RE: filmscanners: Sharpening scanned images for printing

["Austin Franklin" <darkroom@ix.netcom.com>]

Hi Harvey,

> > HI scan 35mm at 5080 and do not sharpen at all.  I also shoot
> with Leica and
> > Contax (Zeiss) glass, as well as develop my own film, so I can
> control the
> > quality of the development.
>
> Aren't 'sharp' images on film a different issue than sharp scans?

Yes, but your scans won't look sharp if the image isn't sharp...unless you
have a very low res scanner.

> And aren't higher bit level scans sharper than lower bit
> ones?....

No.  In fact, they would be softer, since there are more tonal levels.
Sharpness is really nothing but contrast, as in difference in tonal values.

> So the spi would not effect how sharp the
> scan is, rather it would be the bit depth.

Hum.  I don't think you phrased that quite as you meant it...I believe you
mean that the bit depth effects how sharp the scan is, not the spi... The
both do.  The higher the bit depth, the softer your scan will be, as I said
above.  Also, the higher the spi, the more just how fuzzy your image really
is will show ;-)

> >
> > > Also, do drum scans require less sharpening?
> >
> > I believe a lot of drum scanners do sharpening automatically?
>
> Whether the drum scanner sharpens depends on the software being used.

I understand some sharpen in hardware...

Regards,

Austin