Scanning negs

[Nick De Marco]

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Having recently got back into film I'm spending my nights scanning negs these days (joy)

 

I use Nikon Coolscan V for 35mm negs and VueScan 700 for my MF negs.

 

I would really appreciate some expert tips on settings, or links to rescources if anyone has them. In particular:

 

1. Generally I don't have a problem scanning black and white. I use maximum resolution settings on both. On the coolscan I recently have scanned the negs as colour and convert to b&w in photoshop as I'm told tis gives greater tonality. Is this correct?

 

2. Colour is a lot more difficult to get right at first. With the coolscan some film colours look very weird. I have tried fiddling with the slides in the tool box but it usually makes things worse. My best results seem to come from using the white balance tool on a particular part of the shot. How do you do colour?

 

3. Also with colour negs do is digital ICE a good thing? I prefer the results and hate spending hours getting rid of hidden dust specs. What do others think?

 

4. With the MF scanner, do you use film profiles? they seem a little hit and miss.

 

Thanks for reading and any advice appreciated.

 

Nick

[Doc Henry]

Hi Nick,

I don't have Coolscan but i have a V700 a very good scanner according to me for slides,color and b&w negs.

Please look at my threads (M7 or R8)

Here two links :

Test report flatbed-film-scanner Epson Perfection V700 Photo with transparency unit: experiences, image quality, scanning

http://www.photo-i.co.uk/Reviews/interactive/Epson%20V750/page_1.htm

for some dirty negs. I use function "Ice" but I do not use at all times.

It is function "dusting" that I often use it

Regards

Henry

Edited August 10, 2009 by Doc Henry

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[stunsworth]

I scan (or rather I should say _scanned) b&w as 16 bit b&w tiffs. I tried scanning as RGB but didn't notice any big difference.

 

As for colour, that's trickier. Colour negative film can produce odd colours and slide film can produce results that are high in contrast.

 

I used a Nikon Coolscan V with Vuescan - VueScan Scanning Software - and set the white and black points to low numbers , e.g. .1%. This gave flat looking scans that I could then use with a curves layer in Photoshop.

[Nick De Marco]

Thanks Stu

I alraedy have vuescan software with my vuescan scanner, but how do I use it in Nikon Coolscan (did not know you could)?

[stunsworth]

Nick, Vuescan don't make scanners, it's purely a software product - and works with the vast majority of scanners.

 

If you follow the link I gave you should be able to get more information.

[Nick De Marco]

Ah OK

apols

[Doc Henry]

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Steve,

There is the equivalent to Epson which is "Epsonscan"software sold with V700

[Rolo]

Nick, you have to use ICE after paying so much for it.

 

The owners of ICE charge any scanner manufacturer using it 20% of the retail price !!

 

That's why Imacon didn't go with ICE and developed their Flextouch software, which isn't as good IMHO.

 

Must have you confused with some who wrote detailed papers on scanning.

[Nick De Marco]

Thanks

I tried Steve's VueScan. It does work with my Nikon scanner but I find it even more difficult to colour correct than Nikonscan software so I have kept with that for now

 

Rolo - I am using ICE mostly now - it's not bad. The trouble is I get used to it and then remember for some reason it does not work on black and white

[Rolo]

Rolo - I am using ICE mostly now - it's not bad. The trouble is I get used to it and then remember for some reason it does not work on black and white

 

An instant reminder of how good it is with colour !

 

I used ICE most of the time and switched it off only for negs where the difference in effort was worthwhile.

 

I was happy with the NikonScan software, but explored the options. I've since learned that there are OS X advantages when using Silverfast and VueScan, but hey .... sometimes it's just easier to do the job with what you have at hand.

[lewis44]

Nick,

I use a LS-5000 , but corrections are the same.

 

First, I use just a few film types, so with each type I take an image of a Greta Mcbeth color chart with the first image on the roll.

 

When scanning the roll, I correct the color chart. 1st the white, grey and black points in the curves menu and then the color balance menu for minor corrections, if needed, saving each and naming them for the film I scanned.

 

When you scan your next roll of the same type of film, you import those settings and you have a very good starting point. I usually just run the scans and do any additional correcting in Photoshop.

