Blackmagicdesign Cintel, Cintel Scanner Installation And Operation Manual

Installation and Operation Manual

Cintel
Scanner

April 2018

English

Welcome

Thanks for purchasing your new Cintel scanner!

Your new scanner runs film in real time so you can transfer film much faster than a traditional
scanner that runs non real time using a constant start-stop motion. However it’s important to
understand that your scanner is not a telecine and it does not transfer film to video, as it
transfers film direct to DaVinci Resolve where you have the power to edit the film rolls back
together and the scans can be color graded, reframed, noise reduced and the audio extracted.

Using DaVinci Resolve to operate the scanner means you have much more creative control
than a simple telecine because DaVinci Resolve has many more features than is possible to do
in hardware. Plus because Cintel takes advantage of the power of the DaVinci Resolve system
and the GPU’s in the host computer, this scanner itself does not need to be cluttered with
bulky expensive electronics assemblies.

This means Cintel is smaller, lighter and has more value engineered into the parts of the
scanner that result in better quality film scans, such as precision mechanical film handling
components, optics, high intensity diffuse light source and the built in camera.

The scanning workflow is simple as all you need to do is scan your film to intermediate RAW
files and then once you have joined the film rolls back together in the timeline, added noise
reduction, color grading and reframing, you can use DaVinci Resolve’s deliver page to render
out files to any format you like.

We’ve also designed attachments to improve your workflow. The optional Audio and KeyKode
Reader attachment can scan optical or magnetic audio faster than real time, as well as importing
KeyKode information directly into your DaVinci Resolve clips.

You might need to render to DPX frames to use third party film restoration software or you
might want to render to DNX or ProRes files for use in editing software. You can even render
out digital cinema package files if you want to digitally project the film!

Your scanner is designed to work in conjunction with DaVinci Resolve so you get incredible
power and amazing quality, so please read through this manual carefully so you can learn all
about how to use your new scanner.

Of course with all the power of DaVinci Resolve available with your scanner, it’s also important
to check out the available DaVinci Resolve manual and tutorials. There are some great
customer tutorial videos on using DaVinci Resolve as well as high quality training available
from third party vendors to help you get the most out of your DaVinci Resolve system.

Grant Petty

CEO Blackmagic Design

Contents

Cintel Scanner

Unpacking and Mounting 4

Desk Mounting 5

Wall Mounting 6

Warning for Safely Installingyour Scanner 7

Getting Started 7

Installing the Software 7

Plugging in Power 8

Connecting to a Computer 8

Launching DaVinci Resolve 8

Lacing Film 9

Using Your Scanner 14

Wind Types 14

Switching to 16mm 15

Playback Controls 17

Standby Mode 18

Capturing from Cintel
usingDaVinciResolve 18

The Cintel Scanner Interface 19

Calibration 19

Film Type 20

Light Source 21

Image Stabilization 22

Film Protection 23

Editing Capture Info Metadata 24

Film Scanning Workflows 26

Before You Begin 26

Load and Align the Film 26

Focus the Scanner 26

Reset the Timecode 27

Choose a Location to Save
the Scanned Frames 28

Check the Codec 28

Adjusting the Color of the Scanner 29

Scanning One or More Sections of Film 30

Extracting Audio 30

Audio Extraction Settings 31

Color Space and Sizing 34

Optional Audio andKeyKode Reader 36

Attaching the Audio and

KeyKode Reader 36

Reading Audio 39

Setting the Reader for Audio Scanning 40

Reading KeyKode 44

Setting the Reader for
KeyKode Scanning 45

Transcoding to DPX including
KeyKode Metadata 46

Updating the Audio and
KeyKode Reader’s Internal Software 46

Servicing 48

Working with Clips in DaVinci Resolve 51

Importing your Clips 51

Editing your Clips 52

Trimming Clips 53

Mapping Keyboard Shortcuts 54

Adding Transitions 55

Adding Titles 56

Color Correcting your Clips 57

Using Scopes 58

Secondary Color Correction 59

Qualifying a Color 60

Adding a Power Window 60

Tracking a Window 62

Using Plugins 62

Mixing Your Audio 63

The Fairlight Page 64

The Audio Timeline 64

What is a Bus? 65

The Mixer 65

Using the Equalizer to
Enhance your Audio 66

Mastering your Edit 68

Reducing Grain using Noise Reduction 69

Noise Reduction Settings 69

Specifications 74

Regulatory Notices
andSafetyInformation 76

Help 78

Warranty 81

3Contents

1

2

13

12

3

1. Core clamp 2. Roller 3. Particle transfer roller 4. Optional Audio and KeyKode Reader
attached via left options interface 5. Tensioner sprocket wheel 6. Skid plate

7. Light source 8. Drive sprocket wheel 9. Pin registration expansion port

10. Right optionsinterface 11. Compliance arm 12. Spooler backplate 13. Focus wheel

4

6

5

7

9

8

10

TIP If you are reading the printed version of this manual that was included with your

Cintel scanner, you can also download the latest version in PDF form. This PDF
provides the manual in many different languages and can be downloaded from the
Blackmagic Design support center at www.blackmagicdesign.com/support

Unpacking and Mounting

11

Welcome to your new Cintel scanner!

