PFClean - Industries
PFClean for Restoration & Post-Production Facilities
PFClean gives professional restoration and post-production facilities a dedicated environment for cleaning, repairing, stabilising and remastering film and video within a modern production pipeline.
Combine automated restoration with precise manual tools, work at 4K and 8K resolutions, manage shared media workflows and move restored material efficiently into colour grading, finishing and delivery.
Professional restoration in a production pipeline
Restoration facilities need more than individual image-processing tools. They need a workflow that connects ingest, restoration, review, conform, grading and delivery.
PFClean is designed to sit within that wider pipeline. A typical workflow can move from scanned or digitised source material through restoration and review before being passed into the finishing environment. This makes restoration a controlled production stage rather than an isolated operation.
Automated and manual restoration
Restoration projects contain both repetitive and highly individual problems. Automated processing is valuable for large quantities of dirt, dust, scratches, flicker and other defects. But difficult frames still require an experienced operator who can determine what should and should not be changed.
PFClean combines both approaches. Automated tools can accelerate repetitive work, while manual repair and frame-level tools provide the precision required for challenging material.
Conform and media management
Restoration often needs to follow an existing edit rather than process an entire source from beginning to end. PFClean supports EDL-based conforming workflows, allowing restoration teams to work from an offline edit reference and identify the material required for the final project.
This can reduce unnecessary processing and help connect restoration with established post-production workflows.
Multi-seat restoration
Commercial facilities may have several artists or workstations operating simultaneously.
PFClean supports network licensing, making it possible to manage licences across multiple workstations within a professional facility.
This provides a practical foundation for scaling restoration capacity as project requirements change.
4K and 8K workflows
Modern restoration frequently starts from high-resolution film scans. PFClean is designed for high-resolution workflows including 4K and 8K restoration.
Working at scan resolution allows restoration teams to address defects while retaining the image information captured during digitisation, before the material moves into grading or mastering. The appropriate resolution remains dependent on the source element, scanner output and intended delivery.
Shared storage and networking
Restoration projects can involve large image sequences and multiple artists working on related material. PFClean can form part of a shared-storage production environment, allowing facilities to organise restoration media within their existing infrastructure rather than moving projects into a separate cloud-based system.
The exact storage architecture should be designed around throughput, media format, workstation count and project scale.
Resolve and Baselight workflows
Restoration is usually performed before final colour finishing. PFClean can work alongside professional systems including DaVinci Resolve and Baselight, allowing restored material to move into the grading environment once technical defects have been addressed.
This separation helps restoration artists concentrate on image repair while colourists retain control over the final creative grade.
Colour-managed restoration
Restoration should preserve the relationship between the source image and the finishing environment. PFClean supports OpenColorIO workflows, allowing facilities to incorporate restoration into a broader colour-managed pipeline.
This is particularly useful when restoration projects move between scanning, restoration, grading and multiple delivery formats.
Batch processing
Facilities need to make efficient use of artist time and compute resources. PFClean's batch-oriented processing allows repetitive restoration operations to be applied across multiple clips or sequences. Worklists can help organise projects and reduce the need to configure every shot independently.
Operators can then focus their attention on material that requires manual inspection or specialised treatment.
Scaling restoration economically
A restoration facility needs to scale both technically and commercially. PFClean is designed to make use of modern GPU hardware and can run across Windows, macOS and supported Linux systems. This gives facilities flexibility when designing workstations and restoration capacity.
Combined with batch processing and network licensing, the software can support workflows ranging from individual artist workstations to larger multi-seat restoration operations.
Explore Professional Restoration Workflows
See PFClean in professional restoration projects and discover techniques for integrating automated and manual restoration into production and finishing workflows.
Restoration Pipeline Insights
29/06/26
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
31/05/26
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.
Restoration Pipeline Insights
16/03/26
Understanding Film Grain in Digital Restoration
Preserving film grain is vital for authentic digital restoration. Learn the mechanics of grain vs. digital noise, and how artists use PFClean to balance visual clarity with the organic texture of classic cinema.
Looking to Expand Your Restoration Workflow?
Discuss your existing pipeline, workstation requirements and restoration projects with the PFClean team.
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
Is PFClean suitable for commercial restoration facilities?
Yes. PFClean is designed for professional restoration environments and supports the combination of automated processing, manual repair, batch workflows, high-resolution restoration and professional pipeline integration required by commercial facilities.
Can multiple artists use PFClean?
Yes. PFClean supports network licensing for multi-workstation environments. This allows facilities to deploy the software across multiple restoration workstations and manage licences centrally.
Can PFClean integrate with shared storage?
Yes. PFClean can operate as part of a shared-storage production environment. The appropriate storage configuration depends on the facility's media formats, resolution, workstation count and required throughput.
Does PFClean work with Resolve?
Yes. PFClean is designed to work alongside DaVinci Resolve. Restoration can be performed in PFClean before restored material is moved into Resolve for colour grading and finishing.
Does PFClean work with Baselight?
Yes. PFClean can form part of a workflow with Baselight, allowing restoration and colour grading to remain distinct stages within the wider post-production pipeline.
Can PFClean import DPX and EXR?
Yes. PFClean supports professional image-sequence formats including DPX and OpenEXR. These formats are commonly used for high-resolution film restoration and can retain the image information required for downstream finishing.
Can PFClean conform from an EDL?
Yes. PFClean provides EDL conforming capabilities, allowing restoration work to be aligned with an offline edit or existing editorial reference.
Can PFClean batch-process shots?
Yes. PFClean supports batch-oriented restoration and worklist workflows. This allows defined restoration operations to be applied across multiple clips or sequences and is particularly useful for repetitive defects and large projects.
Does PFClean support 4K?
Yes. PFClean supports high-resolution restoration including 4K and 8K workflows. GPU-accelerated processing is designed to handle demanding high-resolution restoration workloads.
Which hardware is recommended?
The appropriate hardware depends on resolution, media format, storage configuration and project scale. PFClean is designed to use modern GPU architectures and supports Windows, macOS and supported Linux systems. For current recommended configurations, facilities should refer to PFClean's hardware guidance before specifying workstations.