[filmscanners] RE: 3 Newbie questions

["LAURIE SOLOMON" <laurie@advancenet.net>]

With respect to question #1, I am of the opinion that - given the scanner
you are using and if the 4x6 print is on non-textured paper without any
fingerprints on it and of good quality and color rendition, containing
everything of the subject matter that needs to be shown - the 4x6 print
would be the better pick as long as the reproduction is not going to be more
than twice the size of the print (taking any possible cropping into
account).  I say this for several reasons: 1) the image has already been
significantly enlarged from the original 35mm optically as a continuous tone
print soe you do not get into the bind of needing to resize without
interpolation resulting in an effective loss of resolution or resizing with
interpolation in order to maintain the effective higher resolution; 2) the
lab has effectively done much of the color correction and adjustment that
may be needed in translating a 35mm slide or negative to print, leaving the
possibility of only minor adjustments for you to do with any luck; and 3)
some slide films are harder to scan than others given the characteristics of
the film, which means that with the slides you may need to play with the
settings of the scanner software or in photoshop more frequently than if you
scan a print or prints.

With respect to question #2, monitors need to be recalibrated on a regular
periodic basis since they drift over time and use.  They also tend to change
in color cast as they warm up so one should wait until they have been on for
at least 1/2 hr before calibrating them or before doing any comparisons or
color corrections.  These two points are particularly true of CRT type
monitors and less so for LCD displays.  Are the monitors set to operate at
the same color temperature?  If one is set for a higher color temperature
than the other, it will be cooler and have a cast similar to the one you
describe.  Sometimes different brands and types of monitors (if they are
CRTs) use different phoshors which can cause them to have different color
casts unless one accounts for the differetn types of phosphos being used and
the values of them in establishing video settings in your system.  I run a
Windows platform so I cannot advise you where to go to make said adjustments
on a Mac platform.

By using Photoshops color managment engine to embed the image files with the
appropriate custom output color profile you can help ensure the possibility
of consistent color across devices.  If you are sending these to publishing
house or commercial printer for reproduction, I have to assume that they
will be printed on a CYMK printing press involving separations.  The
workflow for ensuring good consistent reproduction of the image files will
depend on the the nature of the process after it leaves your shop.  Some
places want the files in RGB as high resolution TIFF files which they will
convert to CYMK color spaces and make the separations from; whereas, others
want you to send the file as a CYMK file or even to make files containing
the separations yourself.

In the first case, you need to either send the publisher a file with either
the working color space ( often AdobeRGB 1998) or some other known output
profile tagged to it or embedded with it or obtain from the publisher a copy
of the color profile of the monitors or working spaces that they use in
their systems so that you can soft proof your work and send them a file with
their color profile tagged to it or embedded with it.  In the latter case,
you will need to obtain information as to what CYMK SWOPE standard they are
using on their press and convert your file from RGB to CYMK using that
standard while soft proofing  the CYMK version in Photoshop to see what it
will look like and what colors may be out of gamut.

With respect to question #3, most printers use 300 dpi as their standard
input resolution.  Depending on the process they use, they will take the
input file and halftone it to their press requirements given the ink and
papers used.  The advantage of 400 dpi is that it gives one a little extra
resolution to play with should the image be enlarged slightly or cropped and
enlarged slightly in the printing process to fit a layout.  It is a security
factor for the grphic artist when they are not dealing with a pre-determined
layout.

These are my opinions; I am sure others will have their own.  Hope it helps.


-----Original Message-----
From: filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk
[mailto:filmscanners_owner@halftone.co.uk]On Behalf Of Maaki
Sent: Saturday, August 09, 2003 12:23 AM
To: laurie@advancenet.net
Subject: [filmscanners] 3 Newbie questions


I recently bought my first scanner, an Epson Perfection 3200 flat bed
scanner and I hired a graphic designer to scan transparencies, slides
and prints of my sculpture and then prepare the resulting images for
print publications. She's gone now, and I have some more to do. I am
a total beginner in scanning/Photoshop, so please forgive me for
coming in with these very basic questions.

     (1)  If I have both a 35mm slide and a 4" x 6" print from that
slide,  which would be the best choice to use to scan on this
one-model-fits-all scanner, (assuming the print was printed in good
focus)?

    (2)  Can anyone explain why the Photoshop color corrected scans of
transparencies made by the graphic designer, appear significantly
shifted  towards magenta when moved from a Power Macintosh 9500/G3 +
AppleVision 1710 AV monitor to my Power Macintosh 8500/G3 + Sony
17sfII monitor?

Both monitors were calibrated just before all the work began. The
AppleVision was calibrated with the AppleVision calibration software
with the help of the "Ambient Light Tool" that came with the monitor,
(a grey disk with a hole in it for matching screen color). The Sony
was calibrated using SuperCal 1.1.3. Both Macs are running Mac OS
9.1, and Photoshop 6.0.

Is there anything I can do to ensure that the images will have
reasonably  accurate color and density when received by the company
that will be publishing them? (that is, without spending a bundle on
more equipment)?

    (3)  The graphic designer I hired for this job, was of the opinion
that a resolution of 300 pixels/inch was perfectly adequate. But 4
years ago, another graphic designer at a printing company wanted
everything scanned at 400 pixels/inch for a catalog of my work that
they were printing. Is there any disadvantage to  scanning at the
higher resolution, (other than file size)?

Any advice you folks can give me will be much appreciated.

Maaki

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