Film to PhotosWhy do my scanned negatives look purple, pink or blue?
Common color casts in scanned color negatives — purple or magenta walls, blue or cyan photos, orange indoor shots, green skin — what causes each and how to fix it.
Scanned negatives look purple, pink or blue when the conversion didn't fully remove the orange film mask or balanced the colors on the whole picture's average instead of on things that should be gray. The fix is to neutralize a gray area — a white wall, a gray sidewalk — with white balance. Here's what each common cast means.
Purple or pink walls
The most common cast. Many converters balance the average color of the whole frame. Negatives of everyday scenes often end up with walls and ceilings slightly magenta. The fix is to make the near-gray areas neutral: move Tint toward green until a white wall looks white. Film to Photos does this as the last step of its automatic conversion, adjusting only the green-to-pink balance so lamp-lit rooms keep their warmth.
Blue or cyan overall
Usually the orange mask wasn't fully removed. See how to remove the orange mask.
Orange or yellow indoor shots
Ordinary bulbs are warm, and daylight film records them that way. Some warmth is the true look of the moment; lower Temp a little if it's too strong. Don't make it fully neutral or the room will look cold and flash-lit.
Green shadows, magenta highlights
Each of the film's three color layers has slightly different contrast. One global fix leaves dark areas tinted one way and bright areas the other. Use curves per channel or the shadows/highlights wheels of a color-grading tool.
Washed-out red or magenta old photos
Very old or badly stored film fades. That's a different problem; see how to fix faded color negative scans.
Dark people in front of bright windows
Not a color problem, but common: the window sets the exposure. Film to Photos detects backlit scenes and brightens the people automatically; with very strong backlight, faces can still come out a bit dark and need a little more brightness by hand.
Quick answers
Why do my scanned negatives look purple?
Usually the conversion balanced the whole picture's average color, which leaves gray areas such as walls slightly magenta. Neutralizing the gray areas fixes it.
Why do my scanned negatives look blue?
The orange mask wasn't fully removed before inverting. Proper conversion measures the film base between frames and removes it per color channel.
How do I fix a color cast in a scanned negative?
Use white balance (Temp and Tint) or a gray-point picker on something that should be neutral, such as a white wall or a gray sidewalk. Film to Photos does this automatically.
Why are my indoor film photos orange or yellow?
Indoor bulbs are warm and daylight film records them that way. A little warmth is natural; reduce Temp if it looks too strong.
Why do shadows look green and highlights magenta?
The three color layers of the film have different contrast, so one fix can't balance every tone. Adjust shadows and highlights separately with curves or color grading.