![]() So it can mimic a scene having exactly 10 stops of luminance range. The step wedge has a minimum optical density at step 1 of 0.05 and a max density at step 31 of 3.05 in 1/3 stop increments. It’s a Kodak Tri-X negative that’s been exposed through a Stouffer’s Step Wedge®. Using these settings, click and it will give a quick scan of the negative converted to a positive (like normal). Here’s my initial settings in VueScan using my Epson V700. I sometimes deviate from this with color negatives I’m having issues with, but that’s not common. I scan the negative as a negative, both for color and B&W films. If you’re serious about getting great scans, you need to know to turn off all/most of the built-in presets. ![]() Like any consumer machine, its controlling software has built-in defaults and automatic settings for folks who just want something fast. Luckily, controlling the machine isn’t difficult if you use the right scanning software. But, because it’s technical, realize that you must control the machine (i.e., the scanner and its software) to get the most out of it. There is little room for creativity, so don’t try to make it that. Perfect rarely happens in real life photography. Automatic scanner settings will often assume a perfectly exposed negative, perfectly developed negative, a ‘common’ film or type of film, a ‘common’ type of scene, and/or it assumes you want sharpening, dust removal, color balance, resolution, and any number of other assumptions. The image above (“A Moment On the Nez Perce River”) is an example from a scene having extreme dynamic range that can give automatic scanner settings the fits. But to scan some film images, you must know how to control the scanner and its software. There is no reason a properly exposed and developed negative can’t be scanned without clipping any shadow details or any delicate highlights, even specular highlights.Don’t ask too much of your scanner and scanning software: it’s only good for one thing, and that’s to get every bit of useful information from the film image as is possible.There is little usefulness for creativity during scanning. You don’t need a degree in scanning to get the job done. Scanning film is a craft that requires learning, but folks, it’s not rocket science.I’ve compared Epson Scan to VueScan in scanning B&W film here. That’s when you need the tools and the skill to get every bit of useful information from the negative before you can make a great image. But there are those times when things don’t go as planned, and you’re left with a great composition on a crappy negative. I have no doubt that if all your negatives (color or B&W) are perfectly exposed and developed, you won’t need the advanced tools built into VueScan (however, it will take care of those too) and so the basic scanning software like Epson Scan will work fine. Try VueScan® here: (I have no association with it). VueScan, because it includes so many controls for so many scanners, can be frustrating to use sometimes, but if you follow my workflow, and refrain from experimenting too much, you’ll be okay (I think). By far, I’ve found VueScan is the most flexible and effective, and what I say below relates to its use. I’ve tried Epson Scan®, SilverFast®, and VueScan®. ![]() Software can make a big difference in user experience. For those film images, we need to learn how to force the scanner and scanner software to do the best job possible to get all the useful information from the film. But there will always be those film images that fail miserably during scanning automatic settings and presets just can’t provide a digital image that we can process into a fine image for printing or sharing. Scanning film requires a special machine (a transparency scanner) that passes light through the film and to the scanner’s sensor, and records minute differences in density and color at millions of sampling points on the film, and records those differences in a digital file.įor some images on film, we can relay on automatic settings in scanning software to adequately read and convert the film image to an acceptable digital image. Scanning film is a necessary evil if you shoot using film cameras and want to convert the film image into digital format for proofing, sharing to the web, making a digital negative for alternative processes, or for inkjet printing. This tutorial covers how I manage my film scanning to get every bit of tonal information from a negative and avoid clipped shadows and highlights, which ensures I get great scans from my film images. “A Moment on the Nez Perce” by J Riley Stewart Why Scan Film?
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