Removing dust and scratches?

I just had some of my parents' old home movies digitized (homemoviedepot.com) to Digital8 format, and as I write this I'm importing them into iMovie. Eventually they'll have a soundtrack applied and it'll move into iDVD.

However, since some of these movies are more than 45 years old there's a fair amount of dust and scratches and such from them. Home Movie Depot did a fantastic job at converting them to digital format (far better than the old VHS transfer that my sister had done ~12 years ago) but there's still room for improvement -- not only with the dust and scratches but also with color restoration.

What's the fastest/best/easiest way to clean this up? Is there a "De-Age Film" iMovie plugin somewhere that'll get me started?

G5 Dual 2GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.6)

Posted on Jul 3, 2006 11:56 AM

21 replies

ÜberMacHead Author

Level 3

669 points

Jul 3, 2006 4:48 PM in response to ÜberMacHead

There is no apparent answer to this question, just a lot of sarcastic rebuttal and bad attitude.

Jul 3, 2006 4:57 PM in response to ÜberMacHead

I'm more than willing and prepared to keep working to try to get it working for you.

We could discuss the format of the clips you're working with and a variety of other things if you're willing.

Some things take a while to trouble shoot. But it seems you've determined that the "program doesn't work". I have no magic answer. Sometimes these things take a lot of back and forth to solve.

I've done nothing but try to help you.

Matt

Kjolner

Level 2

354 points

Jul 3, 2006 4:59 PM in response to ÜberMacHead

There is no apparent answer to this question, just a
lot of sarcastic rebuttal and bad attitude.

But we are having FUN :)))

ÜberMacHead Author

Level 3

669 points

Jul 3, 2006 5:03 PM in response to Matthew Morgan

I've done nothing but try to help you.

Yeah. "Alright, suit yourself" was SO helpful.

Jul 3, 2006 5:13 PM in response to ÜberMacHead

I was responding to "Thanks anyway".

Assuming you were done with it.

That's all.

I certainly don't want to belabor this, but I think if you were to go through all of my posts in these discussions you would find that I am among the most polite and earnest in my desire to try to help people that you'll come across.

We've gotten off here on the entirely wrong foot. I am not at all the person you seem to perceive me to be.

Anyway, give it some thought and if you want, tomorrow or the next day start a new thread and we can all start fresh.

There really are some helpful people here. I hate that you have had this bad experience.

Forestman

Level 3

622 points

Jul 4, 2006 7:03 AM in response to ÜberMacHead

A very good and expensive (to me) way of getting home movies onto video is a machine called a rank cintel.
The machine does and incredible job, and if I understand it well, removes or reduces a lot of the scratches.
The machine had a Super 8 head made for it so it can run Super 8 film. I don't know if it will run regular 8 film.
There is/was a company in Burbank, California.
It was called Super 8 Sound. It may be called something else like Professional 8 or Professional Small Format.
I think for Super 8, if you have the budget, it would produce the best transfers.
Good luck

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Removing dust and scratches?