Hi,

I have an Epson 4990 scanner running Silverfast SE on a Windows XP computer. I tried scanning my first TMax 100 negatives and can't find any explanation of the Scan Type options drop down box. I want to just scan in Grayscale for now, having read the articles on scanning in color and using just one of the RGB colors. I also used the Negafix feature for TMax 100. I may try wet scanning soon, but want to get the dry scan setup first.

What is 16->8 Grayscale vs 16 Bit HDR Grayscale? Both are type options available. I used the 16->8 Grayscale type. Then, when I opened the file in Photoshop, the profile messages are:the customary Leave As Is, Assign working gray: dot gain 20%, and Assign Profile with dot gains from 10% to 30%, plus Gamma 1.8 or 2.2, and Black and White. I used Assign Profile button and the the Black and White option.

I scanned at 2400 ppi and then downsized to 400 ppi in photoshop because of the 220MB large file size. When I locked the pixels locks the size went up to 330MB.

The scans looked pretty good when I sharpened them with Focal Blade 1.04, but I don't know if I am set up for the optimal scan. Also, the Focal Blade wouldn't work and seized up on the big 220 MB files. It ran fine on the 25 MB files.

Finally, would an upgrade to SE Plus with ME or Ai Studio give me better quality scans?


I appreciate any suggestions as to the best setup for my B & W Scanning.