Scanning problem on Epson V700

[skovbo13]

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G'day everyone,

 

A couple of months ago I purchased an Epson V700 scanner in order to be able to scan my rolls of 35mm color film myself. Since using it for the first time, I have been getting a more or less constant blue/purple tint in all my scans.

 

I have tried both the bundled epson and silverfast software and both provide less than adequate results colorwise. Fiddling with the scan settings doesn't radically improve things either and is rather cumbersome.

 

Is there a solution to this?

 

Here is an example scan I made with all settings at default, shot with Fuji Reala film on my MP:

 

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[el.nino]

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[skovbo13]

So the only way to solve this is via a photoshop plug-in?

 

Is the color tinting a common problem or is my scanner defect?

The scanner wasn't exactly a bargain and this consistently faulty output is rather frustrating. I get far better scan results from my local lab.

[Stealth3kpl]

 

Pete

[menos I M6]

You basically fight the film based equivalent of digital color management between different digital devices, as has been gone over and over painfully by many photographers ;-)

 

For a short answer - it is the developed film, that does not conform with the used color profile of the scan software, to put the raw scan files into your preferred file format, to display properly on screen or even more complicated (as another color management issue added) later in digital print.

 

Solution with the least pain and time wasted: Get yourself a post processing software, you feel comfortable with (be it photoshop, Lightroom, Aperture or …), which allows to do a certain level of automation with basic processing profiles (which must be tweaked by you for getting the color output, you want).

 

You also could fix the issue earlier (using a profile in the scan software, to adjust for the color mismatch), which I find more cumbersome.

 

Some scan software does allow for a real RAW image output after scanning, which is the least worked over scan file from your film, most ideal for further digital post processing.

 

Be warned though, with color negative film, the color cast, you experience will vary likely from batch to batch of developed film and most definitely from different labs.

 

So - spice up in digital post processing ;-)

[jerryharwood]

Try vuescan software, by Ed Hamrick; the professional version will cost you just £40, and you will be able to adjust your scans just how you like. I too have the Epson, and vuescan sorted the problem quickly and efficiently.

[skovbo13]

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Thanks everyone for taking the time to answer.

 

I went ahead and bought the vuescan software, the interface seemed nicely intuitive (especially compared to the horrible silverfast software), and I seemed to get good results at first.

 

But....

I noticed now that I get a lot of black burnout in most of my scans, as can be seen in the lower left corner of this image:

 

 

I have been fiddling with different setting for hours and can't get rid of this.

 

I know it is probably hard to give advice on this without having firsthand control over the settings, but I just cannot believe how difficult and cumbersome this is. I am not exactly new to color correction, having worked for over ten years in advertising and graphic design, but this whole film scanning business strikes me as ridiculously complicated and unintuitive.

 

This below is the scan of the same image which I got from my local lab, and which demonstrates the result I would like to achieve with my own scan:

 

[Stealth3kpl]

I don't know much but I'm trying to get to the point where I do:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/film-forum/137284-colour-negative-scanning-vuescan-colorperfect.html

Pete

[skovbo13]

I don't know much but I'm trying to get to the point where I do:

http://www.l-camera-forum.com/leica-forum/film-forum/137284-colour-negative-scanning-vuescan-colorperfect.html

Pete

 

Wow, very complete and well researched collection of tips concerning this issue.

I'll try this out tomorrow.

 

~S

[menos I M6]

double post

[menos I M6]

I can only think of two reasons, why your lab scans show less "black burnout" than your own scans:

 

They might use a Flextight scanner with the negative evenly lit in all areas.

They have an automatic correction for this enabled in software (unlikely the cause).

 

I can actually not think of a reasonable cause for this other than vignetting, which calls always for an easy to do software fix in post processing.

[skovbo13]

After a lot of trial and error in both vuescan and photoshop I finally got this result:

 

 

Quite an improvement I'd say?

Now if I get rid of the cyan cast (tips?) in the sky/fog I am a happy man, and will try an easier image to scan next.

 

Stealth3kpl's advice was rather helpful, thanks a lot.

 

~S

[tobey bilek]

In photoshop, do a selection of the sky and add red.

 

Check the other frames for underexposure on the left side. There seems to be a problem with a dark edge on the frame displayed.

 

You can correct with a gradient in PS, but I would get the shutter repaired.

 

Get a red brush in PS and paint the sky at low opacity, say 1%, Making multiple passes to cancel the cyan.

 

My usual practice is to scan on manual !00%. Get the density right, then color balance, the redo density. Save the setting at the top where Epson says current setting. Replace it with Reala. The next frame of Reala, use the drop down at the top and pick Reala and the frame will color balance and be correct density.

 

I never have batch to batch variation when I develope myself. You Need a decent lab. The film comes fine and you need to expose it correctly and at the proper color temp for daylight film or filter it or redo a setting for and shade, overcast, flash and where ever else you use the flim.

 

Red and cyan balance

Blue and yellow balance

Green and magenta balance. One corrects over abundance of the other.

 

Beware you can have an orange cast, too much red and too much yellow

Magenta looks like red to the unitiated. Same for blue and cyan. And you can have mixtures of these too. After 40 years like me you learn to deal with it.

[skovbo13]

In photoshop, do a selection of the sky and add red.

 

Check the other frames for underexposure on the left side. There seems to be a problem with a dark edge on the frame displayed.

 

You can correct with a gradient in PS, but I would get the shutter repaired.

 

 

I don't have the darkening on any of my other negatives, so I doubt the shutter is broken.

Thank you for the tips however.

 

~S

[menos I M6]

I don't have the darkening on any of my other negatives, so I doubt the shutter is broken.

Thank you for the tips however.

 

~S

 

The shutter can slip erratically. Often it shows up with single frames having a slightly slow shutter. Have it checked out by a camera repair guy around your corner.

Checking cost you likely the equivalent of a cup of coffee or two.

[jerryharwood]

Hi, just a little tip re your scanning; on the bottom left of your preview screen in vuescan, there is a small panel similar to a curves panel- it acts in exactly the same way. At the bottom of this panel, lower left are two small triangles; move one or the other to see the effect on your preview scan. When you get it roughly how you like it, then go ahead and scan. I use the threepass scan, and then it goes automatically into photoshop, where you can finalise your image. Hope this helps a little. Vuescan really does pay to study all the panels and options- it really is as good as you want it to be.

[roguewave]

One thing I noticed is that your scans is that the contrast is too high. Always better to make a more neutral scan, with as much detail as possible & then bring that image into Photoshop & process the image as you wish.