The first thing to do before you can get started using your scanner is to unpack and securely
mount your scanner to a stable surface, or against a wall. Mounting holes are located on your
scanner’s base, under the feet, for added stability when mounting to a desk. Mounting holes are
also located on the back panel so you can firmly mount your scanner to a dedicated wall mount.

After opening your scanner’s road case, you will see that
spaces have been cut in the foam padding to give you a
sturdy grip on your scanner.

Please note that Cintel weighs over 130 pounds, or 60kg,
and is clearly too heavy to be unpacked by one person.
Youwill need to make sure that all lifting is performed by
2people using correct lifting techniques, such as bending
your knees, keeping a straight back and lifting with careful,

This section of the
manual contains
information including:

■

Unpacking

■

Desk Mounting

■

Wall mounting

controlled movements.

4Unpacking and Mounting

Once you have gently removed your scanner from its road case, place it upright on a f lat, stable
surface capable of supporting its weight.

Desk Mounting

For added stability, you can secure your scanner to your work surface using the mounting holes
in your scanner’s feet. To do this, you’ll need to drill two holes through your desk or work
surface so you can insert two M6 safety bolts and screw them into the mounting holes under
your scanner’s feet. This will hold your scanner firmly to the surface and prevent it from moving.

546mm

267mm

When desk mounted, you can securely fasten your scanner to your work surface by
screwing M6 safety bolts into your scanner’s feet.

NOTE Your safety is important to us and we strongly advise reading the warning

information on the following page before mounting your Cintel scanner.

5Unpacking and Mounting

Wall Mounting

Cintel’s elegant industrial design and narrow profile make it ideal for wall mounting.

To do this, the first thing you’ll need to do is remove the feet and support strut from the base of
your scanner.

1 Place your scanner face up with its feet over the edge of a solid, stable surface capable

of supporting your scanner’s weight.

2 Unscrew the pair of M8 screws from each foot using a 6mm hex key, then gently

remove the feet.

3 Using a Phillips head screwdriver, remove the support strut between the feet. Store

the support strut in a safe place together with your scanner’s feet so you can always
reattach them later if you need to relocate your scanner.

Your scanner’s desk mount feet and support strut can be removed
if you want to mount your scanner to a wall.

The locations of the four M8 mounting screws on your scanner’s back panel are shown below.
Be sure to use M8 screws when securing your scanner to a wall mount.

800mm

M8 M8

400mm

M8 M8

6Unpacking and Mounting

Warning for Safely Installingyour Scanner

The Cintel Scanner weighs up to 70kg, or 155 pounds, when loaded with film. This is
significantly heavier than a large screen television. If you are unsure of the structural capability
of the wall or desk to support the total weight of the scanner and film loaded then you must
obtain the advice of a qualified engineer to correctly analyze the mounting to ensure safety.
Incorrect installation will result in the scanner falling which could cause serious injury or death.

When desk mounting the scanner, and especially when working underneath your scanner to
install the desk mounting screws, ensure that your work surface is flat and stable. Mounting
brackets and fixings must be of sufficient strength to securely support your scanner’s weight.
Ifyour work surface is incapable of supporting the scanner’s weight, or loses strength over
time, your scanner may fall, possibly causing serious personal injury.

When wall mounting the scanner, ensure that the installation location is strong enough to
support long term use. If its strength becomes insufficient over the course of long term use,
thescanner may drop, possibly causing injury. Do not install in places which are unable to bear
loads. Mounting brackets and fixings must be of sufficient strength to securely support the
scanner’s weight. If the strength of the installation surface is insufficient, the scanner may fall
down and personal injury may result.

Desk or wall mounting your scanner must be undertaken by more than one person. Do not
attempt installation on your own.

Getting Started

After unpacking and mounting your scanner, getting started is as simple as plugging in power,
connecting your computer via Thunderbolt, launching Blackmagic DaVinci Resolve, and lacing
your film. If you want to immediately see your scan on an external monitor, you can load film,
manually tension it, and output it to an HDMI monitor. To learn more about this, refer to the
‘lacing film,’ and ‘playback controls’ section of this manual.

