Film, Slide, Tape & Photo Transfers | Carpel Video, Frederick MD

How it works

Four steps. No headaches.

We made this as simple as dropping off a box, because for a lot of folks, that's exactly what it is.

Bring us your box

Drop off your film, tapes, slides, or photos in person at our Frederick shop. Not local? Mail it in and we'll ship it all back when we're done. Either way works.

We ask the right questions

A real person walks through what you've got and what you want back: DVD, USB, digital, or all three. You get a clear quote before we start.

We do the work in-house

Everything happens right here in our facility. Nothing gets farmed out to a warehouse three states away. The same people who answer the phone are the ones handling your memories.

You get it all back

Your new DVDs or drives, plus every original returned exactly how you handed it to us. Then you gather the family and press play.

What we transfer

If it holds a memory, we can probably save it

Videotapes of every kind

The ones you can name and the ones you can't. Tape degrades a little more every year it sits in a drawer, so the sooner we digitize it, the more of it we can save before it's gone for good.

VHS and VHS-C
MiniDV
Video8, Hi8 and Digital8
Beta, 3/4", 1" and 2"
The oddball format nobody remembers

VHS, Beta, VHS-C, MiniDV, Hi8, Video8, U-matic and other videotape formats Carpel transfers

Old home movies

Those reels in the attic won't play themselves, and the projectors are long gone. We transfer them frame by frame, with the care they deserve, onto formats you can actually watch on your TV or phone.

Regular 8mm film
Super 8 film
16mm film
With or without original sound

Reels of 8mm, Super 8 and 16mm home movie film ready for transfer

Slides, photos & negatives

Hundreds or thousands, we don't flinch. We scan and organize decades of photos so they're safe, shareable, and easy to find, instead of fading in a shoebox.

35mm slides and carousels
Printed photos of any size
Film negatives
Phone photo transfers

Rolls of 35mm film and negatives waiting to be scanned

Audio worth keeping

Voices, music, and the recordings you can't replace. Cassettes and reels turn brittle over time. We pull the audio off before it's gone for good, and yes, that includes your dad's garage band.

Audio cassettes
Reel-to-reel tape
Treasured vinyl records
Transferred to CD or thumb drive

Reel-to-reel and cassette audio tapes stacked for transfer

Photos and videos stuck on your phone? We'll get those too.

Everybody's camera roll is a shoebox now. We've been pulling photos and videos straight off customers' cell phones, more and more lately, and putting them somewhere safe: a DVD, a thumb drive, or a download you actually control. Bring in your phone and we'll take care of it.

How you get it back

DVD, drive, download, or all three

Whatever's easiest for how you and your family actually watch things.

DVD (plays on any player) USB Flash Drive Digital Download + Your originals, returned safe

How much does it cost?

Every project is different, a few reels is not the same as forty carousels of slides. So we quote it honestly, up front, based on what you've actually got. Call or send us a note and we'll give you a real number, not a runaround.

Why sooner beats later

Videotape doesn't last forever. Film fades. Slides get moldy.

Every year those old movies sit in a drawer, the picture gets a little worse and the memory gets a little further away. The machines that play this stuff stopped being made years ago.

We've saved reels people thought were long gone. We've also opened boxes we couldn't save. The difference is usually time, and you've still got yours.

What it costs

Costs to copy film and tape to DVD

Transferring tape and film to DVD or USB is something we've been doing since 1983. Once it's on DVD, copies are relatively cheap.

Super 8mm & 8mm Film Transfer	$45 for 1st 100 ft, $.29 each additional foot
16mm Film Transfer	$.25 per foot · $50 minimum
First DVD Copy	$29.95
Each Additional DVD	$10 each up to 9 copies, less for 10+
Videotape to DVD / USB	$15 per hour · $24.95 minimum · extra copies $10 each
Upload to Thumb Drive	$12–$15, depending on GB needed

Our prices are approximate due to the variety of film reels, tape formats, lengths, and condition. Since every transfer is unique, call 301-694-3500 or bring in your tapes, slides, and films for an accurate quote.

Good questions

The stuff people ask us

Will my original tapes and film get damaged?

No. Your originals come back to you exactly how you handed them to us, every reel, slide, and tape. You get the digital copy and the keepsake. We guarantee it.

Do you ship my memories somewhere else to process?

Never. Every transfer is done in-house by our own team at our Frederick facility. We don't outsource your irreplaceable media to a third party, ever. (If you mail your originals to us, they go straight to our bench and nowhere else, then straight back to you.)

How long does it take?

It depends on the size of the job and the time of year (the holidays get busy). We'll give you a realistic turnaround when we quote your project, and we hit the dates we promise.

What if I only have a few things?

Totally fine. A couple of reels or one box of slides is just as welcome as a giant project. Small jobs are how we meet great customers.

I'm not sure what format I even have. Help?

That's what we're here for. Bring it in or snap a photo and call us. We've seen every format ever made and a few nobody remembers, so we'll figure it out together.

Fair warning

This tends to make people cry.

We've had customers open a finished DVD and hear their mother's voice for the first time in twenty years. Their kids little again. Their grandparents young again. A holiday everyone forgot was filmed. Making you sob your face off is, quite literally, our business. We're good at it.

Let's talk about your box

Ready when you are. Your memories can't wait forever.

Tell us what you've got. We'll tell you what's possible, what it costs, and how fast we can do it.

The memories waited this long. Don't make them wait much longer.