Push/Pull processing if Scanning Negative

[Alan Klein]

The short version is that satisfactory scan results do not guarantee an easy printing job in the darkroom. Period. The most extreme proof of that is the Ferrania P30, which some say is the best film for scanning. Wet prints with this film are a nightmare

Why do you think that is? So which films work better?

[jnantz]

I thought you'd provide which film scans the best for printing. I don't ordinarily print but have found Portra, Tmax, and slide films scan the best and easiest to edit, adjust the colors, and then display electronically.

I have never found a film that does not develop, print, scan, edit &c well. It is all about how it is treated in the camera and afterwards. If someone has trouble with it, they are not exposing or developing it in a way that is conducive to their scanning / printing methods, or they might not have the skill set to extract what is in the film. Like printing, scanning is a skill set. I have found that Xtol and I do not agree and will never use that developer again, some people swear by it, I'd rather use something else.. that's the only thing I can provide you with. LOL

[Doremus Scudder]

It does seem that film that has been optimized for scanning may not be ideal for traditional darkroom printing. A scan can get lots of information from a rather flat negative, but photo paper ideally needs a larger, and more targeted contrast range. If you optimize for darkroom printing, then scanning shouldn't be a problem, but not vice-versa.

Doremus

[SergeyT]

I wish there was a scientific explanation of what that "optimized for scanning" means . Otherwise consider that a marketing pitch.
Ok found some explanation and, as expected, nothing to worry about...
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Press Release:

In a move that underscores their ongoing support of the professional photography market, Kodak have announced improved versions of their Kodak Professional Portra 400NC and 400VC films. The latest enhancements to the award winning Kodak Professional Portra colour negative film family build on the successful introduction of improved Portra films in 2006. The finer grain of the Portra 400NC and 400VC films, combined with the spectacular skin tone of the entire portfolio, enable professional photographers to create striking, breathtaking photographs.

“In the past 18 months, since we introduced the new generation of Portra film, we’ve sought ways to refine and improve the films to provide even better options for professional photographers,” said Mary Jane Hellyar, president, Film Products Group and executive vice president, Eastman Kodak Company. “These new 400NC and 400VC films, with their even finer grain, will enable photographers to create stunning images with spectacular skin tones and, in addition, provide improved scanning performance for greater enlargement capability.”



The new films offer:

Finer grain
Extended use of antenna dye technology enables Portra 400NC and 400VC films to deliver finer grain than ever before.

Outstanding scanning results
With finer grain and an emulsion overcoat specially designed for scanners, Portra 400 films reproduce beautifully, with either optical or digital output.
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[koraks]

It does seem that film that has been optimized for scanning may not be ideal for traditional darkroom printing.

But by 'film', do you mean the physical product, or the negative made on it? In case of the latter, I agree to an extent. As you said, flat negatives tend to scan nicely, but may not print particularly well.

[Alan Klein]

But by 'film', do you mean the physical product, or the negative made on it? In case of the latter, I agree to an extent. As you said, flat negatives tend to scan nicely, but may not print particularly well.

What about alternative printing such as digital negative or etc?

[jnantz]

I wish there was a scientific explanation of what that "optimized for scanning" means . Otherwise consider that a marketing pitch.
Ok found some explanation and, as expected, nothing to worry about...

LOL. like with everything ... maybe the sales pitch should read "film scans easy if you know what to do"

[koraks]

What about alternative printing such as digital negative or etc?

I don't understand your question. Just to be clear: I was referring to Doremus' post about (silver halide) negatives being appropriate for scanning and/or wet printing onto silver gelatin paper.

When it comes to alt. process printing, the various processes have rather wildly varying requirements in terms of negatives that will print 'well'. It's pretty much all over the place in terms of density ranges and curve shapes. Digital negatives make it of course possible to consistently match a negative to a printing process, but it's a different topic from the question if a particular (silver halide) film is or isn't 'appropriate' for scanning or silver gelatin printing. I don't think anyone is doing much work on the front of digital negatives optimized for scanning

If I were to take a stab at discussing silver halide film appropriateness for alt. processes: I've yet to come across a silver halide film that won't work with just about any printing process. There are combinations that are kind of finicky or suboptimal, such as HP5+ for salted paper, but even those combinations can be made to work (albeit with effort, perhaps sub-par results etc.)

[Doremus Scudder]

But by 'film', do you mean the physical product, or the negative made on it? In case of the latter, I agree to an extent. As you said, flat negatives tend to scan nicely, but may not print particularly well.

To clarify: I'm referring to black-and-white film and to the contrast gradient to which it has been developed, not the physical characteristics of the film itself. I know photographers who develop their black-and-white film for scanning to a much lower contrast gradient than would work well for traditional darkroom printing, claiming that the lower-contrast negatives scan better. That's fine unless you ever want to make darkroom prints. You could eke out a silver-gelatin print from them, using a very high contrast setting from normal scenes, but low-contrast scenes developed to a low contrast gradient would be a real headache. On the other hand, negatives developed for traditional silver-gelatin printing seem to scan quite will despite some photographers' preference for lower contrast for scanning.

Best,

Doremus

[koraks]

Thanks for clarifying Doremus; I agree.