Digital BW, The Print

> I tried to find a group that is focused on film scanning,

There is a Yahoo group: the name is: 'scanHi-End'  They will be able to answer your question the most
authoritatively.  We just joined the group and they seem like a nice bunch of people...Some of the same people
that are in this group.

> Over the past two year, I have been scanning 35mm negative film (both
> color and B&W) using a Canon 2710 film scanner. I notice that I spend
> a tremendous amount of time retouching film scratches on over half of
> the images that I have scanned. These are very fine scratches on the
> film base, that would typically not be visible in an enlargement made
> in an enlarger, but which are very visible when scanned and enlarged
> in Photoshop.
>
> My question is: is there something inherent in film scanners that
> magnifies film scratches? I have seen the dust and scratch removal
> software (e.g. Nikon's Ice software) touted in scanner
> advertisements, but assumed these would be necessary only for old,
> mis-handled, damaged film. Is this scratch magnification an attribute
> of film scanning that we just don't talk about in public, or is it
> just me?

It's not just you.  I think there are software fixes for scratches and dust...but mostly in better scanners
(read more expensive), I don't know if they can be used with your Cannon.

We spend a lot of time 'spotting' as well.  :- (

Harvey Ferdschneider
partner, SKID Photography, NYC


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