The next evolution in film conversion is here.

Building on everything we’ve learned from years of developing tools for the modern analog photographer, CineStill is proud to introduce the CS-LITE+ — the first light source designed with our new SpectraCOLOR™ technology at its core.

This is more than just an upgraded version of the original CS-LITE — this is a new class of scanning light, engineered from the ground up to maximize the color potential of your negatives.

A Better Light for Better Scans

When we released the CS-LITE in 2022, it was the first truely affordable film conversion light source, offering photographers a more consistent and color-conscious tool for scanning your film. With its compact size, high CRI, and color mode options, it was designed to integrate seamlessly into popular conversion systems, helping simplify the process for everyone from home users to working pros.

But we knew this was only a first step. We were already deep in development of a next generation light source with even more advanced analog color science, custom tailored to help digital sensors see color film the way that it was intended. That’s what led to SpectraCOLOR™ — and it’s what makes the CS-LITE+ unlike anything else on the market. Other high CRI light sources produce color cross-talk, which results in poor contrast, reduced saturation, and color casts in the image. Unlike conventional white light methods, which make film look flat or muddy, SpectraCOLOR enhances the color spectrum of the light source to match the unique properties of color film, ensuring your scans reflect the film’s vibrant natural beauty.

Through years of research and experimentation, utilizing advanced color science and nano-technology, the CS-LITE+ with SpectraCOLOR™ has been designed to produce an ultra-wide color space. It isn't just brighter... it’s smarter. The CS-LITE+ delivers light which has been spectrally-optimized to produce only the precise, ultra-narrowband wavelengths required for scanning color negative film — something unachievable with traditional LED technology — uniquely matching the color channels of digital capture to the separate color layers of film, finally making true-to-film scans a reality. With this new foundation, your scans start with greater balance, accuracy, and dynamic range — reducing the time you need to spend correcting and compensating in post.

Designed for Film Photographers

Like its predecessor, the CS-LITE+ is compact, affordable, and easy to integrate into your existing setup. But now it gives you access to a new level of quality — unlocking more of the potential stored in your negatives.

Whether you’re scanning 35mm or medium format, doing batch rolls or single frames, the CS-LITE+ offers an excellent foundation for your film conversion workflow. It’s built for speed, consistency, and accuracy — so you can focus more on your creative process and less on troubleshooting.

When paired with any film conversion software or tools for Adobe like our CS Negative+ Convert Tools, the CS-LITE+ with SpectraCOLOR is an advanced light source that optimizes color fidelity, tonal separation, and bit-depth; giving you quicker, purer, and more consistent results that reveal the true beauty of film as intended. You’ll have everything you need to go from negative to finished image in less time and with better results.

The Future Looks Bright

Digital is here to stay. And so is analog. The battles of “this vs that” are over — the time is now to dig deeper and utilize all the tools at our disposal; to create new workflows, simplify, demystify, collaborate, innovate, and create the best images yet… The future of analog is brighter than ever!

The CS-LITE+ is just the beginning of SpectraCOLOR™. As more photographers adopt modern camera scanning workflows, our goal is to continue offering technology and tools that simplify the process, elevate quality, and celebrate the analog experience.

Because film deserves better than “close enough.” It deserves true color, true simplicity, and the ability to shine — both in the darkroom and on the screen.

As we begin the process of releasing this product into the community, we hope you have as much joy as we have had testing it — revealing the true colors often lost when scanning color negatives, and even prompting us to re-scan some old favorites to see them in a new light.

We eagerly look forward to what’s next in analog, and what continues to make the space a more brighter, simpler, and vibrant place to create.

Until then, stay tuned for more updates and product showcases on our social channels.

The CS-LITE+ with SpectraCOLOR™ is available for pre-order today and is coming really soon. The future of film conversion starts here, because FILM IS BETTER IN SPECTRACOLOR.

Long Live Film!