Simple way to convert a negative image to a positive

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Jim Govett
  • Edited

If you have a scanned negative, and want to convert it to a positive, here's how...

1. Open your negative image
2. Add the "Texture Overlay" filter
3. Load a pure white image ("Load Texture...")
4. Increase the amount slider to +100
5. Change the blend mode (under the zoom slider in Luminar 2018) to "Difference"

Your image will now be a positive.  This can be saved as an "User Preset" for a one click solution for future negative images.

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    Julia Kot

    That's a very good tip, Jim!

    Thanks for posting it here :)  

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    Folco Banfi

    I think (I never use negatives, so I may be totally wrong...) you can obtain exactly the same result by:

    1. Open your negative image
    2. Add the "Curves" filter
    3. Set the black point to be the white point (i.e., move it from the bottom-left corner to the top-left corner), and the white point to be the black point (i.e., from the top-right point to the bottom-right point)

    This can also be saved as a preset, and has the added bonus that you can start tinkering with the curves to start adjusting your image, if you want to.

     
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    Fourfourianakis Stavros

    It would be really helpful if we had some Luminar Looks for that.... B&W and Color

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    Helena Carter

    Hi Fourfourianakis ,

    Thanks for your suggestion! I will pass it to the person in charge.

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    Everett Meadows

    Does this work equally for color and B&W? 

     

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    berry johnson

    Amazing Thank you @jim luminar is the one of the advanced photo editing tool since 2018.

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    Helena Carter

    @Everett,
    Yes, it does.

    Let us know if any assistance is needed!

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    Doug Knuth

    Can anyone interpret this to the Luminar 4 Version??  None of this seems to match anything I can find in Luminar 4.  

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    Roy Blackwell
    • Edited

    @Jim: Using Luminar 4, I used your all white texture method to 'develop' a vintage glass plate negative I found at an antique store.

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    Roy Blackwell

    @Folco: Using Luminar 4 (Essentials... Light... Advanced Settings), I used your "curves" method to develop this vintage glass plate negative:

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    Andy Eccles

    Thanks Roy. That worked perfectly. Just wish I’d scrolled down to the bottom of this thread earlier !!

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    john hinckley
    • Edited

    Luminar 4 Mac OS X 10.15 Macbook Pro Epson V600 flatbed

    While I understand the method described above, is there a way to automate this? I have 1-3K old negatives (of various sizes, color & B&W), having to do this for each one seems like it would eat up huge amounts of time.

    Would I be better off with a dedicated negative/slide scanner?

    Thanks so much!

    John Hinckley

    Burlington, VT

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    Eric M.

    Hi, just got a question because all my negatives got this brown color and if i use this methode i just get complete blue photos out. Does anybody have an idea how to fix this?

    Thanks Eric

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    Roy Blackwell

    Eric M. - Post one of your negatives here so we can take a look.

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    Eric M.

    I took a photo with my camera so its just the normal brown of the color negativ film and its raw so the pics are pretty big. Do you know what i mean or should i try to reduce the size of the pictures?

     

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    Roy Blackwell

    Eric M. - convert to a jpg and post it here.

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    Eric M.

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    Kate Williams

    Hi Eric,

    My best take on this is to use the Black and White conversion tool first and invert Curves next. Then, you can tweak the highlights/shadows, black and whites in the Develop tool, add some Enhance AI, etc: https://prnt.sc/tkqLEGMm-yJa 

    I'm sure there are much more sophisticated ways, and I'm looking forward to seeing more suggestions from our community. 

     

     

     

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    Roy Blackwell

    Test 01: Luminar AI - converted to black and white then used Curves to invert. Used a little Accent AI and Sky Enhancer AI.

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    Roy Blackwell
    • Edited

    Test 02: Photoshop Elements 2022 - inverted and then colorized. Afterwards, ran through Topaz Sharpen AI.

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    Michael Pegg

    Masked the water then converted to black and white and used Curves to invert. Accent AI 100%.  Replaced Sky and changed colour of water with Color.  All with Neo!

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    Michael Pegg

    Touched up water mask and added structure. All with Neo.

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    Roy Blackwell

    Good work Michael!

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    Michael Pegg
    • Edited

    Thanks Roy I'm new to Neo, having Capture 1 20 and Affinity. I have Luminar 3 and 4 but never got on with them. Neo I like and even in its reduce state I think it shows a lot of promise. Learning from you and others. Thanks.

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    Konstantin
    • Edited

    The proposed approach using Texture Layer works great for me in Luminar 4. The name of layer is different though: Image Layer. But the idea is the same. Thanks for that post!

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