Gordon,
Do you have suggestions on workflow protocol? I will try a drum scan with a good scanner and operator. I am guessing Cone editions Hell drum scanner would be a good place to get a comparison done.
Spencer
Gordon,
Do you have suggestions on workflow protocol? I will try a drum scan with a good scanner and operator. I am guessing Cone editions Hell drum scanner would be a good place to get a comparison done.
Spencer
Hello Spencer,
The old Hell drum scanner is still a good comparison source, despite nearly being a museum piece. Anyway, it would eliminate the thought that your Imacon is the source of problems. Try working with just one image scanned on both systems, then try out several paper choices on your Epson printer.
Rather than chasing many directions, find a paper you only want to use for your printer, then stick with that. You did not mention whether or not you are running a RIP, though that is one place for adjustment, but only after you are set on a paper.
Sharpening in post processing is a very tough issue. I have seen far too many oversharpened images, and it is very easy to get it all wrong. There is no such thing as one choice in settings that will work for every image, and this is why Adobe has built in variable settings.
Anyway, workflow is output centric, meaning that the steps need to achieve the goal of a print. In commercial printing, we can often safely assume that the press operator has it running at optimum, though even here we can alter the results by carefully choosing a paper stock. This should be your first workflow step, since you are running your own press (your Epson). The whiteness or brightness of the paper will influence the results, as will the tooth (texture) of the paper, though we can sort of assume the paper coatings on inkjet papers (where the ink really goes) are very similar.
It might be easy to think that the scan of the film is an issue, but you only need enough information to match your printing needs. It would surprise me if your Imacon was not sufficient for your needs, though it might be possible to introduce operator error into this workflow step.
The last item, despite it being in the middle, is altering your scanned image file in post processing (PhotoShop). Ideally you don't want to do much adjustment, since nearly all steps in PhotoShop are destructive editing. There are so many choices you can make that it would be easy to get things very wrong in PhotoShop. I don't know your level of image editing skills, so I will limit my response here.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
A G Studio
Hi Gordon,
I use an old 50mm minolta lens and they look sharp. I need to review my digital protocol. Does anyone have suggested text?
Spencer
Gordon,
My image editing skills are good.
Spencer
Hello Spencer,
Then two things to do are to get a good high end lab scan, and try out different papers. Once you know that your scan is not a limitation, and your paper choice is not a limitation, then you should try different editing choices in software.
Ciao!
Gordon Moat
A G Studio
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