PFClean - Industries
Film & Video Restoration Software for Archives
PFClean provides film archives, cinematheques and cultural heritage organisations with a precision restoration environment for digitised motion-picture film and archival videotape. Restore damaged and ageing material while retaining the character, detail and historical integrity of the original source.
From individual reels to large-scale collections, PFClean combines automated defect detection and correction with precise manual restoration tools, giving archivists and restoration artists control over every stage of the process.
Preserve the original rather than reinvent it
Digital restoration is not about making historical material look artificially new. For archives, the objective is to recover as much of the original image as possible while respecting the characteristics of the source.
PFClean is designed around this principle. Automated tools can identify and correct repetitive defects such as dirt, dust, scratches, flicker, instability and other image artefacts, while manual tools allow operators to inspect difficult frames and make targeted corrections.
The workflow is non-destructive, so restoration decisions can be refined without permanently altering the underlying source material. This makes PFClean suitable for projects where preservation quality and traceability are as important as the final viewing copy.
Restore 8mm to large-format 70mm film
Film archives hold material in formats spanning decades of changing production and exhibition technology. PFClean supports restoration workflows across a broad range of film formats, from 8mm and 16mm through 35mm and large-format material including IMAX 70mm.
High-resolution scans can be processed as professional image sequences, allowing restoration teams to work with the detail captured during digitisation rather than reducing the source to a lower-resolution working format.
PFClean can address common film defects including dirt, dust, scratches, streaks, tears, flicker, warping, instability and other damage introduced through handling, projection, ageing or storage.
Restore archival videotape
Film archives increasingly manage mixed collections containing both motion-picture film and videotape. PFClean provides film and video restoration capabilities within the same application, allowing facilities to establish consistent restoration workflows across different types of digitised heritage material.
For videotape, restoration can address defects such as dropouts, tape noise, chroma artefacts, scanline problems, mistracking and other image abnormalities associated with ageing analogue recordings and the digitisation process.
This allows an archive to use a common restoration environment rather than maintaining completely separate approaches for film and video material.
Use scanner-generated infrared defect maps
Modern film scanners can provide additional information about physical defects alongside the image scan. PFClean can use scanner-generated infrared defect information to help identify areas of dirt and damage.
An infrared defect map can provide a valuable starting point for automated restoration by distinguishing likely physical defects from image content. PFClean's restoration tools can then use this information as part of a controlled cleaning workflow.
This can significantly reduce the amount of repetitive manual work involved in processing large numbers of scanned frames, while still allowing operators to review and refine the result.
Non-destructive and artist-controlled restoration
Archive restoration often involves decisions that cannot be reduced to a single automatic setting. A mark that appears to be dirt in one frame may be part of the original image in another. Damage can also vary considerably from one section of a reel to the next.
PFClean combines automation with manual intervention for precisely this reason.
Restoration effects can be adjusted, reordered or refined without permanently changing the source. Operators can review results, apply different processing to different material and perform detailed frame-level repairs where automated processing is not appropriate.
The result is a restoration workflow that uses automation for consistency and efficiency without removing the human judgement required for responsible archival restoration.
Manage high-volume archive collections
Large archives need more than tools for repairing individual frames. They need a workflow that can scale.
PFClean supports worklists and batch-oriented processing so restoration teams can organise work across multiple clips and sequences. Automated processing can handle repetitive restoration tasks consistently, while operators can concentrate their time on material that requires closer inspection.
This makes PFClean suitable for both individual restoration projects and larger digitisation and preservation programmes.
Produce preservation and access masters
A restoration project may have several outputs: a high-quality preservation master, a mezzanine file for downstream production, and lower-resolution access or distribution versions.
PFClean can work with professional image-sequence and video formats, including DPX and OpenEXR, allowing restoration to take place at the resolution and quality captured during scanning.
Keeping restoration separate from downstream delivery also makes it possible to maintain a high-quality archival master while creating versions optimised for particular platforms, audiences or future finishing requirements.
Deploy PFClean across archive facilities
PFClean is designed for professional restoration environments rather than cloud-only processing. It runs on Windows, macOS and supported Linux systems and can be deployed across multiple workstations using network licensing.
For organisations with controlled infrastructure or restricted media networks, PFClean can also operate in offline or air-gapped environments. Media can remain within the archive's own infrastructure while restoration processing takes place locally.
This gives archives greater control over sensitive collections, infrastructure and preservation workflows.
Integrate with existing storage and archive systems
PFClean can form part of an existing archive workflow rather than requiring the organisation to replace its storage or media-management infrastructure.