 

You can also just get a chart for white, Grey and Black and adjust in the curves menu only. Usually real close just doing that.

 

Using Vuescan you can right click the mouse for white balance.

 

Hope this helps.

 

Randy

[Rolo]

Nick,

 

Must have you confused with some who wrote detailed papers on scanning.

 

Nick it was Marco the expert, but Marco Boeringa at:

 

Technique - Optimal scanning resolution

 

Worth a read, or perhaps just scan it for tips ....

[Nick De Marco]

Thanks Rolo. I found that link particularly illuminating - especially as I have always been one of those people who 'blindly' sets the scanner at maiximum scan resolution believeing this will give me mroe detail (on my Nikon that's at 4000, on my flatbed I don't remember but I was making 68MB files for each pic!). I shall now experiment with lower resolutions as suggetsted. One further question, does the author's advice apply equally to making A4 and above prints as it does to smaller internet reproduction?

[Rolo]

Thanks Rolo. One further question, does the author's advice apply equally to making A4 and above prints as it does to smaller internet reproduction?

 

Pleased you find it useful.

 

I assume it's little to do with internet presentation as an Epson flat bed would be fine for that.

 

It's a few weeks since I read it, but will do again soon to refresh my memory.

[damaso]

Having recently got back into film I'm spending my nights scanning negs these days (joy)

 

I use Nikon Coolscan V for 35mm negs and VueScan 700 for my MF negs.

 

I would really appreciate some expert tips on settings, or links to rescources if anyone has them. In particular:

 

1. Generally I don't have a problem scanning black and white. I use maximum resolution settings on both. On the coolscan I recently have scanned the negs as colour and convert to b&w in photoshop as I'm told tis gives greater tonality. Is this correct?

 

2. Colour is a lot more difficult to get right at first. With the coolscan some film colours look very weird. I have tried fiddling with the slides in the tool box but it usually makes things worse. My best results seem to come from using the white balance tool on a particular part of the shot. How do you do colour?

 

3. Also with colour negs do is digital ICE a good thing? I prefer the results and hate spending hours getting rid of hidden dust specs. What do others think?

 

4. With the MF scanner, do you use film profiles? they seem a little hit and miss.

 

Thanks for reading and any advice appreciated.

 

Nick

 

1. No it doesn't

3. For the most part it works well on color film...

[tobey bilek]

20% of retail! I just clean the neg and turn off all that junk. A few sec in PS cleans up what I can`t blow off.

 

I scan as a negative and adjust the RGB three histograms so the density and color are correct. Everything else is PS. Save the setting for that particular film so you do not have to start from scratch for each frame.

 

My Leica negs seem to have a three dimensional quality I can`t get with my D700 Nikon. It is just that the Nikon is a whole lot easier to use, just push the shutter and dump the card into the computer. Guess the no skill aspect is making this art for the masses.

Edited August 12, 2009 by tobey bilek

[Nick De Marco]

Thanks again for the useful tips. I have found another one for when using colour - use Kodak Porta film. Hardly need to adjust the scanner at all it seems to render the colours so well.

 

I;'m no longer scanning b/w in colour and then converting, but I have noticed some people still prefer the option of scanning mono yet with the other setting on calibrated RGB (you still have to convert then) instead of grayscale. Is this a waste of time too?

 

Finally, back to the resolution issues. I am finding it a lot quicker to scan my 400 ISO films at 1800 dpi instead of 4000 and the quality is fine for internet (and less grain). The reason I am unsure about prints though is that when I have a file this size and convert it to 300 dpi (leaving the pixel length rations the same) the actual size becomes about 8 x 6 inches. Since I prefer to print at 10x8 or A4, with 300 dpi. this is too small.

[ryee3]

:)Can someone give a strong recommendation for which Nikon scanner is the best and fastest for scanning 35 mm negs the 5000 vs the 9000?

 

Within this Nikon price range, is there something better and or faster?

 

Lastly, there are some threads suggesting Nikon is no longer going to make these devices. Could someone comment and confirm this. It seems to be some of us M users will go back to film and scanners will be more and more a necessity vs just a luxury.