Digital BW, The Print

Hello Walter,
      When you bought your scanner it came with a SilverFast Disc ( probably Ai version) , two IT-8 targets ( one 4x5 transparency and one 5x7 reflective) and  a Monaco Easy program.       Install and use Silver Fast instead of Epson Scanner Driver if you are not already doing so.   What follows is my way of using it for BW negatives, chromogenic or not:
      -Use HDR (16 bits per channel ) . There is a box of configurations where you will find an option for defining HDR gamma. Try gamma 2.2 for HDR.        HDR will permit you to scan only as a RGB positive and does not leave you  apply any correction nor unsharp mask, etc. You will get a very flat negative image.       -Define scan resolution numbers at 100% . Avoid " broken numbers" . Find  the one that gives you the nearest file size of our interest among 1200, 2400, 3200 or 4800 ( the maximum for your scanner ).         -Open it in Photoshop. Ignore or accept the embeded profile from Silver Fast, but dont convert it to any RGB that has a gamma diferent from the one you are thinking to use when editing your grayscales . ( Prophoto, for instance has a gamma 1.8, Adobe 98 has a gamma 2.2 ). I supose that your color settings in PS are configured to preserve profiles when opening and to ask when finding an embeded profile different
 from the one you have choosen for RGB color space.        -Look at the image at 100% or more (200%, 400%) and choose the best channel in terms of sharpness( in my 4990 is the green channel and in my V750 is the blue ). Select the best channel and convert it to gray gamma 2.2 ( 16 bits). Take a look at the histograms of each channel too and check if the channel you`ve choosen is not clipped .      -Invert the image. Go to adjustment layers/curves and adjust for what you want. 
   If your negatives are very similar one to each other you may use a set of all these actions but still can adjust the adjustment layer for each case. 
     Apply un-sharp mask (s)  after defining the print size.          Renato  

--- Em sex, 31/7/09, Walter Oliver <wso@...> escreveu:

De: Walter Oliver <wso@...>
Assunto: [Digital BW] Help! Scanning B&W negs
Para: DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com
Data: Sexta-feira, 31 de Julho de 2009, 15:07












 
 




    
                  I have an Epson 4990 flatbed scanner which includes a frame for strips of negatives. 



I want to scan the negs to at least make decent proof sheets, but my first attempt was absolutely horrible. 



Using color produced scans with a heavy blue tint, and using 16 bit gray scale gave me very flat, dull gray scans with a Dot Gain 20% embedded profile. 



I used Professional mode, B&W negatives, and changed no other settings except the 16 bit gray scale. 



Can anyone point me in the right direction to get decent scans from chromagenic B&W film (Ilford XP-2 or Kodak BW400CN)? 



Thanks in advance, 



Walter 



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