A typical workflow can move from scan or tape digitisation into ingest and restoration, followed by review, finishing and export to the archive's required storage or delivery format.
Support for professional image sequences, video formats, worklists and batch processing allows PFClean to fit into established technical environments while keeping restoration as a controlled stage within the wider preservation workflow.
PFClean archive restoration workflow
A typical archive restoration workflow can be structured as:
Scan or digitise → Ingest → Analyse → Automated restoration → Manual repair → Review → Grade/finish → Export → Archive
The exact process will vary according to the source, scan resolution, defect type and intended output. PFClean provides the restoration and repair stage between digitisation and final mastering, with operators able to review and refine the result before export.
For archives, this approach provides a balance between scale and control: automate repetitive restoration work where appropriate, while preserving the ability to make careful artistic and technical decisions when the material demands it.
Explore Film & Archive Restoration
Discover restoration projects, technical insights and examples showing how PFClean can be used to preserve and restore historic film and archival video.
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Remastering Archive Footage for Redistribution
Learn why precision engineering beats AI shortcuts for remastering archive footage. A complete guide to faithful film restoration.
Restoration Pipeline Insights
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Identifying Common Tape Defects: Restoring Our Recorded Heritage
Identify common tape defects — dropouts, off-lock errors, chroma issues, mistracking — and fix them fast using PFClean's Telerack and Workbench.
Planning an Archive Restoration Project?
Talk to the PFClean team about your film and video archive, restoration requirements and workflow.
What happens when I request a demonstration?
Your demonstration is tailored to your restoration requirements. A PFClean product specialist will discuss your material, work with a short sample of your footage where appropriate, and demonstrate relevant PFClean restoration tools and techniques. You’ll see practical before-and-after results and have the opportunity to discuss your workflow and requirements.
FAQ
What software should a film archive use for digital restoration?
Film archives need restoration software that can work with high-resolution scans, automate repetitive defect removal and still provide detailed manual control. PFClean is designed specifically for professional film and video restoration, with tools for dirt, dust, scratches, flicker, instability, tears, noise and other defects. Its non-destructive workflow and batch-processing capabilities allow it to scale from individual titles to larger archival collections.
Is PFClean suitable for national film archives?
Yes. PFClean is designed for professional archival environments and is suitable for both individual restoration projects and large-scale archive programmes. Its combination of automated processing, manual repair, non-destructive workflows, batch processing and network licensing supports multi-user restoration environments. It can also operate locally without requiring a cloud-based restoration workflow.
Can PFClean restore nitrate film scans?
PFClean can process digitised scans of film material, including scans originating from historic and potentially fragile film stocks. The physical handling and scanning of nitrate film should always be carried out using appropriate archival and specialist procedures. Once safely digitised, the resulting high-resolution image sequence can be brought into a PFClean restoration workflow.
Can PFClean use infrared defect maps?
Yes. PFClean can use scanner-generated infrared defect information as part of film dirt and defect restoration workflows. Infrared information can help identify physical defects such as dirt and dust, providing useful data for automated processing while allowing operators to review the resulting restoration.
Does PFClean alter or overwrite the original scan?
No. PFClean uses a non-destructive restoration workflow. Restoration effects are applied through the processing workflow rather than permanently modifying the underlying source media. Operators can adjust or refine restoration decisions and generate a new restored output while retaining the original scan.
Can PFClean process entire archival collections?
Yes. PFClean supports batch-oriented workflows designed to process multiple clips or sequences using defined restoration settings. This makes it possible to automate repetitive work across larger collections while retaining manual intervention for material that requires individual attention.
Can PFClean restore film and videotape in the same facility?
Yes. PFClean supports both film and video restoration. Film workflows can address defects such as dirt, dust, scratches, flicker and instability, while video workflows address problems including dropouts, tape noise, chroma artefacts and other analogue-video defects.
Can PFClean operate on an offline or air-gapped network?
Yes. PFClean can operate in environments where restoration media and processing infrastructure remain local. This can be particularly useful for archives with restricted networks, sensitive collections or policies that prevent media from being processed through cloud-based services.
What archival master formats can PFClean output?
PFClean supports professional image-sequence formats including DPX and OpenEXR, as well as a range of video formats. The appropriate archival master format depends on the archive's preservation policy, source material, scan characteristics and downstream requirements.
Does PFClean use generative AI to reconstruct missing content?
No. PFClean is not a generative-AI image-generation system. Its restoration approach uses image processing, defect detection, motion analysis and operator-controlled repair. Where damaged pixels can be reconstructed from information in surrounding frames, PFClean can use motion-based repair techniques; operators can also perform manual corrections where necessary.