Installing the Software

Capture controls for your scanner are located in
DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel, therefore,
the first thing you’ll need to do when you’re ready
to capture your scan is make sure DaVinci
Resolve is installed.

Your scanner comes with Blackmagic Cintel
Installer software including DaVinci Resolve, as
well as a DaVinci dongle allowing you to use the
full version of DaVinci Resolve.

You can use the packaged installer to get started,
however, we recommend downloading the latest
version of the Blackmagic Cintel Installer from the
Blackmagic Design support center at:
www.blackmagicdesign.com/support

This section shows you
how to get started with
your Cintel scanner, including:

■

Connecting Power

■

Connecting to a Computer

■

Installing and launching
the Software

■

Lacing Film

Once your download has completed, unzip the file and double click on the Blackmagic Cintel
Installer. This will open a setup folder. Now simply run the installer files contained within the
setup folder and follow the prompts to install the software on your computer.

7Getting Started

Plugging in Power

Now that all the required software is installed on your computer, you’ll need to plug power into
your scanner so that you can lace up your film.

Power your scanner by connecting a standard IEC cable to the AC power socket on the lower
right side of the back panel. Your scanner’s power indicator LED will glow green when power
isconnected.

Connecting to a Computer

Connect your scanner to your Mac OS X or Windows computer via the Thunderbolt port on your
scanner’s lower right side. You can also connect to an external monitor via your scanner’s
HDMIport for focusing or preview purposes.

TIP If you have installed the latest Blackmagic Cintel Installer software, the next

timeyou connect your Cintel scanner to your computer it will prompt you to update
your scanner’s internal software. Simply follow the on screen prompts to complete
theinstallation.

Click on the ‘Update Now’ button to update your scanner’s internal software.

Launching DaVinci Resolve

Launch DaVinci Resolve and select the Media page. Open DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel
by clicking on the ‘capture’ button at the top right of the screen and selecting ‘film scanner’.

The scanner will capture a large amount of image data, so you’ll need to set the folder you want
DaVinci Resolve to record the captured files to.

To do this:

1 Launch DaVinci Resolve.

2 Click on ‘preferences’ in the DaVinci Resolve menu bar.

3 Click on the ‘plus’ icon in the ‘media storage’ tab.

Browse to and select a drive or folder path.

4 Click ‘save’, and restart DaVinci Resolve.

NOTE For detailed information on how to use all the control features in DaVinci

Resolve’s film scanner panel, refer to the section in this manual called “Capturing from
Cintel using DaVinci Resolve”.

8Getting Started

DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel
Resolve controls all capture settings.

Lacing Film

Now that your scanner and DaVinci Resolve are communicating with each other, you can lace
up your film.

1 Accessing the Scanner

Open your scanner’s sliding doors.

On the internal front panel you’ll see a feeding spool on the left, and a taking spool on
the right. The feeding spool holds the film to be scanned, and the taking spool collects
the scanned film.

2 Setting Film Wind

Set the ‘wind type’ so the spools turn in the appropriate direction. Go to DaVinci
Resolve’s film scanner panel and set the ‘wind type’ to B/A by clicking ’B’ and ‘A’
on the ‘feed’ and ‘take up’ buttons, respectively.

B/A is your scanner’s default wind type which has the feeding spool traveling in a
clockwise direction and the taking spool traveling counter clockwise. Refer to the ‘wind
types’ section in this manual for more information.

This is also a good time to make sure that your settings are appropriate for your film
type and size.

You can select from positive, negative, interpositive and internegative in DaVinci
Resolve’s film scanner panel, as well as 16mm, 35mm and various perforation layouts.

9Getting Started

3 Preparing the Take up Spool

Slide the supplied 75mm spool core and core clamp onto your scanner’s taking spindle.
To apply the core clamp, hold in the clamp’s button and push it onto the spindle until
you feel resistance, then release the button and push the clamp on the rest of the way
until you hear a ‘click.’

4 Loading Film

Load your film reel or core onto the feeder spindle following the same procedure in
step 3. Note that the procedure differs slightly depending on whether your film is on a
core or a reel, and whether it is 35 or 16mm. For example, when loading a core, you’ll
need to insert the provided backing plate, whereas loading a reel only requires the use
of spacers.

When loading film reels, the backing plate is not required and you can simply use the
spacers provided. When loading f ilm on a core, the supplied backing plate is required.

5 Lacing Film

Gently lace several feet of the film leader through your scanner’s rollers following
theillustration on the next page.

