7
Getting Started
Manual Tensioning
For manual tensioning, turn the feeding spool and taking
spool counter clockwise for a B/A wind.
You’ll notice the compliance arms below each spool begin
to move as you manually introduce tension as in the diagram
below. Once these are about a third of the way through
their range of motion, hold the spools in place for a second
or two. Your scanner will detect secured film on the taking
spool, and its tensioning feature will automatically activate,
taking up the rest of the slack.
If at any point in a manual or automatic load you notice a
problem, you can cancel the load procedure by pressing
the ‘load’ button again or firmly holding the feeding or
taking spool. Your scanner will recognise either action and
abort the load.
Step 7. Inspect your film
Check that the film is laced properly by pressing the ‘play’
button on your scanner or clicking the ‘play’ button in the
Cintel Palette in DaVinci Resolve. If you see your film image
playing in the Cintel palette preview window on your
computer or on an external HDMI monitor, if attached, you’ll
know your scanner is working.
Depending on the wind type you’ve used, you may find
that the image is flipped horizontally or vertically. You can
fix this by selecting the appropriate film type. For instance,
negative film may appear flipped left to right until the
‘negative’ setting is selected. If you can’t fix this by selecting
your film type, you may need to reload your film using a
different wind type.
Step 8. Focusing
Focus your film using DaVinci Resolve’s RGB Parade scope
to achieve perfect focus.
This is easily done by selecting ‘workspace’ on the DaVinci
Resolve menu bar and then selecting ‘video scopes’ and
turning the scopes on. Keep an eye on the red, green, and
blue scopes as you scroll your scanner’s focus wheel. Your
image will be in perfect focus when the red, green, and
blue scopes are ‘peaking,’ or displaying the maximum
amount of information. As you approach perfect focus, the
readout on each scope will become taller, before shrinking
as you move away from the optimal point.
You can also make quick focal adjustments by previewing
your film on an Ultra HD external monitor with your scanner’s
HDMI output. A good way to dial in focus this way is to pay
attention to the edges of your film’s perforations. When
these are sharp, your film should be in focus.
Step 9. Closing the doors
As the top of film is quite shiny it may reflect any spotlights in
the roof of your scanning room that are located in the vicinity
of the scanner. These can show up as black blotches in your
scan. Your scanner’s high quality light source eliminates light
pollution in all but the most brightly lit workspaces, but for the
best quality scan we recommend closing the sliding doors
just in case. The scanner doors are designed to block the
light from the film gate area and closing them will stop any
light getting in. Your scanner has a spring loaded door that
will gently complete the closing procedure once the doors
are nearly shut.
Your film is now laced and ready to be captured!
Please refer to the Cintel section of the DaVinci Resolve
reference manual for details on calibrating the light source,
setting the stabiliser, and the capture palette settings for
capturing images.
The reference manual also details how to sync optical audio
and manage the large number of files you will generate when
capturing from your scanner.
AWhen manually tensioning film, you only need to apply enough tension to move the compliance arms into the ‘sweet spot’
of their movement range - a little under half way. Cintel will automatically take up any additional slack.
BWhen loading 35mm film, use the outer sprockets on the sprocket wheels.
CUse DaVinci Resolve’s video scopes to achieve perfect focus. The scope on top represents and out of focus frame,
while the scope below shows the same frame in focus. Note the taller peaks in the focused image.
A B C
