Digital BW, The Print

Hi Steve,

> There have been a number of recent posts about scanning that make me
> wonder if I am missing something.  When I scan, my sole objective is
> to get as much information off of the negative as I can -- shadow
> detail, highlights to the extent possible and as smooth a range of
> tones as I can.  I typically do not play with contrast or even adjust
> the mid tones a great deal, assuming I am better off doing all of
> that in PS when I have more precise controls and a much better image
> to work with.  The Nikon scan software seems to work well in this
> regard.  ( I scan in rgb and convert in ps as the Nikon scanner seems
> to be problematic if set to B&W.)
>
> Should I be doing more than working with the equivalent of levels and
> curves at the scanning stage?  I guess the real question is what
> a "better scan" would entail.

That depends.  If you are getting 8 bit data from your scanner, then you are
FAR better off doing tonal adjustments and setpoints in the scanner
software.  I'm not sure if you can get 8 bit data without doing that, but I
don't know how all scanning software on earth operates.

If you are getting HDR (High Dynamic Range) data, in other words, raw,
unadjusted data, then yes, you can certainly set the setpoints and adjust
the curves in PS.

Personally, I do my setpoints and levels in my scanner software, as it
applies the setpoints and levels to the high bit scan (this is what is
important), and it has a histogram and a very nice curve tool and a
reasonably nice setpoint tool.  I get 8 bit data from my scanner, but it's
basically "finished" 8 bit data, that I don't need to do any adjustments to,
so all I do is resize it and send it to the printer, and I'm done.  I don't
sharpen either, for some reason, scans from my scanner don't benefit from
it.

Does that make sense to you?

Regards,

Austin