Your scanner’s default B/A wind loads from the bottom of
the feeding spool and onto the top of the taking spool.

10Getting Started

NOTE The sprockets on the sprocket wheels are designed to fit 16mm and

35mm film. It’s important that your film is laced over the appropriate sprockets
so it glides smoothly over the skid plate, and that the sprockets are engaged
cleanly with the film perforations to ensure gentle film loading.

When loading 35mm film, use the outer
sprockets on the sprocket wheels.

6 Tensioning Film

To secure your film to the taking spool, insert the end of your film into the small notch
provided in the spool, then gently hand wind the spool a few times to hold the
film in place.

If you don’t want to bend the end of the film inside the notch, you can easily use the
friction of the film winding onto itself to secure your film to the spool. You can also use
very light adhesive tape.

Begin tensioning by pressing the ‘load button,’ or by manually turning the feeding and
taking spools simultaneously.

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.

11Getting Started

Your scanner will recognise either action and abort the load.

When 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. Your scanner will automatically take up any
additional slack.

7 Inspecting your Film

Check that the film is laced properly by pressing the ‘play’ button on your scanner or
clicking the ‘play’ button in DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel. If you see your film
image playing in the viewer, or on an HDMI monitor if connected, you’ll know your
scanner is working.

NOTE 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.

8 Focusing

Just like focusing the lens on a camera, you’ll need to focus the projected film image
onyour scanner’s sensor. The focus dial is located on your scanner’s center column.
The mostaccurate way to achieve perfect focus is to use the ‘focus assist’ feature in
DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel. Similar to the focus peaking feature in Blackmagic
cameras, focus assist displays a green edge around the sharpest points in your image.
This lets you easily adjust focus until the green highlights are at their strongest.

Simply turn the focus assist feature on by enabling the checkbox in DaVinci Resolve’s
film scanner panel, then watch the HDMI output from your Cintel scanner, or the viewer
in the film scanner panel, as you adjust the focus dial. Film grain is a terrific indicator.
When the grain in the film is registering the green edges at their strongest, your image
is in perfect focus.

12Getting Started

Film grain is perfect for setting accurate focus using the ‘focus assist’ feature. In the above
example you can see the image out of focus on the left, and in focus on the right. The focus
assist feature can be seen highlighting the grain, most visible inside the perforation area.

TIP The focus assist feature works best when using negative film types,

asnegative is generally sharper with the most grain detail.

To get the most from the focus assist feature, set the viewer to full resolution.
Simply click on the options settings at the top right corner ofthe viewer and
select ‘Full Resolution Preview’ from the drop down menu.

It’s worth mentioning that full resolution preview will remain set until you choose
to disable it. The setting is very GPU intensive and can affect the performance
of the viewer, for example there may be some frame lag, soit may be helpful
tousefull resolution for checking focus, then turning it off for better performance.

9 Closing the Scanner Doors

For the best quality scan we recommend closing your scanner’s sliding doors. The
doors are designed to gently close when they are almost shut, so all you need to do is
slide them towards each other until you feel the spring mechanism take over. When
closed, the doors will block any light from entering the film gate.

TIP Your scanner’s high quality light source eliminates light pollution inall but

the most brightly lit workspaces. Because f ilm is quite shiny it can reflect lights
in the ceiling which may show up as blotches in your capture. You can avoid this
by keeping the scanner doors shut while scanning.

Now that you have laced your film, set the tension, focused your image and closed the scanner
doors, you can start capturing!

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
DaVinci reference manual also details how to sync optical audio and shows how you can manage
your capture files when scanning.

If you are looking for information on how to maintain and service your scanner, including
detailed information about your scanner’s technical specifications, refer to the ‘Servicing’ and
‘Specifications’ sections near the end of this manual.

13Getting Started

Using Your Scanner

Taking spoolFeeding spool

Feeding spool

Taking spool

Wind Types

The ‘wind type’ refers to the loading and unloading position, as well as the turn direction of film
on your scanner’s feeding and taking spools. As you can see in the diagram below, an ‘A’ wind
refers to film loading/unloading from the top of the spool, while a B type loads or unloads from
the bottom. This is true for both the feeding and taking spools.

NOTE The default wind type for your scanner is a B/A wind, meaning the feeding spool

unloads from the bottom and the taking spool loads across thetop. If the film you are
working with has been wound a different way, other combinations of A and B winds are
supported; simply select the appropriate wind type via the ‘feed’ and ‘take up’ buttons
in DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel.

Wind type affects which direction each spool turns, the position of the audio information and
perforations, and whether your film travels across the skid plate emulsion side up or down, so it
is important to use the appropriate combination for your project.

Select the appropriate wind type in DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel settings.

‘A’ wind

‘B’ wind

An easy way to remember the difference between A and B winds is that A winds unload and
take up film from the top of the reel or spool, while B winds do the same from the bot tom

14Using Your Scanner

Switching to 16mm

The optional Cintel Scanner 16mm Gate kit contains all the parts you’ll require and making the
changes to your scanner’s setup are minimal.

16mm skid plate Inner spacer Outer spacer

The 16mm kit contains a 16mm skid plate, two inner spacers and two outer spacers.

Switching to 16mm scanning is easy:

1 Swapping the Skid Plate

Swap the 35mm skid plate with the 16mm skid plate by pushing the retention levers
down on the front of the 35mm plate and turning them outwards. Now remove the
35mm plate and replace it with the 16mm plate. When fitting a skid plate, make sure that
the retention levers are lifted all the way up before turning them inwards, or the plate
may not seat properly.

Skid Plate Tension Screws

The four roller bearings on the skid plate keep the film moving in a defined
path and help to minimize gate weave. If some of the bearings are not making
contact with the film during a scan, their tension can be adjusted. To do this,
lightly tighten the M4 tension screws on the front of the plate using a 2mm
hex driver.

It’s worth mentioning that if too much tension is applied, it can slightly shift
theposition of the image on the skid plate, which may affect your scan. If this
happens, simply reverse your tension adjustments until your scan returns
to normal.

The skid plate tension screws are located at the front of both
the 16mm and 35mm skid plates.

15Using Your Scanner

When removing the skid plate you will need to
push the retention levers down and then turn
them outward.

To secure a skid plate lift the retention levers
all the way up and turn them inward.

Removing the 35mm skid plate.

2 Inserting the 16mm Inner Spacer

Insert the rubber 16mm inner spacer at the base of the feeding and taking spools.
The rubber spacer goes on grooved side inwards prior to a backing plate, spool or reel.

3 Additional Spacers (optional)

Additional 1mm rubber spacers are included in the 16mm Gate Kit for when mounting a
reel. You can use these spacers if you need to adjust the alignment of the film with your
scanner’s rollers.

4 Mounting your Film

After mounting your 16mm core or reel to the feeding spool, and a backing plate and
core to the taking spool, you’ll need to install the outer 16mm spacer to secure the
spools. This spacer has both a notch and a rubber ring on its inside edge to secure it to
cores or reels, respectively. Once this is in place, secure the spools as you
would normally.

Reel mounting. Shown from spindle outwards:
inner 16mm spacer, 1mm spacers, 16mm
reel, outer 16mm spacer and core clamp.

Core mounting. Shown from spindle outwards:
inner 16mm spacer, backing plate, 16mm
core, outer 16mm spacer and core clamp.

16Using Your Scanner

5 Lacing

Complete the lacing procedure as you would for 35mm film, with the exception of
lacing your 16mm film through the inner sprockets on the sprocket wheels. Before
pressing ‘load’ or manually tensioning your 16mm film, make sure that the film is
properly threaded over the sprocket wheels’ teeth, as otherwise these teeth can
damage the film.

When loading 16mm film, make sure the
film’sperforations are threading cleanly over
the sprockets on the sprocket wheels.

Playback Controls

The following playback controls are available in DaVinci Resolve and on your scanner.

Your scanner has built in controls for loading, unloading, and previewing scans.

Load
Pressing ‘load’ will tension the film loaded onto your scanner’s feeding and taking
spools as described in the section ‘lacing film.’

Pressing load once your film is properly tensioned will unload the film by returning the
compliance arms to their slack position.

Rewind
Press rewind to wind your film back onto the feeding spool. Pressing this button once
will rapidly rewind your film until it reaches the threshold of a fully loaded 75mm spool,
at which point it will stop. Press rewind again to slowly wind the rest of your film all the
way onto the feeding spool and unload your scanner.

If you are using a 50mm spool, your scanner will initially stop at the 75mm threshold.
Pressing rewind a second time will then slowly rewind until the point a 75mm spool
should have been fully rewound. If your scanner detects f ilm still loaded at this point,
itwill resume rewinding quickly until reaching the 50mm threshold, where it will stop
again. Press ‘rewind’ a third time to completely rewind a 50mm spool.

17Using Your Scanner

Due to the rarity of 100mm spools, your scanner is not programmed to stop prior to
hitting the 100mm threshold. If you are using a 100mm spool, take care with your
method of loading film onto the taking spool. Please use the provided notch, or if you
don’t want to bend the end of the film inside the notch, you can use friction from the
film winding onto itself. Avoid using adhesive tape when loading 100mm spools to
make sure your spool unloads cleanly.

