Digital BW, The Print

George,

Once again a real nugget of a post. This one gets printed out to go 
in the scanning binder.

I would love to have the Polaroid 45U. This has gotten much 
more "affordable." The price has fallen to $4,200 at Sparco.com. 
However, having just dropped over $3,000 for the Polaroid SS120 I am 
a tad short. I bought a Linoscan 1400 last November for 4X5 in 
anticipation that SilverFast would offer a version for it. The 
supplied software is total junk! Well Silverfast did come up with a 
version this June but they are asking $699. Pretty steep even for 
them.

I know from your magazine article in Camera Arts, April-May issue, on 
using the Epson 1680 (A must read everyone! ) that you can get some 
pretty good results from flatbeds. I am wondering if the Linoscan 
1400 (1200dpi optical) is worth the $700 investment in Silverfast or 
if I should move up to the Epson and SF (only $235 for the 1680).

Your LUT technique for the 55PN should work for roll film also and I 
will give it a try in the near future since it is time to crawl back 
into the dark and damp to catch up on my film developing. A problem 
in the field for me is that when I'm shooting with my 4X5 I keep 
exposure notes but don't when shooting with my Pentax 67 so some 
discipline is in order here.

Thanks,

Martin


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "George DeWolfe" 
<dewolfe@m...> wrote:
> Here's the procedure for making the LUT files in Silverfast: 
> 
> I've made them as positive image(Negative in SF), but you can 
> also save them as a negative(Positive in SF) in the Main SF 
> Dialog(the middle tab). This should rreally be done with definitive 
> test negatives from 55PN, but this is a place to start. You'll also 
> find that N+1, N-1 etc., mean differnt things with different files. 
> You can have a high-key N+1, a regular mid-key N+1 and a low 
> kwy N+1. The software will automatically compensate for these 
> by changing the gray slider setting from 0 to a minus or plus 
> setting. This can be done with both RGB files and Grayscale 
> files. 
> 
> Because you only have one development for 55PN ( Normal), the 
> contrast range will vary within the negative. Determine when you 
> take the picture whether the scene is a Normal(5 Zones from III 
> to VIII) an N+1(4 Zones) or N-1(6 Zones) and mark the packet. In 
> Silverfast pull up the saved LUT and use the software as though 
> it were your developer and you were using it to control the 
> contrast. 
> 
> Scanning a Polaroid 55PN Negative
> It is almost always better to scan a negative than a print. The 
> resolution of a negative is often 10 times that of a print and 
> enables it to be enlarged to greater magnifications.  The print 
> resolution of 55PN is only 20-25 line pairs/mm whereas the 
> negative is 160-180 line pairs/mm. In practical terms this means 
> that the print can be enlarged only 2-2.5 times and the negative 
> can be magnified 16 to 18 times.
>  
> Because 55 does not offer much in the way of traditional Zone 
> System control, it is best to scan a negative that has full shadow 
> detail and correct it in the scanning stage with SilverFast. 
> Silverfast can be set up to process the "normal" Polaroid 55 
> scan as N, N+1, N+2, or N-1. With the combination of 
> preexposure to the film at the camera stage plus the scan 
> correction, it might be possible to achieve an N-2. The new 
> Polaroid SprintScan 45 Ultra Scanner comes bundled with the 
> SilverFast software. Not only is this scanner easy to use, through 
> its 3.9 density range and a 2500 dpi optical resolution the 45 
> Ultra offers the ultimate quality in an affordable film scanner for 
> 4x5 photographers. It is possible to produce stunning 24x36 
> B&W prints from Polaroid 55PN Negatives with the 
> Piezography24 Pro 7000 Quadtone process using the 45Ultra. 
> Silverfast is also available separately for a wide range of 
> scanners from http://www.silverfast.com.
> 
> The SilverFast software is easy to learn and contains many 
> user-adjusted controls that enable outstanding scans, nearly 
> perfect, in fact, from the Polaroid 55PN negative. However, one 
> needs to set up the N+1, N, and N-1 parameters. HereÕs how:
> 1. Load a 4x5 55PN normal range negative (Zones III-VII) into the 
> scanner.
> 2. Open Photoshop 6 and go to File > Import > SilverFast.
> 3. In the Frame tab check 42-8bit grayscale, Unsharp Mask and 
> Standard. YouÕll want a slight amount of Unsharp Mask to correct 
> any scanning softness problems. Use the unsharp mask default 
> setting or less. Set your desired resolution and set your scan 
> size at 100%. Click Preview. Crop the image in the preview 
> window. 
> 4. In the General tab chose Negative for the Neg/Pos window 
> and a dialog box called Film Type and Exposure will appear 
> below the main SilverFast dialog.
> 5. Choose Monochrome as your film type and adjust the 
> brightness slider to read 50%.
> 6. Click Auto, let the scanner scan, then click apply. Save this 
> setting as N, or Normal.
> 7. Repeat steps 2-6 using a negative that was taken under 
> known N+1 conditions and save as N+1.
> 8. Repeat steps 2-6 using a negative that was taken under 
> known N-1 conditions and save as N-1.
> 9. You may want to repeat this process for any other minus or 
> plus development routines you have. When finished your 
> scanner will be able to act as the developing stage of traditional 
> B&W darkroom practice. 
> 10. Go back to the Frame tab and correct the histogram if 
> necessary.
> 10. Scan. The positive image in Photoshop should be nearly 
> perfect. 
> 
> An alternative solution( and a more favorable one as Photoshop 
> adds more controls for 16 bit files) is to scan in 16 bit HDR 
> mode(with the gamma setting at 3.00) and either go into 
> SilverFast HDR and optimize the scan, or go directly into 
> Photoshop and correct the scan with Curves and Levels and 
> then drop down into 8 bit mode for printing.
> 
> George