Digital BW, The Print

I have a Scanmaker 4 with trays for 4X5 and 35mm negatives.  When 
trying to scan images with detail in shadow areas, the resulting 
image shows none of this information.  Instead, I get straight 
black.  Curve adjustment in the Twain package doesn't seem to bring 
very much of that detail out.

I'm still a little new to using this scanner with my negatives.  Is 
there something I can do to capture all of this information for 
manipulation in PhotoShop?  Is the detail really there already and I 
just don't know it (or how to access it)?  I would like to get into 
printing digitally, but need to get over this immediate hurdle first.

Thanks.

You might also try posting this message on the ScanHi-End list:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ScanHi-End/
--
Quentin



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "nedbuntline2002" 
<jon.judson@v...> wrote:
> I have a Scanmaker 4 with trays for 4X5 and 35mm negatives.  When 
> trying to scan images with detail in shadow areas, the resulting 
> image shows none of this information.  Instead, I get straight 
> black.  Curve adjustment in the Twain package doesn't seem to bring 
> very much of that detail out.
> 
> I'm still a little new to using this scanner with my negatives.  Is 
> there something I can do to capture all of this information for 
> manipulation in PhotoShop?  Is the detail really there already and 
I 
> just don't know it (or how to access it)?  I would like to get into 
> printing digitally, but need to get over this immediate hurdle 
first.
> 
> Thanks.

Just this last week there was a thread going about scanning
as positives and then inverting later on.

I had exactly the same problem scanning with an Epson 1600,
no matter what adjustments I did the shadow detail was gone.
The simple change of scanning as a positive made all the
difference.

Its just a software issue -- it makes some wrong assumptions
about B&W negatives.  Scanning as a positive changes the
builtin assumptions.

Whether this will work with your scanner I really can't tell but
its worth a try.

Roy

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@y..., "nedbuntline2002" 
<jon.judson@v...> wrote:
> I have a Scanmaker 4 with trays for 4X5 and 35mm negatives.  
When 
> trying to scan images with detail in shadow areas, the 
resulting 
> image shows none of this information.  Instead, I get straight 
> black.  Curve adjustment in the Twain package doesn't seem 
to bring 
> very much of that detail out.
> 
> I'm still a little new to using this scanner with my negatives.  Is 
> there something I can do to capture all of this information for 
> manipulation in PhotoShop?  Is the detail really there already 
and I 
> just don't know it (or how to access it)?  I would like to get into 
> printing digitally, but need to get over this immediate hurdle 
first.
> 
> Thanks.

>I get straight black.  Curve adjustment in the Twain package doesn't seem to 
>bring very much of that detail out.

As others have reported similar problems, I usually scan my B&W negatives 
as color positives to get the maximal tonal information and then invert and 
desaturate in Photoshop.  Many have described this method, and it seems to 
work well with my limited scanning expertise.