Re: filmscanners: Goals in adjusting scans?

["Maris V. Lidaka, Sr." <mlidaka@ameritech.net>]

Yes, set the white and black points in the scanner software to get the most
even range of tones.

The scanner file output should optimally not be a full 0 and 255 but rather
your suggested ~5 or 6 and ~245-250.  If you in fact want full 0 and/or 255
points you are better off doing that once you open in Photoshop.  If you
present scanner software for 0 and 255 you may miss some detail you wish to
keep in either the highlights and/or shadows, and you will get a better view
of the image and feel for what you want to keep and discard in Photoshop.

Outputting 16-bit files has no downside in respect to quality.   The only
downsides are in time - it takes longer to make adjustments - and in storage
space used by the image.

Maris

----- Original Message -----
From: "JimD" <rasterdogs@home.com>
To: <filmscanners@halftone.co.uk>
Sent: Saturday, March 31, 2001 12:12 PM
Subject: filmscanners: Goals in adjusting scans?


| The more I scan images with my ss4000 the more I realize
| how much I need to learn.
|
| Should I be setting white and black points in the
| scanning software(Vuescan, insight, SilverFast...whatever)
| to get a full spread histogram when I open the image in
| photoshop and look at the histogram there?
|
| Since I'm scanning mainly to make color prints on a 1270
| should the file output from the scanner yield a histogram
| range from a black of 0 to a white of 255 or will I get better results
| aiming for black of ~6 and white of ~244? I know I can adjust
| curves/levels in PS to set this but wonder it is better to
| do so with the scanner controls prior to changing the image
| in PS?
|
| I've been using Vuescan and outputting 16 bit files to
| Photoshop, that does seem to give a smoother histogram
| once I've made initial changes and converted to 8 bit.
| Is there a downside to this approach?
|
| Just wondering and praying we can talk about something
| other than 'dicky',
| JimD
|