The accurate digitization of film using high-resolution digital cameras, especially historic positive and negative film, presents a difficult challenge for cultural-heritage imaging. Approaches used for reflecting materials—e.g., profiling using color targets—are difficult to apply to transparent materials due to a paucity of film-specific targets, measurement challenges of small patch sizes, and the inadequacy of these targets for historical films and negatives. Research was carried out to design, construct, and verify a new transmission target. Simulation was used to select 80 filters, optimized from a 476-filter set of absorption filters with criteria including colorimetric performance for the 80 filters and four validation spectral datasets, color gamut, and spectral diversity. A prototype target was constructed, measured, and imaged. All criteria were met. Future research will refine the target and validate its performance using independent targets and color-challenging photographs.