Digital BW, The Print

George,

Thanks for your input!  I haven't tried your suggestion, but I will  
shortly.

If I understand correctly, the fact that you can do some post  
development image manipulation in the scanner and/or photoshop and  
produce a good print of a scene that might have deserved N-2  
development seems to support the conclusion that, within some limits,  
modifying development times is irrelevant when the image will  
ultimately be scanned and not wet printed.

If I incorporate Austin's response to your post, it would also seem  
that the method used to manipulate the raw information from the scanner  
(whether the scanner software is used or photoshop is used or both) is  
paramount in managing  the scene contrast.

It seems to me this is exactly analogous to the motivation for creating  
the zone system in the first place: making it easier to produce a print  
without enormous effort.  In the wet workflow it is much easier to  
manage the density range on the negative than to try and produce a good  
print from a poor (eg: too many or too few zones) negative.   
Conversely, it may be easier to use software to mange the contrast of a  
scanned negative than it is to manage the density range on the negative  
using development compensation.

Hmmm, I hope that doesn't sound silly in a couple of posts.  No doubt  
it will after I hit the send key.



On Wednesday, January 8, 2003, at 06:12 AM, George DeWolfe  
<dewolfe04679@...> wrote:

> There are a great many solutions to controlling contrast in digital
> photography that perform the same things as Zone System
> exposure and development used to. One of these is to expose
> for the shadows (making sure you get all the information) and
> then make 2 scans, one for the highlights and one for the
> shadows. The range of densities, especially on Tri-X and color
> negative film allows us to capture detail that was previoiusly
> unprintable with only one scan. Tweaking the single scan with
> Levels and Curves destroys part of the image, even in 16-bit.
> With 2 scans, one for the highlights and one for the shadows,
> you can then recombine these images in Photoshop using this
> procedure and get a nearly flawless Dynamic Range:
>
> 1.	In Photoshop select and drag (using the Move Tool) the
> underexposed image on top of the overexposed image. This
> puts the underexposure on a layer on top of the overexposure
> (which becomes the Background).  Go to Difference Blending
> Mode and align, if necessary.
> 2.	Make a layer mask on the 2nd layer.
> 3.	Select the Background and copy to the clipboard. Hold down
> the Option/Alt key and click on the mask (it should turn white).
> 4.	Paste the Background into the layer mask (it will be pasted as
> a B&W mask).
> 5.	Open View > New View to see the effects of the mask.
> 6.	Click on the mask and Gaussian Blur the mask to a 30-50
> pixel radius.
> 7.	Adjust contrast and brightness of the mask with curves.
> 8.	Flatten.
>
> Another, and more productive way,  is to combine 2 images
> taken in camera on a tripod ( especially with a digital camera)
> and use the new photoshop plugin, Optipix, which does this
> automatically (www.reindeergraphics.com).
>
> I've also just tested the new Epson RIP for the 2200 and it
> produces an absolutely neutral(and outstanding) grayscale
> image (when a Grayscale image is used printed using the Color
> setting (CMYK)). It nearly matches the old Piezography inks in
> tone.
>
> George
>
>
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