Imacon 848 technique

[archivue]

Is it safe to scan a 4x5 negative at full resolution (2040) and in the raw mode 3F, then converting it in tiff later on an other computer using flexcolor... or shall i make all adjustments before scanning and saving it directly as a 16 bits tiff?


PS : in the 3f mode, shall i use sharpening or not ?


Thanks.

[nelson_chan]

Archivue,

I rent an Imacon per hour and use 3f raw scanning exsclusively. I then adjust at home on my personal computer which has Flexcolor on it. This is great for scanning as many negs as possible without really breaking the bank. I also do not use sharpening when I scan (though when you do a 3f, sharpening is not applied). Only when you process the 3f into a tiff, is when you determine whether you want to sharpen or not in the settings for processing. I prefer to use PhotoKit Sharpener.

The main reason for using a 3f in my opinion is to make corection composites out of your negs to reduce the levels of noise and artifacts. I'm only talking about compositing for color or exposure. Not anything like Gursky or Crewdson (don't get me wrong, I like their work), but you could potentially do that. This technique of compositing gives you a much cleaner file for a final result of an exhibition quality print.

I hope this helps.

[Stephen Best]

Is it safe to scan a 4x5 negative at full resolution (2040) and in the raw mode 3F, then converting it in tiff later on an other computer using flexcolor... or shall i make all adjustments before scanning and saving it directly as a 16 bits tiff?


PS : in the 3f mode, shall i use sharpening or not ?


Thanks.

I normally do an unclipped, unsharpened scan and work on this ... but I always have the option of rescanning. If you don't, the 3F workflow is probably a good idea. Did you know that you can install the 3F plug-in and open the scan directly in Photoshop? Just assign the scanner profile (Flextight 646 & 848 v2.icc or Flextight X1 848 & 646.icc) and convert to your working space. The image will be pretty flat.

[Kirk Gittings]

I have never used the 3f raw option, as I am not pressed for time when working on the scanner. Is it a true proprietary RAW file format? What is it?

[nelson_chan]

The 3f file for Imacon is its own RAW format. Essentially, the scanner will scan the true resolution of the neg. No information is clipped, adjusted, or interpolated. It's mainly meant for archiving. Think of having access to a digital archive of your negatives. It's a glorious feeling to know that you can go back to the 3f file of xyz-neg and work on it when ever you want.

I however do not work with an archive. I just scan what I need to when I need to. I work on images very singularly. The beginning of my work flow starts with processing a neg over and over again. I will composite a neg by isolating the processing for highlights, shadows, and color. Compositing an image this way creates for a much cleaner file. Because my end result is always an exhibition quality print (whether inkjet or digital C) this work flow keeps noise and artifacts to an extreme minimum. Even if I owned an Imacon scanner, I would always do this so as to have a pristine file. I hope this helps. Feel free to check out my website- almost all of the images were composited this way.

[vijaylff]

I rent time on an Imacon as well, and have never considered using the 3f format, but as Nelson points out, it could be useful for getting the most out of a negative by processing differently for highlights and shadows. Is the Flexcolor software freely available to those who don't actually own the scanner?

thanks,
Vijay

[Ted Harris]

Like Kirk, I have never used the 3f format and I have one question .... does that format maintain the "hidden" scanning that is so troublesome with Imacon's software? One of the reasons Imacon scans frequently appear so good is that the zero setting for sharpening is actually not zero and you have to set it at ~ -160 to actually eliminate sharpening. If you know what you are looking for you can easily see the sharpening artifcats.

[Stephen Best]

Like Kirk, I have never used the 3f format and I have one question .... does that format maintain the "hidden" scanning that is so troublesome with Imacon's software? One of the reasons Imacon scans frequently appear so good is that the zero setting for sharpening is actually not zero and you have to set it at ~ -160 to actually eliminate sharpening. If you know what you are looking for you can easily see the sharpening artifcats.

The 3F file is just a sensor dump. The file itself is a TIFF variant with extra tags to support FlexColor settings. If you don't want sharpening, turn it off (the setting is Apply Unsharp Mask, Amount -120) or open the 3F file directly with the plug-in.

[Walter Foscari]

The Imacon I rent time on runs on a MAC. I have the latest release of Flexcolor running on a PC. If I save the scan as a 3F file will I be able to open it on my PC? In other words are 3F files portable across platforms the same way that TIFFs are?

[Stephen Best]

The Imacon I rent time on runs on a MAC. I have the latest release of Flexcolor running on a PC. If I save the scan as a 3F file will I be able to open it on my PC? In other words are 3F files portable across platforms the same way that TIFFs are?

You should be able to (but I don't have a PC and haven't tried it myself).