Who writes Open Negative Initiative
One person, writing Open Negative Initiative in the evenings. Here is what that means for the software you are about to install.
Why the application exists.
I wanted to convert my own negatives without renting the step. And to be handed the measurement, not an opinion about it: nothing in the app decides on its own.
You prepare your roll. Nothing is applied when your scans come in. You click the bare film and place the measuring frame yourself, then press Measure.
You press the balance. Auto White Balance runs only when you press it, and sets Temperature and Tint like any change of yours.
You can take it back. ⌘Z, or Ctrl+Z on Windows, undoes a change, Auto White Balance included.
Where do I start reading?
For the technical spine of it, start at density inversion. If you are weighing this against what you would otherwise buy, the alternatives are in one table.
What one person means for you.
Three things you can check before you trust it. The measurements on this site are mine, and the source of every version ships with it.
76 versions since 5 August 2026. The latest, 1.5.4, came out on 2 November 2026. Every note is on the changelog.
Bugs are answered by me. When I am at the machine, with no promise about a response time. The issue list is public, and reading it needs no account.
The source ships with each version. Attached to its release and written in a public repository, so you never have to take my word for how it works. Where it is, and what the licence gives you.
Has anyone else's film been through it?
Yes. Scans, bugs and ideas came from the testers of the versions before 1.0, and the 1.0 release note thanks them for exactly that. The measurements this site cites are still mine.
Is the roadmap public?
No. Design decisions and the roadmap are not public, and the issue list is for bugs and the files that reproduce them. That is a real limit.
What happens if I stop.
Your photos and their settings stay with you. And anyone can carry the app on under the same terms.
Your settings are files beside your scans. One small JSON file per photo, named after it, that you can read and even edit by hand. Your originals are never written to.
Every version stays downloadable. All releases stay published, so you can keep the one that works for you. On macOS 13, nothing before 1.0.1 runs.
The source is under GPL-3.0. Anyone can take the last version and carry it on. Keep the archive itself, not the link: if the release repository goes, its links go with it.
Will a new version change my edited photos?
It may. Open Negative Initiative 1.0.0 came out on 4 October 2026; the latest version is 1.5.4, from 2 November 2026, and every release note is on the changelog. Your settings file carries a format version, not a render version: one written by a newer version opens read-only instead of being rewritten, but nothing warns you that a newer app renders an old edit differently. The exported file is the one no version can change.
What does the licence not cover?
The name and the application icon, which are not code. The licence covers the code and stops there; the source of each version is attached to its release.
Reaching me.
Press FEEDBACKS in the app, with no account. Or Report a Bug / Give Feedback… in the Help menu. Your message and the app's version become a public issue, with an encrypted console log unless you switch it off.
- Send the fileA colour or decoding problem is reproduced by its RAW file: open an issue with it attached. Needs a free GitHub account.
- Read what is reportedThe public issue list, with no account.
- If something goes wrongWhat to send, and from where in the app.
Can I ask something that is not a bug?
Yes, the same way: is my lightbox enough, will my scanner's files open, which lens focuses close enough. I would rather answer a beginner's question than have somebody give up quietly. There is no e-mail address and no forum.
What is worth reporting, even if nothing crashed?
A picture that opens flat or nearly white once its roll is measured, and a scanner whose files the app reads badly. Those are the ones I cannot find without the file in front of me. Feature votes and design debate are not what the issue list is for.
Convert your first roll tonight.
Add your folder, prepare the roll once, export. Free, and nothing else to install.
- Mac
- macOS 13 or later on Apple Silicon or Intel
- Windows
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
Snow night. Kodak Gold, converted in Open Negative Initiative.