Digital BW, The Print

Thanks for the tips Paul I shall look into this , however , I'm not convinced this is the extent of the problem . I still have a suspicion its something I'm doing.......
Steve

  Steve,

  >I seem to be getting fairly grainy results from B&W negs ...
  >using a decent scanner [Nikon LS4000] and scanning at max res.....?

  The Nikon apparently uses a highly-focused, "collimated" light source that
  shows more grain than the more diffuse light sources.  It's analogous to the
  condenser enlarger head v. a color or cold light head that has a ground
  glass above the negative.  I worry about this with the Nikon also, having me
  eye on the 8000.

  I don't think lowering the resolution is the answer.  I deal with grain by
  sharpening only in selected areas and the use of various Photoshop tools.

  The "Smart Blur" tool has proved itself to be on of the most amazing tools
  for this. (Filter, Blur, Smart Blur)  Try playing with the controls in its
  dialogue box with an area that is troublesome.  I use it on a duplicate
  image (or layer for those who prefer such).  Then I combine the images
  selectively and at different percentages as needed to balance grain with
  detail.

  Paul
  http://www.PaulRoark.com


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