First scan - Epson 4870 - HP5 - D76 - Please advise!!

[Sully75]

Not really. But would appreciate some feedback.

The details:
Used, but new-to-me Epson 4870, original MF holders
Yashica 124
Outdated HP5
D76, can't remember how long, but the standard time for 1:1 dilution

First time developing film in a long time. The negatives look reasonable to me, could be a touch overexposed, not sure.

So I'm starting to get a little used to the scanner. Have tried Silverfast (can't make heads or tails of it) Vuescan (can't figure out where the adjustments are) and Epson Scan (the only thing I can really afford anyway).

Epson Scan seems to be working relatively stably, so if I can use it, I would like to. I really don't have money to blow at the moment.

Anyway, I'm finding the histogram/slider adjustment of the Epson scan very confusing. I keep thinking the left slider has something to do with shadows, but then if I pull in on the right slider, the preview goes totally blank. Can someone explain that to me?

The other thing that's bothering me is that after I get the scan in, no matter if I scan in 16 bit grayscale or 48 bit color, if I do a curves adjustment in photoshop afterwards, I get a hair-comb histogram (look at the screenshot attached). The picture in the screenshot is not nearly as bad as some of them I've been getting.

So my questions:
1) Should I be worried about the sawtoothing? I'm worried I'm losing a lot of smoothness and transistions in tones.
2) If so, what could I do to get a smoother file?
3) How can I understand the sliders in Epson scan?
4) Is D76 maybe not the best developer for this kind of work? What else might I use?
5) How do you think the scan looks?

Thanks for your help!
Paul

 

[pellicle]

Hi

Not really. But would appreciate some feedback.

sure, well I'm no expert, but I'll offer what I can

The details:
Used, but new-to-me Epson 4870, original MF holders
Yashica 124
Outdated HP5
D76, can't remember how long, but the standard time for 1:1 dilution

well, thats a bit bad ... should at least make a note of these things. I have a file that I keep and include preview scans for histograms so that I know my density too.

but since its your first attempt I'll just say that make consistency your friend cos you really don't want to make an enemy of consistency.

First time developing film in a long time. The negatives look reasonable to me, could be a touch overexposed, not sure.

hard to over expose negative film ... you have quite some leeway.

So I'm starting to get a little used to the scanner. Have tried Silverfast (can't make heads or tails of it) Vuescan (can't figure out where the adjustments are) and Epson Scan (the only thing I can really afford anyway).

Epson Scan seems to be working relatively stably, so if I can use it, I would like to. I really don't have money to blow at the moment.

feel the same ... have you spotted my tutorial on the Epson? Try reading that too, it will supplement much of what I say here.

Anyway, I'm finding the histogram/slider adjustment of the Epson scan very confusing. I keep thinking the left slider has something to do with shadows, but then if I pull in on the right slider, the preview goes totally blank. Can someone explain that to me?

I agree ... let me see if this explanation sits with you

first, never work with a negative as a negative in Espon ... the sliders work in a non-linear manner and it just roots things up. Work only in positive mode and totally forget about working with it as a positive until you're in Photoshop.

So looking at the slider:

you have an upper and a lower slider. These set where you want your dark levels and light levels. In this image I've laid the neg (4x5 sheet) on the glass and let some of the vacant clear glass become part of the selection for the purpose of explaining base fog ... that's why there is a big spike of levels over to the right in the "white" area, which will of course become black when inverted.

The film base itself will be your black, so you should snuggle the slider over to just get that (since its nearly clear its on the right in positive).

The other thing that's bothering me is that after I get the scan in, no matter if I scan in 16 bit grayscale or 48 bit color, if I do a curves adjustment in photoshop afterwards, I get a hair-comb histogram (look at the screenshot attached). The picture in the screenshot is not nearly as bad as some of them I've been getting.

yes, don't worry about that, its an artifact of the 8 bit representation that PS does in making its display of histogram and other stuff faster (or saved developers from recoding)...

it will disappear when you flatten ... oh, why do you have so many curves layers?

So my questions:
1) Should I be worried about the sawtoothing? I'm worried I'm losing a lot of smoothness and transistions in tones.

not at that point

4) Is D76 maybe not the best developer for this kind of work? What else might I use?

personally I like D-76 ... I've been through a few (including pyrogallol) and have come back to D-76 as a developer I can get into and by keeping things simple I can comprehend more of the other things I do.

Myself I find changing light and environmental conditions complex enough to comprehend fully with out adding changing developers into the mix ... yet

anyway, don't forget to browse that link above and remember the Rachel Hunter Principle:

It won't happen over night, but it will happen

 

[Sully75]

Thanks...that was helpful. I tried scanning in as positives and think the results are a little better.

So many adjustment layers? Well to me that's the same as burning and dodging in the wet darkroom. I love adjustment layers, if it weren't for adjustment layers and layer masks photoshop would be pretty lame in my opinion. So much control.

Oddly I don't seem to be getting that spike on the right like you are getting for your fog. I have less fog but still not getting any spike it seems?

I'm still confused as to why when you drag the right slider in towards the middle, even a little bit, the whole preview goes black?

Thanks again!!

Oh, here's attempt #2:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/paulmcevoy/4401282646/

 

[pellicle]

Hi

Thanks...that was helpful. I tried scanning in as positives and think the results are a little better.

glad to help

So many adjustment layers? Well to me that's the same as burning and dodging in the wet darkroom.

well, yes, but masking layers would be more productive for burning and dodging I'd have thought ... are these applied to specific sections and feathered?

I'm still confused as to why when you drag the right slider in towards the middle, even a little bit, the whole preview goes black?

unless you're doing something massively wrong, it will not go black if you drag it a little bit

 

[pellicle]

Oddly I don't seem to be getting that spike on the right like you are getting for your fog. I have less fog but still not getting any spike it seems?

if you are using a holder (as if you read my post you can see I wasn't) then the unexposed negative (where you will see the base fog) will probably be masked off (by the holder) and not be visible.

you can't "see" the base fog without looking at unexposed negative.

 

[Sully75]

Hi



glad to help



well, yes, but masking layers would be more productive for burning and dodging I'd have thought ... are these applied to specific sections and feathered?

Yes, each of those layers has a layer mask. It's a technique a friend taught me (probably well know but I'll share). Set your lasso tool to 200 pixels, make a rough selection of the area you want to adjust, and then add a new adjustment layer (curves, usually). It will pop up with the new layer and a layer mask. To do a light vignette, I select a circle around the edges of the picture, invert the selection, and then do a new curves layer. Very easy and fast!