16mm Film to Digital Service

Heirloom digitizes regular 16mm movie film, including both silent reels (the majority) and 16mm film with sound. Each reel is inspected so the correct handling and capture method is used.

Small 16mm reels are 3 inches or less in diameter, while large reels are anything over 3 inches. Reel size affects handling and scanning time, but you don’t need to measure—Heirloom identifies and classifies each reel for you.

Yes. When sound is present on a 16mm reel, Heirloom preserves the original audio along with the video whenever possible. Silent and sound reels are both digitized using film-safe, professional workflows.

A vinegar smell usually indicates vinegar syndrome, a form of acetate film decay. Heirloom can often recover degraded 16mm film affected by early or moderate vinegar syndrome, but reels that are actively falling apart cannot be safely digitized.

Vinegar syndrome is progressive and irreversible. As decay advances, film can shrink, warp, and become brittle. Digitizing early—before the vinegar smell becomes strong—greatly improves the chances of preserving the footage.

Yes. Each 16mm film reel is converted into its own individual digital video file, preserving the original structure and making the footage easier to organize, watch, and share.

Digitized 16mm films are delivered as MP4 digital video files that stream easily on modern devices and can be shared securely on Heirloom. All original reels are carefully returned after processing.