Documentation

Everything you need to get FilmBench running and turning negatives into finished photographs.

Getting started

What is FilmBench?

FilmBench turns your Mac into a living darkroom. Tether a camera, point it at a film negative, and FilmBench shows you the finished photograph in real time: colours true, the orange mask gone, the image already developed. No scanning, no inverting in another app afterwards.

Which cameras work?

FilmBench works with any tethered camera supported by libgphoto2, hundreds of models from every major manufacturer. If your camera can shoot tethered over USB, it most likely works.

Check your exact model against the gphoto2 supported-cameras list.

Connect and capture

  1. Connect your camera to your Mac with a USB cable and switch it on.
  2. Open FilmBench. It finds the camera and opens a live, lag-free view.
  3. Place a negative on your copy stand or light source and frame it.
  4. FilmBench reads the negative and selects the right process on its own: colour negative, slide or black & white.
  5. Watch the finished positive appear on screen. Press the shutter, and your photo is saved the instant you press it.

Installing

FilmBench is coming to the Mac App Store. This page will link to the download the moment it ships.

Troubleshooting

My camera isn't detected.

Check the USB cable and port (some cables are charge-only, so use a data cable). Make sure the camera is switched on and not asleep, and that no other app is holding the connection: quit Photos, Image Capture, your camera maker's tethering utility, or any other such tool, then reopen FilmBench. Confirm your model is on the supported list.

There's no live preview.

Live view has to be available on the camera itself, so make sure the lens cap is off and the camera isn't in a mode that disables live view. Reconnect the cable and reopen FilmBench. A camera that is busy writing a previous frame to its card can pause the preview briefly.

The colours look off, or the wrong process is detected.

Process detection samples the film rebate, so an unusual crop or heavy backlight can fool it. Override it by choosing the correct process manually. Even, neutral backlighting behind the negative gives the truest colour.

My captures aren't being saved.

Check the output folder in settings and make sure it still exists and isn't full or read-only. If it lives on an external drive, confirm the drive is mounted.

macOS won't let me open the app.

Once FilmBench ships through the Mac App Store this won't apply. For any direct build, right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm. That clears Gatekeeper for a signed, notarized build.

FAQ

Which cameras are supported?

Any tethered camera libgphoto2 supports: hundreds of models from every major manufacturer. See the full list.

Is this a replacement for a film scanner?

It's a faster, more immediate way to get there. Instead of scanning then inverting and correcting in another app, you see the finished photograph live as you shoot the negative on a copy stand.

Does it handle colour negative, slide and black & white?

Yes, colour negative (C-41), slide (E-6) and black & white. FilmBench detects the process from the negative automatically.

Where are my photos saved?

To the output folder you choose, the instant you press the shutter. Each capture is written straight to disk with its metadata.

Does FilmBench need an internet connection?

No. FilmBench processes images locally and talks to your camera over a local connection.

What about my data and privacy?

FilmBench processes everything on your Mac and collects no data. Your negatives and photos never leave your machine.

How much does it cost?

Pricing will be announced with the Mac App Store release.

What do I need to run it?

A Mac and a supported camera that can shoot tethered over USB.

Still stuck?

Email hello@giscollective.com and tell me what's happening, and I'd love to help.