures the full emotion of the memories. These music tracks are professionally mixed to bring the whole production to life.
Click here for our on-line Music Juke Box
Step 5 - This final step in the process is to export the high resolution video file to your required format. This can be one of many formats but is typically either DVD or DV ( mini DV or DVCAM ).
If as part of the project you have requested an enhanced transfer service then at this stage the DVD editors will set to work on creating a stunning interactive DVD presentation which will contain a fully personalized introduction menu and each cine reel will then become an independent chapter on your DVD. This enhancement adds character and flare to final product and also provides an easy navigation tool to help users gets to the section of the final presentation that they require.
If you have selected DVD as an output format then your will also receive your DVD customized with our in-house Everest II thermal disk printers. These printers use thermal technology to apply the photographic quality images to the disk and as a result the disks are fully light stable and waterproof.
Finally all projects are returned in a full colour DVD presentation case and seal wrapped making them ideal for commercial distribution and/or gifts...
Click Here To View Our On-Line Demonstrations
NOTE... Please do not mistake "thermal print" technology with "inkjet" technology , these are 
completely different technologies and in terms of durability and quality the thermal print technology provides a far superior output and this is what we use as standard... if you would like a sample disk please call 0800 043 0668 and we will be only to happy to drop you a disk in the post.
