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Digital BW, The Print

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Re: [Digital BW] Re: Workflow assistance?

2014-07-25 by michael3442@...

Thanks again, Jimbo. The concept behind "raw scan" is that scanning can be either a one or two step process. As a one step process you scan the image and save the file to disk without any processing at the hardware/scanner level (resembling a RAW capture). The idea is that PS is just as capable, if not more-so, than the scanner's software to render the file into a suitable image. As a two step process, first the image is scanned and then, due to choices made when setting up the scanning software, the file is processed in the scanner; then it's saved to disk. From here the file can be further processed in PS, LR, and so on.

I've done a fair amount of experimentation with these two methods and do not find any advantage to the two step process over the one step. With the one step method I can be certain I'm getting everything the image has to offer without the intervention by the scanner's software. Raw scanned images/negs show up as dark images in PS and that may be seen as a disadvantage; however, that does not reflect on the quality of the file. (I'm not an authority on this method; I've just read a bit and have experimented a bit. If I'm proven to be misguided, then I'll change my ways.)

As for the image(s) in this series (NE Minnesota landscapes in winter), I only shoot when it's completely overcast, outside, thus providing very low contrast. It also may be snowing as can be observed in the present image. With these images, what I "see" eventually turns up as the final print and may be different from what the film/sensor records, but that's the way it always is; the tools are part of the process at arriving at a final image ready for viewing. I'm not trying to be true to the film/sensor; I'm trying to be true to my experience of nature. These images aren't for everyone, but a surprising number of folks find they strike a fairly deep cord. I'll post a couple of additional images from this series that I've recently completed; they'll be up sometime this evening (fri.).

As for equipment, I scan with an Epson 4870 using Epson Scan, process with PS CS5, and print with an Epson r2400 (larger prints will eventually have to be sent out).

Michael

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