Concepts

Gain a basic understanding of Filmbase's design so you can set up your workflow for efficiency.

Let's walk through the basic building blocks of Filmbase so you can understand how everything fits together and make the most of your film photography workflow.

Basic Concepts

Film Inventory

Your film inventory is the collection of all film stocks you currently own. Think of it as your personal film store. Each inventory item tracks:

What film you have (brand, type, format)
How many rolls are available
When it expires
How many rolls you've shot and purchased

Your inventory counts automatically update when you log shooting a roll or purchasing new film. Check your inventory regularly to see what's running low or about to expire.

Film Log

The film log is where you track each roll you shoot. A film log entry represents a single roll of film from when you load it into your camera until it's developed and scanned.

Each log entry contains:

What you're shooting (project name or location)
What camera you're using
What film stock you loaded (from your inventory)
When you started and finished the roll
Whether it's been developed and scanned

Think of your film log as a diary of every roll you shoot. It helps you track what's currently in your cameras and what's waiting to be processed.

Purchases

Purchases are records of film you've bought. Each purchase tracks:

What film you bought
How many rolls
How much you paid
When you bought it

Purchases automatically add film to your inventory, so you always know what you have on hand. They also help you track your spending and find the best deals over time.

Field Recorder

If you're a PRO member, Field Recorder lets you document frame-by-frame exposure details. It's like a digital version of the exposure notes photographers used to keep in small notebooks.

For each frame on a roll, you can record:

Location, date, and time
What camera and lens you used
Exposure settings (aperture, shutter speed, and film speed)
Any exposure compensation
Notes about the shot

This data is invaluable for learning what works and what doesn't with different films, cameras, and lighting situations.

EXIF Editor

EXIF Editor bridges the gap between analog and digital by adding camera and exposure metadata to your scanned film photos.

The tool:

Takes your digital scans that you've uploaded to Filmbase
Connects them to your film log entries
Embeds all your camera settings as EXIF data
Produces enhanced files for your digital archive

Free tier users can edit 5 images per week, metadata is limited to camera make and model. PRO users can edit unlimited images, have access to professional file formats, and can embed Field Recorder data from the tool automatically.

The EXIF Editor enables your film photos to have the same searchable metadata as your digital photos when you import them into Lightroom, Capture One, Apple Photos, Google Photos, or other photo management tools.

How Everything Connects

The Film Lifecycle

Filmbase is built around the natural lifecycle of film:

Buy it: Record a purchase
Store it: It appears in your inventory
Shoot it: Create a film log entry, PRO users can record frame-by-frame exposure details with the Field Recorder
Process it: Update the log when developed and scanned
Enhance it: Use EXIF Editor to add metadata to scans

Each step connects to the next, creating a seamless workflow.

Tracking Your Gear

Your cameras and lenses are configured in Settings and then used throughout Filmbase:

Cameras are selected when creating film log entries
Lenses are selected when recording frame details in the Field Recorder (PRO feature)
Both get embedded as metadata in your scans

Keep your gear list updated so you can track which equipment you use most often and analyze your shooting habits.

Dashboard Intelligence

Your Dashboard pulls information from all parts of Filmbase to show you:

How much film you have left
What's about to expire
What film stocks you use most
How frequently you shoot

These insights come from the connections between your inventory, purchases, and film log.

Which rolls are expiring soon
How many days until expiration
What percentage of your film gets used before expiring

Use these insights to plan your shooting and make sure film gets used before it expires, or that it is relocated to a appropriate storage such as a refrigerator or freezer.

Quick Tips

Start with your gear: Add your cameras and lenses before logging film
Log immediately: Create a film log entry as soon as you load a new roll
Update promptly: Mark rolls as finished, developed, and scanned as they happen
Track everything: Even small purchases add up to valuable insights
Use the Dashboard: It's your mission control for all film activities