Re: 35 mm b&w neg by SprintScan

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Ender100@aol.com
Date: 10/30/01-12:21:26 AM Z


Judy,

Some scanning software has trouble "seeing" black and white negatives and
with some settings. How does the software do with color negs? Are you
scanning in the native resolution of the scanner without interpolation? Is
there a sharpening feature you can turn off and a "scratch & dust" filter you
can turn off? I used to use a Nikon LS-2000 before I got the Imacon and I
found that the wonderful whizzbang "ICE" feature that removed any film
scratches, etc...actually degraded the image a lot.

Another thought, if scanning in color, usually the blue channel contains most
of the "noise" from the negative. Tray scanning the black and white negative
in color negative mode, but a little on the flat side. Bring it into
Photoshop and use the Channel Mixer set to monochrome and look at the red and
green channels, whichever one looks best, or use a mix of the two, like 25%
Green and 75% Red ... then convert to grayscale after you OK the Channel
Mixer.

If you are unable scanning in 16 bit mode, once you open it in Photoshop,
convert immediately to 16 bit mode before doing anything. Do the Channel
Mixer, then Levels, then Curves.

Hope this helps... ... you can send me a jpg of the file to look at if you
want.

Mark Nelson
In a message dated 10/29/01 9:38:43 PM, jseigel@panix.com writes:

<< Dear mavens,

I'm having a strange problem trying to scan b&w 35 mm negs with the
Polaroid Sprintscan 35 Plus & wondered if anyone has a clue.

I've used this scanner in past & was OK, tho only on chromes, and only
enlarged to maybe 4 inches for Post-Factory. Now I'm trying to go from 35
mm to large NEGATIVE, both for my own use and for P-F "Analog Woman"
article.

I didn't print it out, but image on the monitor is beyond grainy, more
like peanuts on the face, unusable even as 8x10. Since I've printed these
negatives (tri-x and plus X) in silver gelatin up to 16 by 20 inches with
no problem, I'm non plussed.

The software program (I'm still using Polacolor Insight 3, resisting
another download, I confess) has a bug... won't scan in black & white
then bring into Photoshop.... you have to scan in "color", bring to
Photoshop in color, & THEN switch to b&w. Could something in that be the
problem? Or maybe new bug since last use ?

I'll try their tech support, but that's been frail reed in best of
times... (tho maybe I should get that software upgrade while they live?).

First, though, given all the digital mavens on the list, thought it
couldn't hurt to ask...

Hopefully,

Judy >>


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