General Film Transfer Information

All film is transferred in-house. We do not ship off our transfers to a third party. Our transfers are custom and  performed by personnel with over 40 years experience to insure they are properly handled and transferred. 

  • Film formats transferred:
    • 8mm
    • Super 8 (silent and sound)
    • 16mm (silent and sound)
    • 9.5mm
    • 35mm
    • All film will be inspected, repaired, cleaned and lubricated by hand at no extra charge.
  • Film will also be electronically cleaned to remove some film grain, lines, and dots. Not all can be removed. Done at no extra charge.
  • Film will have brightness and colors corrected where possible, at no extra charge.
  • Film will be placed in chronological order if clearly numbered.
  • Film will be returned on original reels, with leader added if needed and repaired.
  • Some film has perhaps deteriorated to the point it cannot be transferred. You will be informed if that is the case.
  • All film is transferred using a Mark-ll High-Definition film scanner, not a projector.
  • Film can be rendered in Standard Definition (4:3) which is most films original format. High Definition (16:9) with letter boxing, and 2K, can also be upgraded to 4K.
  • Film can also be transferred  as an image sequence in JPEG, BMP, PNG, or TIFF formats.
  • Film can be in NTSF Format or PAL format.
  • Film can be placed on a DVD or Blu Ray.  Discs are $10.00 each.  If the film is placed on both a disc and USB flash drive then there is a charge for both disc and drive.
  • Film can be placed on a USB drive at an additional cost for the drive. Drives are supplied by Alamo Film and Video Transfer.
  • DVD or Blu Ray cases are used and photographic inserts with pictures from the film are printed on the jackets. Disc are printed directly, not using glue-on labels is used as they can come off.
  • There will be chapters added to the disc and chapters will be listed in the jacket insert.
  • Film will be archived for a period of 6 months to 1 year in case there is a problem.
  • Turnaround time cannot be guaranteed, when you call you will be advised of the time frame based on the number of transfers ahead of yours.
  • Film orders are transferred in the order they arrive.
  • Expedited service is available for an additional fee ($75)
  • You can send or bring as many films as you like. Remember there is a minimum charge of $40.00 per order. Test transfers will still pay the minimum charge.
  • There is a deposit of $40.00 required on all out of state orders unless paying by credit card. If you are in the San Antonio area there is no deposit required.
  • When shipping film it is recommended that you ship by a trackable courrier such as FedEx, UPS, or Post office Priority Mail. Be sure to allow enough room to include your discs or USB Drive.
  • Satisfaction guaranteed.  If you are not satisfied with the transfer, upon discussion of the problem, and no resolution a full refund with be given. If payment is by credit card the processing fees may not be refunded.

Hours are by appointment only:  No Sunday Appointments

Film transfer rates:  No discounts, Payments by Credit Card, Check, or Cash

Film Format:  Silent Film

  • 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm to DVD, Blu Ray disc and USB drive.
    • 14 cents per foot, so for a 50-foot 3-inch reel is approximately $7.00 as reels vary in length
    • 14 cents per foot, so for a 200-foot 5-inch reels is approximately $28.00 as reels vary in length
    • 14 cents per foot, so for a 400-foot 7-inch reel is approximately $56.00 as reels vary in length.
  • Silent film with custom background music is 19 cents per foot.  We will select music appropriate to the film scenes.  Our music is properly licensed for this use. Due to copyright licencing restrictions we are not able to use music provided by the customer.
  • No music or titles are provided on USB flash drives. Each reel will have its own folder or file number.

Film Format:  Sound film

  • Super 8, 16mm
    • 16 cents per foot, so a 50-foot 3-inch reel is approximately $8.00 reels vary in length
    • 16 cents per foot so for a 200-foot 5-inch reel is approximately $32.00 reels vary in length
    • 16 cents per foot so for a 400-foot 7-inch reel is approximately $64.00 reels vary in length
  • If you have both silent and sound film in the same order it will be priced according to the type of each reel of film.

Film Format:  9.5 mm film

  • 14 cents per foot for open reels.
  • 16 cents per foot for Pathe Baby cartridges.

Film Format:  35mm film rate

  • 26 cents per foot. Optical Sound Only.

For film transferred to a USB drive the price will vary depending on wholesale cost and the size needed.  If you provide the drive, it must be brand new, in an unopened box, 1TB in size and PC compatible. When placing film on a USB Flash drive, they will be in either AVI (Windows) or MOV (Apple) format depending on your need.  

Thank you for viewing our page and I personally look forward to helping you with preserving your family history!