A SCOTTISH software business hopes its new product will help to preserve film archives for generations to come.
Windense believes it has developed a cost-effective system that will help to digitise the millions of reels of film currently being held in storage around the world.
Many scanners designed for digitising modern film are expensive and can cost a six-figure sum.
They are also not entirely suitable for using with older stock, due to its fragility.
The new system developed by Windense, run by husband and wife team Michael and Linda Howell, uses digital SLR cameras to capture multiple pictures of the same frame.
Windense's OmniScan software then puts those images together and turns them back into moving pictures.
The technique does not need the film to be rolled through sprockets and is said to remove mechanical juddering, oscillations and motion distortions.
It may also help to allow archive materials to become more widely available by allowing them to be streamed on the internet.
The Glasgow company hopes to target organisations such as the American Library of Congress, plus the BBC and other broadcasters, which hold large archive collections.
Mr Howell said the move from traditional film to digital cameras meant there was a growing concern over the preservation of old stock.
He said: "Old film is very fragile and needs to be handled very carefully.
"We have typically relied on a process of copying from film to film but that is no longer going to be an option.
"There is a bit of a panic out there to get everyone's archives off films once and for all so they are secure.
"It is really a fear of losing heritage and for the television and film companies they need to keep their back catalogues."
Windense started work on developing the system almost a year ago.
It was backed in the venture by a five-figure loan from Clydesdale Bank.
The business previously received SMART Scotland funding from Scottish Enterprise.
Mr Howell said the company now has several possible routes for growth.
He said: "We can either sell equipment, rent equipment or we could actually do the scanning here.
"We don't yet know how feasible that is as we are breaking new ground. I would love to think that we could set up a centre in Glasgow where the world's film collections are being digitised and be at the centre of what will be a new industry."
Prior to setting up Windense in 2010 the Howells had worked for Kodak, Fuji, Technicolor and the US Department of Defence.
Neil Berry, from Clydesdale Bank, said: "Windense is a Scottish company that has developed a product with global potential and we're excited to help them exploit those opportunities."
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