Step Back

Rewinds the film one frame. You can also hold down the ‘step back’ button to play
thefilm backward at slow speed.

Stop

Stops playback, fast forward and rewind.

Play

Plays the film. The default frame rate is 24 frames per second, however you can set
theplayback frame rate in DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel.

Step Forward

Advances the film one frame. You can also hold down the ‘step forward’ button to play
the film forward at slow speed.

Fast Forward

Rapidly advances the film onto the taking spool. The stopping action performs
thesame way as rewind for 50, 75 and 100mm spools.

Standby Mode

When inactive, your scanner will enter standby mode to preserve the longevity of the light
source. This happens after 15 minutes when connected via Thunderbolt, or 1.5minutes when no
software is connected. Your scanner will signal that it is entering standby mode by flashing the
light source green.

Capturing from Cintel
usingDaVinciResolve

This section of the manual shows you how to use settings and features in DaVinci Resolve’s film
scanner panel to control your scanner. For example calibrating your scanner, adjusting thelight
source strength and color temperature, setting image stabilization, and more. You can even set
how gentle your Cintel scanner handles film which may have become delicate with age.

18Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

The Cintel Scanner Interface

Click on the ‘capture’ button in the UI toolbar at the top of the DaVinci Resolve screen to set the
media page to control your Cintel scanner. Open DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel to set up,
calibrate, and choose options for logging or scanning a selected range of the currently spooled
roll of film. If you want more room for viewing the Cintel scanner controls, click the full height
button that’s all the way to the right of the UI toolbar, and turn off the ‘metadata’ panel.

Cintel scanner controls in the Media Storage page

Transport Controls: The transport controls under the viewer, while similar in

appearance to those used while in playback mode, now work to control the Cintel
scanner. Additional controls appear for moving forward or backward a frame at a time.

In and Out Controls: In Cintel Scanner mode, the In and Out buttons to the right of the

transport controls define a range of the film roll from which to capture.

The following groups of settings appear to the right of the ‘media’ page viewer when in
CintelScanner mode to scan clips from film into the media pool.

Calibration

This option lets you calibrate the optics of the scanner to eliminate optical blemishes or dust
that cannot be removed. Please note that this feature does not remove dust from the film itself.

The calibration button can be used to help remove dust or small
blemishes from the optics of your Cintel scanner.

Calibrate button: This button lets you eliminate light optical blemishes and dust from

the optics of the Cintel scanner via digital calibration. While it’s recommended to “spray
dust” the optics before scanning new material, it’s possible over time for some
blemishes on the optics to be unremovable, in which case using the calibrate button
will eliminate them from the scanned image.

The skid plate does not normally need to be removed for calibration, however, in cases
where there is severe dirt, remove the skid plate, dust it, and then reinstall it. Use the
‘calibrate’ button before you load film into the scanner, while there’s nothing in the
optical path, to remove any remaining optical blemishes or dust.

19Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

TIP Calibrate the optics with the skid plate installed and correctly aligned, as

this assists with image stabilization and offers the best image quality.

Film Type

These controls let you select the type of film you’re scanning, align the film with the sensor, and
choose what speed you’re scanning at.

Film Type controls in the Media page

Film Type pop-up: Lets you choose what type of film you’re scanning. The choices are

Positive, Negative, Interpositive, and Internegative.

NOTE When scanning interpositive and internegative film, the increased

density of the film requires slightly extended pulse durations from the light
source. Normally, this does not affect the scan, however, a slight reduction in
resolution may occur when scanning at above 12 frames per second. Ifyou do
notice a difference in resolution, simply reduce your scanning speed to 12
frames per second or less.

Gauge and perf count pop-up: Lets you choose what reel type you’re scanning, the

choices are 35mm 2, 3, and 4 perf, and 16mm.

Perf nudge buttons: Used for making fine adjustments of the perf position relative to

the scanner gate aperture. Command-J nudges up, while Command-L nudges down.

Frame buttons: These buttons are push and hold to activate. When on, the film is

slowly advanced to move the frame up or down and when released the film stops in
place. This is useful for aligning the film frame with the scanner’s sensor. Using the ‘perf
nudge’ and ‘frame’ buttons, you want to align the visible film frame so the bottom of the
previous frame and the top of the next frame are just visible at the top and bottom of
the viewer, and the current frame is centered vertically.

It’s important to make sure the image in the viewer is not zoomed in when you do this.
Command-Left Arrow on your keyboard moves the frame up, while Command-Right
Arrow moves the frame down.

20Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

Scan Speed slider: With adequate disk performance, you should be able to scan at

30fps. However, if you’re scanning to a slow hard drive, you can reduce the scanning
speed to a frame rate that’s suitable for your workstation without dropping frames.

Supply buttons: Sets the wind direction of the left-hand side feed spool. While auto-

detection will prevent incorrect operation, you should manually configure the reel
winding direction based on how each film roll is wound.

Take up buttons: Sets the wind direction of the right-hand side take up spool. While

autodetection will prevent incorrect operation, you should manually configure the reel
winding direction based on how each film roll is wound.

Use Film Reel checkboxes: Small film reels have a different weight and inertia

compared to large film spools, and this can affect the transport system. Tick this box to
switch to settings that offer improved stability for small film reels.

Focus Assist checkbox: Enables luminance peaking on your scanner’s HDMI monitor

output, plus the viewer inside DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel, which makes it
easy to obtain optimum focus adjustments.

Light Source

These controls let you adjust the scanner’s light source to adjust the optimal Dmin, which is the
minimum scanned signal value, plus the color temperature of the scanned material. Use the built
in software scopes in DaVinci Resolve to help set your light source to its optimum level settings.
Scopes can be opened in the Media page by choosing Workspace > Video Scopes > On. You can
adjust these settings to make sure you’re not clipping image data during the scanning process.

Light Source controls in the Media page

Light Source master wheel: The vertical light source master wheel is located next to

the color wheel and adjusts the intensity of the light source used to illuminate the film,
raising or lowering the RGB channels all at once. For typical negative film, this lets you
adjust the black point of the film image, which is the darkest part of the image. In
negative f ilm, this in fact corresponds to the highlights of the film image. Adjust the light
intensity to sit just above the typical Dmin value of 95, as measured on the histogram
ofthe video scopes, which guarantees that the highlights won’t be clipped by a
Cineon-style LOG conversion. For positive film, simply adjust the master wheel so that
no part of the signal is being clipped.

Auto Black and Auto White button: Analyzes the current frame displayed in the viewer

and does an automatic adjustment to set the black point for negative, or for print to set
the white point. For positive film types, the ‘auto black’ button changes to ‘auto white’.

21Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

RGB controls: By default, a color balance control lets you adjust all three color

channels by varying amounts to alter the color temperature of the light source used to
illuminate the film, while the adjusted R, G, and B values are displayed in three fields
below. Optionally, you can choose to put this control into ‘color bars’ mode using the
mode pop-up to the right of the ‘light source’ title bar, which changes this control to
three vertical red, green, and blue color channel sliders.

Image Stabilization

These controls let you enable and disable as well as control image stabilization to eliminate
vertical film hop.

Image Stabilization controls in the Media page

Image Stabilization enable/disable control: The dot to the left of the ‘image

stabilization’ title bar lets you enable or disable your scanner’s hardware-based image
stabilization altogether. While hardware stabilization is typically desirable when you
have high quality perforations, you may want to turn this option off if the condition
ofthe perforations is poor and you decide to use DaVinci’s software based
stabilization instead.

When image stabilization is enabled, a horizontal X axis detection overlay is displayed
in the viewer, highlighting the edge of the film perforation that will be used as the
reference for stabilization. This overlay is automatically hidden when recording. Image
stabilization is enabled by default.

Enable X and Y checkboxes: Enable X and enable Y lets you choose whether to use

hardware image stabilization to fix horizontal gate weave and vertical gate hop
respectively. If the results are unsatisfactory with both axes enabled, you can turn off
the axis that’s causing issues with stabilization.

Horizontal Position slider: Your Cintel scanner attempts to automatically place the

stabilization detection overlay at the best location, with reference to the perforation
shown on the currently loaded frame, for the best stabilization result.

You will notice a thin transparent line in the blue alignment overlay. For optimum
stabilization, this line should touch the edge of the perforation. If the automatic
positioning is not ideal, you can manually move the overlay to a more ideal position,
either by dragging it in the viewer with your mouse, or by using the horizontal slider.

Ideal placement of the stabilization overlay should position the clear line in the alignment
overlay on the edge of the perforation, as shown in the example image. With the overlay
correctly positioned, this enables hardware stabilization of gate weave along the X axis.

TIP Image stabilization automatically manages vertical gate hop when you

select the ‘enable y’ checkbox. It needs no further adjustment and works in
conjunction with horizontal stabilization.

22Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

Adjusting the horizontal position of the
stabilization overlay. In this screenshot,
theoverlay is not alignedwith the edge
of the per f.

