Digital BW, The Print

Frank,

You can open the raw tif file directly in PS. This is a workflow many have
favored for B&W work. The only draw back is that in raw files the data is
often very bunched up in one area of the histogram, frequently at one end.
This can be very difficult to work with in PS.

Whether you make adjustments in the scanning software or PS, it is important
to set you histogram endpoints as the first and only adjustment. This will
spread the data out over the 16-bit range without loss. For instance do a
gamma change before or at the same time as setting the endpoints can result
in a small loss of data or combing that will show up as you do additional
adjustments.

I am raw scanning with SF, opening the file with SF HDR and loosely setting
my levels endpoints only and then sending the file into PS for all further
adjustment.

Martin Wesley

http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html



----- Original Message -----
From: "frankg_photo" <fh.gross@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 12:40 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Sprintscan120/Silverfast6 & Glass holder sharpness
problem


> >
> > Yes. In Insight you choose to scan to file and it opens a window
> that let's
> > you choose the file type. One of the choices is 16-bit raw tif.
>
> Is there any reason not to simply open this file in Photoshop (saved
> in Insight as a RAW Tif 16 bit)?
> If PS cant they now have a plugin called Camera RAW Jpeg 2000.
>
>
>
> Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, Polls and
other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
>
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>
>

> You can open the raw tif file directly in PS. This is a workflow 
many have
> favored for B&W work. The only draw back is that in raw files the 
data is
> often very bunched up in one area of the histogram, frequently at 
one end.
> This can be very difficult to work with in PS.
> 
> Whether you make adjustments in the scanning software or PS, it is 
important
> to set you histogram endpoints as the first and only adjustment. 
This will
> spread the data out over the 16-bit range without loss. For 
instance do a
> gamma change before or at the same time as setting the endpoints 
can result
> in a small loss of data or combing that will show up as you do 
additional
> adjustments.
> 
> I am raw scanning with SF, opening the file with SF HDR and loosely 
setting
> my levels endpoints only and then sending the file into PS for all 
further
> adjustment.
> 
> Martin Wesley

Martin,
I just tried the above with PS anbd the reult is exactly as you 
deescribe - 
I saved the file from Insight as a 16 bit RAW in TIF file format and 
then in Photoshop I opened Image>Adjustment>Levels and found the data 
all bunched up on one side of the histogram. So I moved the slider on 
the 'empty' sideto join the pixels on the histogram and voila a 
decent looking result, but a little dark/muddy. I then used Curves to 
move the Midpoint (gamma?) up a little to get a very good image.

I dont have SF HDR installed (I had only upgraded to SF6 Ai but 
didn't get the HDR as they wanted yet more money for it)and am 
contemplating whether it's advantageous to get & use. You say that 
it's the exact same procedure as I've described here but on some 
images the HDR handles the RAW file adjustments easier than PS does ?
Frank

Martin,

It is kind of you to give us this tutorial.  It is proving rather 
useful.  Thank you!

Regards.

Shilesh

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, "Martin Wesley" 
<mwesley250@e...> wrote:
> Frank,
> 
> You can open the raw tif file directly in PS. This is a workflow 
many have
> favored for B&W work. The only draw back is that in raw files the 
data is
> often very bunched up in one area of the histogram, frequently at 
one end.
> This can be very difficult to work with in PS.
> 
> Whether you make adjustments in the scanning software or PS, it is 
important
> to set you histogram endpoints as the first and only adjustment. 
This will
> spread the data out over the 16-bit range without loss. For 
instance do a
> gamma change before or at the same time as setting the endpoints 
can result
> in a small loss of data or combing that will show up as you do 
additional
> adjustments.
> 
> I am raw scanning with SF, opening the file with SF HDR and loosely 
setting
> my levels endpoints only and then sending the file into PS for all 
further
> adjustment.
> 
> Martin Wesley
> 
> http://www.borderless-photos.de/guests.html
> 
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "frankg_photo" <fh.gross@s...>
> To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 12:40 PM
> Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Sprintscan120/Silverfast6 & Glass holder 
sharpness
> problem
> 
> 
> > >
> > > Yes. In Insight you choose to scan to file and it opens a window
> > that let's
> > > you choose the file type. One of the choices is 16-bit raw tif.
> >
> > Is there any reason not to simply open this file in Photoshop 
(saved
> > in Insight as a RAW Tif 16 bit)?
> > If PS cant they now have a plugin called Camera RAW Jpeg 2000.
> >
> >
> >
> > Please visit the Group Homepage to check the Files, Bookmarks, 
Polls and
> other resources as they are often being updated. The page is at:
> >
> > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint
> >
> > If you wish to receive no emails or just a daily digest, or you 
wish to
> unsubscribe, please edit your Membership preferences by visiting 
this same
> page.
> >
> > Please follow these basic guidelines:
> > - Include your full name with your message.
> > - Include the address of your website, if you have one.
> > - As threads develop, trim off excess portions of earlier 
messages to keep
> them short.
> > - As the topic of a thread changes remember to change the subject 
header.
> > - Good manners are required at all time. No personal attacks or
> &amp;amp;quot;flames.&amp;amp;quot;
> > - Complete your Yahoo profile.
> > - Before posting a question, search the message archives and the 
various
> resources on the homepage.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to 
http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
> >
> >

----- Original Message -----

From: "frankg_photo" <fh.gross@...>
To: <DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Saturday, May 03, 2003 2:07 PM
Subject: [Digital BW] Re: Sprintscan120/Silverfast6 & Glass holder sharpness
problem


>
(snip earlier)
>
> Martin,
> I just tried the above with PS anbd the reult is exactly as you
> deescribe -
> I saved the file from Insight as a 16 bit RAW in TIF file format and
> then in Photoshop I opened Image>Adjustment>Levels and found the data
> all bunched up on one side of the histogram. So I moved the slider on
> the 'empty' sideto join the pixels on the histogram and voila a
> decent looking result, but a little dark/muddy. I then used Curves to
> move the Midpoint (gamma?) up a little to get a very good image.
>
> I dont have SF HDR installed (I had only upgraded to SF6 Ai but
> didn't get the HDR as they wanted yet more money for it)and am
> contemplating whether it's advantageous to get & use. You say that
> it's the exact same procedure as I've described here but on some
> images the HDR handles the RAW file adjustments easier than PS does ?


Frank,

The upgrade cost is $65 for SF HDR I believe and at that price it is
probably worth it. You are likely to run into raw scans that open in PS with
the data not only bunched up but jammed up against one end of the histogram
meaning the shadows or highlights are blownout and detail lost. This can
usually be recovered by the use of the levels function in SF or SF HDR which
by setting the endpoints will get the data back into the middle of the
histogram for adjustment in PS.

The other big reason to do the upgrade is that the older versions of SF HDR
would not output a 16-bit file to PS, only 8-bit.

Play around with the workflow a bit and see what you like and think you will
use. There is not fix path to follow on a lot of this and much of it is
personal preference.

Martin