several basic questions, and i mean BASIC

[ann]

several years ago i purchased an Epson 3200 just after they came out on the market and have barely used it.

to make a long story short, recently i have decided to scan some 6x7 negatives and learn a workflow method :rolleyes: to work on understanding inkjet printing.

i was quite amazed how much spotting i needed to do, even tho, i cleaned the flatbed and the negative. thank goodness for that silly little tool "the healilng brush".

It came to mind that with the scanner i also received SilverFast EI and have printed out the pdf files to get a handle on what this software will do.


My question is : Is this software a valuable part of the workflow?

Is dust just a normal part of the scanning process?
I never had to spot a traditional print as i did the scan, and i t hought i had done a good job of cleaning the bed and negative, but at a 300 % zoom i found too much junk.

so far i have been surprised at the quality of the image from these negatives as i expected very poor results. I tested a 35mm negative with a Minolta dual scanner III that someone gave me, and was not very happy with the results; altho, i realy didn't work very hard at making any adjustments, so with the Epson i was expecting the same sort of results.

Perhaps, it is just beginners luck.

Any simple tips would be appreciated. I have several books already but i am in the middle of learning so much new stuff lately, my brain is in overload and my eyes glazed over.

thanks.
ann

 

[Pinholemaster]

Yes, software is just as important as the hardware.

You need to more diligent in cleaning for scanning then printing. Don't worry about what you see at 300%, what you see at 100% is the benchmark. I usually enlarge to 200% when using the healing brush.

Also look at systems that use Digital ICE for dust and spot removal while scanning. Some claim it softens the overall image quality, but for a really heard negative or transparency to clean, it might be your solution.

Good luck. You've got a lot more learning to do. Doesn't happen overnight. The more you scan, the better you'll get.

 

[ann]

thanks for the input walt.

i have been using an anti static cloth for cleaning, do you have a better suggestion?

I loaded the silverfast and played around with it, but find i am more comfortable with using the epson scanner directly. will do some research about the digital ice software.

The learning curve doesn't worry me, it is the unanswered questions that pile up that is a pain.

 

[Bob Carnie]

Hi Ann

as suggested 300% is really too much,
When I dust bust I look at final print size % just like I would do traditionally. Also I use the clone stamp tool .
In the room you scan try to raise the humidity to around 50 or 60% .this will keep static and airbourne dust down.
I will rewash film before scanning warm water and a high quality cloth so as not to abrase the emulsion.
I use canned air and static cloth.
It is amazing what you will see once you start scanning.
It is as finiky as making large prints with glass carriers in the enlarger.

thanks for the input walt.

i have been using an anti static cloth for cleaning, do you have a better suggestion?

I loaded the silverfast and played around with it, but find i am more comfortable with using the epson scanner directly. will do some research about the digital ice software.

The learning curve doesn't worry me, it is the unanswered questions that pile up that is a pain.

 

[Mike Richards]

ann,
Glad to hear of your successful results so far. Just a couple of points:
- Digital ICE doesn't work with silver based negatives -- i.e. conventional black and white.
- I use a soft camel hair brush and canned compressed air to clean the dust from negatives just before mounting them in the scanner. It's a never ending battle chasing dust, but you are always better off by minimizing it as much as you can before scanning.
- If you are not comfortable with SilverFast, you might want to try Vuescan. I use it with my flatbed scanners, it's inexpensive, and you can download a free trial version: http://www.hamrick.com/

Wishing you continued success.

 

[keithwms]

I use one of those polonium antistatic brushes for scanning, and I think it's made a big difference. I also keep my scanner and printer in a glass-doored cabinet. Also, in the winter, dust becomes an even bigger issue if you allow the humidity to drop down too low; you might consider a humidifier. In the darkroom you just steam the place up and let it settle, but you probably don't want to steam your computer area So a humidifier with a filter will help.

I think ICE has helped me with chromes and chromogenic stuff, but does nothing for b&w. I have done a few wet scans on b&w and though it's a pain it does really help with scratches, but on the other hand it's really tough to keep things clean when you scan wet.

I use epson software for b&w and vuescan for chromes. The epson software removes dust and so forth quite well but I still prefer to do it myself. For that I usually use the PS clone tool with partial opacity.

 

[donbga]

thanks for the input walt.

i have been using an anti static cloth for cleaning, do you have a better suggestion?

PEC cleaning pads and PEC cleaning fluid.

I loaded the silverfast and played around with it, but find i am more comfortable with using the epson scanner directly. will do some research about the digital ice software.

Silverfast AI is the better product, IMO, though the Epson software in professional mode works fairly well.

Digital ICE will only work with film that doesn't contain silver, so it doesn't work for B&W film. From my experience Digital ICE causes an unacceptable loss in detail.

For digital spotting I inspect the scan at 200% and use the clone tool for spots instead of the healing brush. The clone tool works a lot faster. I use the healing brush to eliminate scratches, lint, etc. When using either tool you can set "end points" to quickly eliminate objects such as straight line scratches, power lines, etc. So set the end points and click the mouse and viola' in one whole process the defect is gone.

The learning curve doesn't worry me, it is the unanswered questions that pile up that is a pain.

For the 3200 there really isn't any point in scanning at any larger than about 1600 dpi. I would think that for 35 mm film the Minolta scanner would be the superior tool.

Don

 

[ann]

thanks everyone for the tips.

i will not waste time with research on the DIgital ICE as i am only using traditional films.

Don,
i will give the clone tool a try.

also, i was thinking i would go back and give the film scanner another try with some 35mm film.

THe PEC products crossed my mind, but wasn't sure.

 

[ctscanner]

Ann,
Just a few thoughts:
You really can't avoid dust, I have used compressed air on a negative or slide, and watched dust specks settle on the surface as I inserted the carrier into the scanner. Use compressed air continually.

Spotting, or cloning is a fact of life. But you can drive yourself nuts trying to clean everything that might be there. Best rule that I have found, try to look at the scanned image at 100% before you make any decisions rather than do any cleaning. Quite frankly, some of the things you are seeing won't even be visible once you go to print. I can get away with just using the Clone tool for most of my spotting.

Everything I have read about Digital Ice is that it will soften the image. I am not disagreeing with the other responders, but I have yet to find anything on the Web to bely that. Their are similar options to Digital Ice in both the Vuescan and Silverfast packages. You might want to explore that possibility.
I use both, primarily Silverfast because I like the adjustments a bit better.

Assume in most cases that you can produce a pretty decent scan with just the use of the tools available in either of the two above packages. That would be setting levels, midtone brightness, curve adjustments, contrast and color saturation. Silverfast will also let you do color adjustments. That leaves you with sharpening, which I always do as the very last step. I find that that is better done in Photoshop.

Hope this helps a little, and expect that the process is one that you will continually find yourself learning as you go. I have been at it now for the past 5 years, and still consider my self a learner.

Good luck,
George

 

[Ted Harris]

Also take a look at Prazio's products, specifically their film cleaner. It's what I use.