I need your Help!

[Eric Rose]

Please check out the waterfall photo. This is a scan of a FP4 neg developed in PyroCat HD. All the negs that I have tried to scan that are process this way look really weird. They almost look posterized. The contrast is all screwed up.

I am using an Epson 2450 with Silverfast SE scanning software.

 

[Jeremy]

Check to see what you are scanning in and outputting as:

i.e. make sure you scan as 16bit Grayscale or 48bit RGB and that you are also outputting this way.

I don't know about Silverfast, but in Vuescan you have to set both of these independently.

 

[Bruce Osgood]

Eric,
I dont have an answer but would like to ask if they print like this?

 

[Eric Rose]

no they print just fine. actually quite beautiful tonality.

 

[John Bartley]

.......They almost look posterized. The contrast is all screwed up............

I use almost exclusively FP4+ with either Rodinal or D-D23 and I have had several that scanned just like that but printed just fine on MGIV Perle.

cheers

 

[Eric Rose]

all the negs that I have dev'd in HC110 or Rodinal scan just fine. It's only the pyro negs that are messed up.

 

[mark]

It is the stain that is messing things up. I don't know why, but since they print beautifully who cares right? Try scanning as a color neg not a BW neg. Might make a difference.

 

[rbarker]

I agree - I think it's a settings issue in Silverfast, where the defaults are being confused by the color of the stain. If you check curves in Silverfast, my guess is that the curve is back-tracking on itself, causing the posterization or near-solarized appearance.

I usually scan as 48-bit RGB, rather than greyscale, but sometimes have to scan as a positive, and then invert in Photoshop. Part of that trick is to remember that the settings values in Silverfast are reversed. I also ignore the Epson instructions for my 3200 to scan emulsion side up. I put the emulsion side down, as you would in an enlarger, and then flip the image in PS. Much sharper that way (no surprise, eh?).

 

[noseoil]

If they print well, why scan the negative? Give us prints!

 

[Bruce Osgood]

....snip.....

I also ignore the Epson instructions for my 3200 to scan emulsion side up. I put the emulsion side down, as you would in an enlarger, and then flip the image in PS. Much sharper that way (no surprise, eh?).

end snip

Ralph makes a very good point, with my tinker-toy scanner it makes all the difference in the world which side is up. Try and scan the other side once.

 

[Eric Rose]

The reason I am scanning is for my website. If I have to I will make a real print and scan it for these pyro negs but I would rather not at this point in time. I usually scan in RGB mode and have the neg emulsion side down.

So far I don't have a workable solution this this problem except printing them.

Thanks for all your help, but if anyone has any further suggestions I would appreciate it.

 

[Baxter Bradford]

Eric
It looks like the dark point hasn't been set correctly ie on a point which is not sufficiently black. Suggest positioning neg in holder so that you can see some rebate. Perform a preview scan. Then select the dark point from the rebate using dropper tool, make other adjustments, highlights, curves etc, reposition neg in holder and then make the scan.

Should this not work, it may well be that the neg is beyond normal dynamic range of scanner, which is unlikely. Vuescan allows multi-pass scans, I used to use 3 with my Epson (rather less than) Perfection 1200, then they average out noise which enables much better shadow detail. Maybe Silverfast would enable you to do the same.

Concur scanning in 16 or 48 bit to remove posterisation.You can open out the shadows using curves.

 

[Eric Rose]

How do you set the black and white set points in Silverfast SE?

 

[Baxter Bradford]

I don't know, suggest using the help facility. It is a fundamental control, so it will bbe there. It prevents highlights getting burnt out and, as in your case, the shadows blocking up.