PPRC
Pakon Planar Raw Converter
Batch-convert planar raw files from your Pakon F135/F135+ scanner into editable 16-bit TIFFs with consistent roll-wide color and reliable orange mask removal. Super fast: a whole roll in seconds.
PPRC was first released in 2016 and after 10 years was rebuilt from the ground up, providing more consistency, robustness, configurability, and speed.
Features
Full 16-bit Output
Uses the full scan data your Pakon captured, avoiding the 8-bit limitations of standard exports and leaving more room to edit.
Robust Orange Mask Removal
Analyzes whole rolls to determine an accurate color baseline, automatically identifying outlier frames so they don't skew the result.
Batch-First Workflow
Designed for folders of scans, not one-image-at-a-time tweaking. Point it at a roll and get a cohesive set of editable TIFFs back.
Neutral & Editable
Output is intentionally neutral and data-rich, giving you maximum editing headroom in your preferred workflow.
Blazing Fast
Carefully optimized, multi-threaded pipeline. A full roll processes in seconds, not minutes.
Automatic Dimension Detection
Automatically detects frame dimensions: half frame, XPan, and other non-standard formats just work.
Tunable & Repeatable
Tune clipping, gamma, border exclusion, and pixel rejection, then save profiles or defaults so future batches start from the same baseline.
Slide Film & B&W
Not just C-41. Use --mode e6 for slide film or --mode bw for black and white. No inversion, just clean 16-bit output.
Works With Your Tools
Use --mode raw to get uninverted linear 16-bit TIFFs for use with any other inversion tool.
Flexible Output Naming
Dynamic folder naming and flexible output placement make batch exports easier to manage.
Cross-Platform
Works on macOS, Windows, and Linux. Scan on your Pakon machine, process anywhere.
macOS Quick Action
Right-click any folder and select "Process with PPRC". No terminal needed.
What PPRC is not
PPRC is not a negative inversion editor. It doesn't offer manual color correction or creative grading controls (tools like Negative Lab Pro, Grain2Pixel, ColorNeg, or NegPy are designed for that). PPRC is fast, automatic, and produces output that is intentionally neutral and data-rich rather than punchy or stylized. The goal is to quickly process a whole roll while preserving data so you can make decisions yourself in your preferred workflow.
FAQ
Is the command line difficult to use?
Once installed, it's a single command. On macOS you can install a Finder Quick Action to get a right-click "Process with PPRC" option, no terminal needed.
Why not just use PSI's built-in saving?
PSI produces decent images but works with 16-bit data internally then discards half of it when saving to 8-bit. PPRC preserves the full 16-bit data and gives you a neutral starting point with more dynamic range.
Why use TLXClientDemo instead of PSI for raw files?
PSI can only export 8-bit files, even when exporting "raw" TIFFs. This shows up as artifacting and quantization in highlights. TLXClientDemo's planar raw output preserves the full 16-bit data.
Can I use my own inversion tool instead?
Yes: run with --mode raw to get 16-bit TIFFs without orange mask removal, ready for Negative Lab Pro, ColorPerfect, Vuescan, or any other tool.
How does the color inversion work?
All images in a batch are analyzed together to compute a shared color profile, which produces more consistent results than analyzing each frame individually. The brightest and darkest pixels are ignored so dust spots don't skew the profile, and outlier frames (e.g. backlit shots) are automatically excluded. For best results, process a whole roll together. Read more →
Get started
You'll need Node.js v22+ installed, then install PPRC globally via npm. For best results, run a whole roll together when possible.
npm i -g pakon-planar-raw-converter
pprc --dir /path/to/raw/files