Hardware stabilization control correctly
positioned over a perforation in the viewer.
The transparent stripe in the stabilization
overlay touches the edge of the perforation.

TIP To closely check the results of your stabilization settings before capturing, set the

viewer to full resolution. Simply click on the options settings at the topright corner of
the viewer and select ‘Full Resolution Preview’ from the drop down menu. This setting
does not affect the stabilization feature, but enables the best possible preview so you
can monitor how well it is performing.

It’s worth mentioning that this setting will remain set until you change it back toyour
previous setting. Full resolution is very GPU intensive and may result in some frame lag.
For best performance, turn full resolution off after checkingstabilization.

Film Protection

These controls are intended to allow delicate film to be handled gently by the Cintel Scanner.
Fast acceleration and shuttle speeds can be hard on archival footage, so it’s recommended to
lower both of these sliders from their defaults whenever you’re scanning older film.

The ‘Acceleration’ and ‘Shuttle Speed’ sliders should be
lowered when scanning older, delicate archival film

Max Acceleration: Changes the scanning speed to operate between 5–30 frames per

second per second.

23Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

Max Shuttle Speed: Changes the speed of shuttling from one section of film to another

between 1–100 frames per second for 35mm film, and between 1–200 frames per
second for 16mm film.

Film Tension Adjust: This setting gives you the ability to adjust the amount of tension

applied to 35mm film. For example, when loading delicate archival film, or
compensating for film shrinkage.

NOTE It’s worth mentioning that there is no possible way you can damage the film

using the Film Tension Adjust setting. The adjustment values are very small and only
gentle changes are all that’s required to prevent sprocket picking.

Editing Capture Info Metadata

When DaVinci Resolve is used in conjunction with Cintel Scanner, a set of capture metadata
fields appears at the bottom of DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel. The ‘capture info’ panel
has editable metadata fields that describe capture properties such as where to save files, the
type of codec, frame rate, and the format of file names. This metadata is attached to your clips
and can be read on the media page.

Before you begin scanning, you may want to adjust some of the project settings.

The ‘capture info’ panel lets you specify metadata for your scanned clips

24Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve

Capture Location: Before you begin a film scanning session, scroll down to the

‘capture info’ section of DaVinci Resolve’s film scanner panel to make sure the scanned
files are being saved to the directory and volume where you want them. Click the
‘browse’ button and choose a location from the file destination dialog. It’s good to do
this first, as this step is easy to forget.

Capture: When you have a Cintel Audio and KeyKode Reader fitted, this menu gives

you options for ‘audio only’ so no images will be captured, or ‘image and sound’.
Alternatively, you can capture ‘image only’ if audio is not important.

Resolution: The resolution of the capture files depends on the source film format so

this field cannot be edited.

Codec: DaVinci Resolve selects the ‘Cintel Raw’ codec for lossless compression

bydefault, or you can choose ‘Cintel Raw 3:1’ for even smaller file sizes.

FPS: This sets the frame rate of the film itself and Resolve automatically adjusts the

timeline frame rate based on this.

TIP When using the optional Audio and KeyKode Reader accessory to scan

audio, the reader will automatically adjust for frame rate to maintain an overall
sample rate of 48kHz.

File Name Prefix: Prefix to help identify the scan. This can be the name of your project,

such as the title of the film you are scanning.

Timestamp Prefix: Select this checkbox to prefix your scans with a timestamp as well

as the ‘file name prefix’ you specified. Your clips will be saved to independent sub­folders in the destination folder. This checkbox is selected by default.

If you want to save all your clips together in one master destination folder without the
timecode in the file name, simply deselect the checkbox.

NOTE If you don’t make capture names unique with the timecode prefix and

the files go into the same location, this could potentially overwrite files.

Roll/Card, Reel Number, Clip Number, and Program Name: These are ways

toidentify the clip with metadata.

Flags: You can use these color coded flags to tag clips.

Good Ta ke: Corresponds to ‘circled take’ metadata in the media pool.

Log Clip: Adds a clip to the media pool. After you mark ‘in’ and ‘out’ points for a section

you want to scan, confirm the metadata is correct, and then click ‘log clip’. For more
information, refer to the ‘Logging and Capturing Individual Clips’ and ‘Logging and
Capturing Multiple Clips’ sections in the DaVinci Resolve manual.

Batch Clip, Capture Clip, and Capture Now: These scanning buttons offer different

methods to capture clips. For more information about scanning buttons, refer to the
‘Scanning One or More Sections of Film’ section of this manual.

25Capturing from Cintel usingDaVinciResolve