Re: Black and white negative scanning
Re: Black and white negative scanning
- Subject: Re: Black and white negative scanning
- From: "Richard Frederickson [Contr]" <email@hidden>
- Date: Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:04:51 -0500
Ludovico,
Unless you have scratched negs, as noted, there are much better
alternatives to gel.
The scanner I use is an Imacon Flextight 949 (the current model is a
Hasselblad X5). I scan EM negatives here, which have a very high
dynamic range and can be quite grainy. This scanner's dynamic range
exceeds the densest negative I've come across (including some
bullet-proof WWWII era b&w negs).
The Flextight system uses a flexible holder that bends the film as
it's being scanned--this way the film is always flat at the optical
axis. There is no need for oil or gel since no glass comes in contact
with the film.
For black and white negatives, I scan to 16-bit grayscale TIFF and
include the ICC profile. Most often, I just set the white point and
black point (a white point to maintain at least a 2-3% highlight dot
and a black point to avoid clipping in the shadows). Any image
adjustments are then performed in Photoshop using layers.
Hope this is helpful,
Richard
Richard Frederickson [Contractor]
Senior Technical Specialist
Scientific Publications, Graphics & Media (SPGM)
SAIC-Frederick, Inc.
National Cancer Institute at Frederick
Frederick, MD 21702-1201
(301) 846-1546
Visit us at http://web.ncifcrf.gov/spgm
With all regards to Martin, I doubt that there are many professional
scanner operators who have used oil in the last 10 years. When KAMI
introduced its Scanner Mounting Fluid it did not make sense anymore
to deal with the mess of the oil. The fluid is probably related to
film cleaner, in that it is thin and evaporates quickly once
dismounted, but it's a different beast, because straight film
cleaner would damage the acrylic drums that are used on scanners.
You can usually obtain some from your local pre-press supplier, or
try this website: http://tinyurl.com/ybsuth
Liquid mounts for scanning film have been used for many years. The
advantages that Martin describes are very real. However, the only
time oil is still used is for heavily, deeply scratched film, where
the oil fills in the scratches better than the thin mounting fluid.
But even there, KAMI supplies a gel that is easier to clean up than
oil. The basic technique is as follows: tape the film to the bed or
the drum, with one side free to lift up. Cut a piece of clear mylar
(AGFA C-42 is best) 3 times larger than the film, and tape it down
over the film, with one end free again. Pour scanner mounting fluid
under the film, over the film while holding the mylar, then bring
the mylar overlay down onto the film and the bed. Squeeze out any
air bubbles with a clean cloth, then tape all sides of the mylar to
seal the mount. It's best to use KAMI tape as well, since it does
not dissolve into a gooey mess like regular Scotch tape, but you can
manage without it.
Chris Protopapas
************
email@hidden
Fuel Digital Inc.
902 Broadway, 11th Floor
New York, NY 10010
P 212-564-4646 F 212-564-2131
www.fueldigitalinc.com
WOW! I had never heard of this tecnique. I'm afraid I don't understand.
Do the negs have to be floating in film cleaner WHILE I scan them? How
is that achieved? Or just before and THEN covered with foil? Do you know
of a place or a book where I could learn about this? You're really
telling me something here.
Ludovico Fischer
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