Analog.Cafe website is gradually coming back online following a major internet service outage.
An issue at one of the Amazon Web Services systems that cascaded down to many popular websites today, including this blog, caused a service outage.
Unfortunately, there was nothing I could do from my end to protect this website from this issue. I am considering options for improving the resilience of this website in the future.
As of now, the website is back up and the services are gradually coming back online.
Please note that film Q is currently being verified by Dropbox to become a production app. While this is happening, new film Q accounts may not be created.
Bugfixes and easier film development with Film Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.91 adds a link to the Massive Dev Chart next to the Dilution Calculator and Chemistry Manager in the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to complete the list of resources needed to develop black-and-white film.
Other fixes and features in version 3.30.91:
- Fixed a crash in the Film Log app that appeared in a few rare scenarios.
Getting ready to develop film at home just got a little faster if you track your chemical use and expiration with Chem Log.
Analog.Cafe v3.30.84 adds a handy Dilution Calculator button to the Film Log app (analog.cafe/app/film-log) to help figure out precise chemical ratios and shows all selected chemicals’ stats/reuse calculators front-and-center when you need them.
Though you still should test your chemicals (here’s how: analog.cafe/r/how-to-test-…), Chem Log (a plugin for the Film Log app) can help you avoid issues by giving a quick reference to mix dates. If something’s very old, you’ll know to avoid using that bottle.
A small update to improve the free reader experience on Analog.Cafe v3.29.112+.
July has been a busy month; despite my intentions to update the apps, I spent most of the time writing, developing, and photographing. However, there’s one small feature I’d like to mention here quickly, which I think will help a few blog readers.
A reader expressed their frustration earlier this month about the persistent “View this image in HD” labels overlayed above all feature article panels.
I founded and grew this website on the premise that it can function without invasive advertising messages. Having reviewed the signed-out user experience with the reader’s perspective in mind, I’ve decided to add an option to hide those labels for 30 days for all visitors, including folks who are not signed in at all.
Updated: Analog.Cafe v3.29.78 fixes a previously hidden bug that may’ve caused recent service disruptions.
A memory leak in the application router crashed Analog.Cafe last night. There’s been a steady increase in traffic to the website which caused a minor bug to suddenly become a serious issue.
I spent today’s afternoon debugging Next.js router events (which were the ultimate cause of the issue, although it took a while to figure that out).
Analog.Cafe should now feel a bit faster and it’s ready to receive more visitors. Welcome, new readers!
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.10 adds support for lossless TIFF output in 16-bit colour.
While the low-compression full 4:4:4 chroma JPEG files that film Q outputs have enough data for significant edits without distortions, there may be a time when more colour data is needed.
For example, if you need to make significant corrections to exposure, contrast, saturation, or colour balance of your scans, working with a lossless 16-bit per channel TIFF file can make a big difference.
High bitrate files can help reduce noise and prevent banding, but they require a true 16-bit colour processing pipeline, which film Q now supports.
Updated: film Q v1.0.0-beta.8 makes inverting film negatives a little easier.
film Q launched as beta just over a month ago, and it has already inverted more than 10,000 film negatives. Thank you all for trying film Q and for your feedback thus far!
This new release fixes the app’s account authentication system so that it no longer requires you to sign in to Dropbox periodically. The work involved is deceptively complicated… I did my best to catch all the bugs before committing the code, but please let me know if you find any new ones.
There are also updates to the interface, which include new animations, transitions, and an overall smoother experience. 🧑💻
Updated: film Q, a web app for inverting film negatives in batches.
Version v1.0.0-beta.6 includes several important bug fixes and a new feature, Auto Start.
With the Auto Start setting turned on, film Q will automatically process files as soon as they are uploaded. This can be helpful for speeding up the workflow, especially if you scan directly into your Dropbox folder.
For example, you can set up a folder on your computer, which will automatically invert your negatives as soon as you place your files in it. Watch this video to see how it works: youtube.com/watch?v=OSp3Qh….
Previously, I referred to the technique that sets the black-and-white points of an image to their respective maximum values as “histogram equalization.” That was incorrect. This technique should be called “histogram stretching” or “normalization.”
I’ve corrected all the articles and documentation references to use either “histogram stretching” or “normalization” when talking about this topic.
film Q User Guide is now public, while the app is still in private beta.
film Q is a new app that inverts film negatives on the Analog.Cafe website without the need to install any software. It connects to your Dropbox account and processes your files in the cloud.
This app will have several advantages over traditional film inversion apps, such as hands-off batch processing, zero resource usage, and an open and consistent inversion algorithm.
My goal with this app is to show you exactly what the inversion software does so that there are no unanswered questions about your exposure, film development quality, or the impact of your software on the image.
When developing black-and-white film, you may need to calculate the concentrate vs water (dilution) measurements. These measurements change depending on how much solution you’d like to mix.
For example, 300ml or 10oz of developer solution will cover a single 35mm film — but what does that mean for water and concentrate volumes if you’re developing with Rodinal at 1+25 dilution?
To get the exact water and concentrate volumes needed for the 300ml mix, you’ll need to solve this equation:
I’ve added free trials to the GOLD subscriber-only apps and articles on Analog.Cafe to help you decide whether a membership is worth the commitment.
You can try Chem Log (analog.cafe/app/chem-log), Film Price Trends (analog.cafe/app/film-price…), and Bulk Roll Calculator (analog.cafe/app/bulk-roll-…) for 7 days with no limits and no credit card. On top of that, you can try all of the website features and member-only articles, like the latest, “Pushing Ilford HP5+ to ISO 100,000” (analog.cafe/r/pushing-ilfo…), for 14 days with a card. I will remind you a week before the trial runs out.
Memberships helped keep Analog.Cafe ad-free and 97% free for thousands of readers from 201 countries in 2024. Thank you all who have, are currently, or are considering becoming GOLD members in 2025. Your support means a lot to this resource and its full-time staff of one!
Dmitri
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