Help setting up an Epson V500

[stradibarrius]

Hi I'm new here but am a regular at APUG. I wad told I could get help at this forum.

I have a new V500 scanner and I am trying get the initial set up to scan film.
I have some B&W negatives that are very good but trying to scan then has produce poor results.
I am using the Epson Scan software on a Windows XP system and importing into Photoshop CS3.

I have input the following settings:

Pro mode
film
B&W negative
8 bit grayscale
best quality
6400 dpi res.

Can someone help me with the settings?

 

[mr. mohaupt]

I have had pretty good luck. I purchased mine from Epson refurbished and love it. I cant wait to go home and use it again. I would told a few different things and have been experimenting with about a million different settings.

This was done with the high-bit (16?) monochrome setting

Its something like 9000x9000 (medium format) I have found that if you use the USM it makes the images look grainy (I shoot mostly Fomapan 100 at box speed). Dust removal at the Low setting works pretty good but your still going to spend some time in PS cloning and healing.


After I scanned that someone told me it would be better to scan in color at 48 bit and just desaturate it in Photoshop. The only difference I have found is that all my negatives (blue film base) come back warm and larger in file size.


All in all just remember to scan for print size. If its just for the net the DPI doesn't really matter.

I will post more results in the next day if you would like.

~mike

 

[stradibarrius]

sure, I need all the help i can get.

 

[mr. mohaupt]

Why dont you post up an example so I can see what it looks like. I will reply in the next day or so when I finally get home.

~m

 

[pellicle]

Hi

while you may know what your problem is can you please provide something more than

I have some B&W negatives that are very good but trying to scan then has produce poor results
....
Pro mode
film
B&W negative
8 bit grayscale
best quality
6400 dpi res.

cos I have no idea what it is that it the problem.

it could even be that there is no problem at all. Some people seem to think that the images should be the same only more enlarged (just like on Miami CSI) when zooming in more on their scans. It could be that its just not as sharp in the film when you scan that detail ...

So there are un-imainably many options, so please define more what it is you'd like to know so we can have a reasonable attempt at answering.

 

[stradibarrius]

I have made some progress. I think you of my original problems was the first film I tried to scan was Rollei IR400. I tried some Fuji Acros 100 with much better results. More definition, clarity, contrast etc.

What are the most typical B&W settings for your dpi when you want to print a 13x19. Do you set them and leave them no matter what size you are going to print?

Would I use the same settings for the same film in a MF 6x7 as I would if I were scanning 35mm?

 

[mr. mohaupt]

I would have to venture out here and say no, there are no stock settings as each negative is different. I would say that it is easier to get a 13x19 print from MF then 35mm but that also goes with out saying. As I am typing this up I am scanning up some 35mm examples and some MF examples so you can get an idea of what "MY" workflow is like.... which I might add is only 2-3 weeks older then yours...


be back in a few.
~m

 

[mr. mohaupt]

Ok I have some samples for you to decide for yourself. I have found a 35mm photo that I enjoy first. All the test images were scanned at 1200 DPI at image size so .89 in x 1.38 in. The last is a 100% crop of the image scanned at 12.30 x 19 @ 400DPI (I figure that would be closer to printing size you asked for.) The film is Agfa APX 400 developed in 1+75 Rodinal based on my "secret timing..." Which involves a whole bunch of guess work... lol

Here is the basic image

Here is no tone adjustments with just the USM box. From top to bottom they are; no USM, Med, and High

Here is my "artist rendition" (which would probably change each time I scan it unless I scan to TIFF but thats another thread)

As you can see the amount of USM is up to you and with just the untoned image you can do a lot in photoshop using only the dodge and burn tools, Levels, and Curves. A little note, for all of my images I have done some selective sharpening other wise the grain is to wide spread.


Dead Link Removed
This last image is a 100% crop of the 12.30 x 19 @ 400DPI after using "auto exposure, USM low, Dust removal low," and adjusting the levels and curves in PS. As a Jpeg on disk it is about 5mb but once opened in PS it is 106mb.



Hope this helps point you in the right direction for now. MF will come if you would like to see more examples with the large negative. The ultimate key is how big you want to print them. If you just want to post them on the web increasing the DPI to 1200 will be more then enough for any size negative. If you want to Print though you have to select the "target size" and then change the DPI accordingly. Also don't forget that if you want to crop within the images then the target size should be larger. My optimum settings are going to differ from yours because of how I like my images to look. So where you might use High USM all the time I might never use more the low. This scanner is pretty much amazing and with an optical DPI of 6400 I think it can scan and print for just about any size you want (depending on the viewing distance). again another thread another time.


Sit down, play with your scanner at different settings to see what the images look like and then play with them again once you are ready to print. I usually call my printing company and ask them if they will give me some kind of deal on printing about 5 images to "calibrate" my new equipment. Last time I was sent 5 8x10's for the cost of shipping.


Enjoy,
~m