Evening all,

I'm a long-term Linux-only user, with an ancient Epson 2450 Photo Perfection scanner and a cardboard(!) holder for 5x4 monochrome negatives.

It appears that the 2450 can read a 16-bit mono negative image with the Epson drivers - though I have not yet checked that it actually sees more than 256 gray-scale levels. At present I don't think most of my negatives are using the full contrast depth of the system, so more work required there.

Anyway, the plan is:

  • Scan the image
  • Save in a 16-bit lossless format - TIFF at a guess
  • Import into Darktable
  • Bend the curves as appropriate - in particular gain and contrast
  • Remove scan defects and dust
  • Save, with a converted 8-bit version for web viewing


Does this sound reasonable? Can anyone point me at an easy starter for Darktable?

(By way of background - I had thirty years in broadcast TV, which means that my understanding of gain, contrast, and gamma is perhaps the complete antithesis of everyone else's in the photographic world!)

Neil