Page 1 of 2 12 LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 17

Thread: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Jul 2010
    Posts
    537

    BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    I have a BW 4x5 Acros Negative that I would like to scan for maximum quality using the Slverfast software and Epson v700 scaner with standard epson carriers. I would like to print a 30x40 print.

    For example,

    Which settings & profiles do I use in SILVERFAST? (eg Profile, Optimisation, HDR, multipass scan, effects like sharpening, Curves, Levels, noise reduction.. etc..)

    I just need the best possible quality out of the scanner for printing this image digitally..

    Thank you in Advance

  2. #2
    Joanna Carter's Avatar
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Plestin-les-Grèves, France
    Posts
    989

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    Out of interest, I use the Epson software, make the minimum of adjustments at the scanning stage, and do the rest in Photoshop. I find that far more controllable and accurate than doing it all at the scanning stage.
    Joanna Carter
    Grandes Images

    UKLFPG

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Aug 2009
    Posts
    1,176

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    Quote Originally Posted by Joanna Carter View Post
    Out of interest, I use the Epson software, make the minimum of adjustments at the scanning stage, and do the rest in Photoshop. I find that far more controllable and accurate than doing it all at the scanning stage.
    I agree with Joanna. In the epson scanning software, I try to get as wide of a range of tones as I can without hiding detail in the shadows or having any blown out or thinly pixelated skies or bright areas, then I do the rest in photoshop. The scan itself is kind of drab when you do it this way, but the tools in ps are better for contrast etc. So that is where you make it look good.

  4. #4

    Join Date
    Aug 2010
    Location
    Birmingham UK
    Posts
    68

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    I use Vuescan (to produce a flat looking scan) and do all the corrections in Capture One, with a final small tweak in PS.
    The B/W presets are really good in C1

    I haven't used Silverfast but I guess if it's similar to Vuesca/Epson software then all the adjustments are best done in PS??

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Location
    Lakewood, CO
    Posts
    722

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    I scan color, not B&W, but I'd take EpsonScan over silverfast for B&W too. The controls are simple but extremely effective.

    However, I try to get the global adjustments of the scan near where I want them with curves, levels and the other bits at the scanning stage before sending to photoshop and use photoshop primarily for fine tuning color and local adjustments.

    Unless I wanted to use the film profiling capability of silverfast to either make scans somewhat repeatable or make scanning multiple images faster, EpsonScan has produced better end results in my experience. It just takes a bit more time for each image.

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Flagstaff, AZ
    Posts
    1,496

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    As another who has used just about all the software available on my 4990, I've decided that the Epson Software gives me the best and easiest results. I gave up on Silverfast about two years ago.

    I turn everything off and then use only the histogram adjustment. Make sure you open up the output sliders to their max positions as the Epson Software defaults to some clipping on each scan. I also adjust the input sliders for each color channel to leave a little room in the shadows and highlights (usually 5 wider in the shadows and 5-10 in the highlights). Set the middle slider to between 1.5 and 2.0 depending on the imnage. I set the film type to B&W Negative, 48-bit color and 2400 dpi. That's it.

    Any slight color cast can be taken care of in using channels layer in Photoshop where I tend to use 80% Green and 20% Red with the monochrome box checked.

    This works really well for me. For that special neg, I use wet mounting.
    Jim Cole
    Flagstaff, AZ

  7. #7

    Join Date
    Jun 2006
    Posts
    210

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    The silverfast SE software that came with my epson v700 drives me friggin nuts. The epson software does a much better job.

    Anyway, to answer your question:
    There is no one setting which will give you the 'best' results. All negatives will have different contrast, grain, sharpening, color balance, saturation, etc.

    Scanning, editing, and printing all require thought and skill. There is no default setting.
    That said, I usually concentrate on scanning for maximum tonality only. Then all other adjustments are done in processing.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Feb 2010
    Posts
    8

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    Do people scan a negative or as a positive and invert in Photoshop?

    (I have an epson 4990 and like it and like the epson software too. Didn't like the Silverfast version I got with the scanner. I scan at 4800dpi and then immediately reduce the image width/height and sharpen with a radius of 2 with the FocusMagic plugin)

    I'm not happy with the way I get the levels right. I scan as a negative, with a few tweaks and then try fix further in PS. It takes a long time and I get ugly muddy scans very often. I'm looking for a way that doesn't take years of practice.

  9. #9

    Join Date
    Sep 2003
    Location
    Massachusetts USA
    Posts
    8,476

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    You might find this article, entitled Scanning Tips to be helpful.

    It covers the Epson 4990, but the v700 would be roughly the same.

  10. #10
    Abuser of God's Sunlight
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    brooklyn, nyc
    Posts
    5,796

    Re: BEST TECHNIQUE/WORKFLOW in scanning a BW negative with SILVERFAST & EPSON v700?

    I use an older epson scanner (4870) and wet mount to float glass that sits on shims above the scanner glass. Figured out the actual focal plane through trial and error.

    I scan at the full sampling rate of the scanner (4800) and let vuescan sample down to 2400. This is still slightly higher than the scanners optical resolution (somewhere around 2200). The downsampling averages 4-pixel blocks and reduces noise slightly. Vuescan saves the file as a 16-bit tif.

    I go for a soft scan ... no clipping. All the edits i do in photoshop, besides rotation (to correct for the camera or the scan not being straight), are non-destructive. Most of the heavy lifting is done on one or more curves layers.

Similar Threads

  1. v700, silverfast se, & windows 7
    By Wade Guisbert in forum Digital Processing
    Replies: 4
    Last Post: 8-Feb-2010, 05:28
  2. Epson V700 Issue
    By asd in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 86
    Last Post: 12-Apr-2009, 21:58
  3. Epson Expression 1680 for scanning 4x5 velvia?
    By stompyq in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 1-Jul-2008, 13:53
  4. Type 55 Scanning on Epson V700?
    By jay rustle in forum Digital Processing
    Replies: 12
    Last Post: 30-Oct-2006, 11:21
  5. Help with a digital negative from and Epson
    By Bruce E. Rathbun in forum Digital Hardware
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 21-Jan-2004, 09:12

Bookmarks

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •