Editing Tools and Supplies for Film Shooters

Picture editing is an integral part of the photographic process, and this holds true whether your format is film or digital. Digital shooters typically upload images to their computers, tablets, or phones, edit the files in Lightroom, Photoshop, or comparable editing program, and, with a few keystrokes output wall-size murals or scaled-down Instagram posts.
The tools and workflow of film editing are different. Editing film requires a light table, magnifier or loupe, storage sleeves, and, if you plan on digitizing your film images, a film scanner. With film photography making a healthy comeback, we thought it would be a good time to discuss the tools and supplies needed to edit negatives and transparencies properly.
I use the terms “slides” and “transparencies” interchangeably. The difference between the two is that while all positive color and black-and-white film stocks are transparencies, 35mm transparencies are specifically referred to as slides.

Editing Loupes

Loupes are essentially analog pixel-peeping tools. Just as you zoom in to 100% when editing digital image files on your computer screen, loupes enable you to “zoom in” and eyeball the finer details of your negatives and slides.
Loupes cost anywhere from a bit less than $5 to a bit less than $300, and while the priciest magnifiers might be overkill for your particular needs, you might want to think twice about considering the less-pricey alternatives. Though they are fine for reviewing contact sheets and non-critical film editing, they tend to fall short on resolution, especially toward the edges of the frame. Many acrylic loups also display color refraction and other color aberrations as your eye wanders from the center line. The up side is that if you edit your film in a high-traffic work environment, the cheap ones are less likely to “walk.”