My scans look dull

[sananda]

Hey

I've been scanning some negatives today with an Epson V500 (which is supposed to be a good scanner for film) and viewing them on my monitor which is calibrated.

If I scan without any colour corrections by the scanner they come out with a blue cast which I remove by levels adjustments in each colour channel. But the results seem a bit dull.

Here is screen grab with of my scans on the right hand side and a scan done by the mini lab on the left. The mini lab scan is a less natural but is more attractive than my scan: click

And again the same thing here though this time my scan on the right seems greeny: click

Any tips on improving my scans would be appreciated.

Thanks

 

[mknawabi]

It's a flatbed scanner, and they will not achieve results close to what you will get from a drum scanner (Nikon Coolscan, Minolta film scanners)

Your best bet is to scan the image, and use the curves adjustment tool to pick a black/white/and gray spot. Then apply a slight S curve and maybe adjust your contrast.

 

[sananda]

thanks. i'll try curves (although it seems hard!)

 

[zebbz]

this might be a hit and miss question

but ive seen those nikon coolscans (not sure which model)
at my university
i was wondering would i be able to scan 120 medium format scan
or do they usually only take 35mm?

 

[Lovesong]

this might be a hit and miss question

but ive seen those nikon coolscans (not sure which model)
at my university
i was wondering would i be able to scan 120 medium format scan
or do they usually only take 35mm?

Depends on which model they are- if they are the Coolscan V or 5000, then they will only do 35mm. If, however, they have the Coolscan 9000, then it will do 120's no problem.

FYI- the Coolscans are NOT drum scanners. While they are dedicated film scanners, a drum scanner uses a PMT rather than a CCD, like the ones in the Coolscans. The process of scanning is more involved, the image quality is brilliant, and they start at about $10K.

 

[ChrisA]

What you have found is that scanning negatives is not easy. It's not just yu, it's that way for everyone. If you want to avoid a lot of work what you can do is calibrate the scanner. They sell "targets" which are very exact 35mm size color charts these targets are not cheap. And then you'd need a profile for each film type. Once you are all set up and calibrated you can get close to right but still not dead on. There will always be some hand work involved. It takes at least 5 minutes in Photoshop to correct, crop and "dust bust" each frame. Longer if you want it done perfectly. Not all software is the same. You might look around a bit.

I do some scans myself but I send the bulk of the work out because they can do it for 24 cents per image.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

thanks. i'll try curves (although it seems hard!)

I use VueScan instead of the software that came with my V700 scanner. I find it much easier to use and to achieve great results than with SilverFast and the Epson software.

 

[sananda]

What you have found is that scanning negatives is not easy. It's not just yu, it's that way for everyone.

yes, i am learning that. still it's good to learn new things!

I use VueScan instead of the software that came with my V700 scanner. I find it much easier to use and to achieve great results with that with SilverFast and the Epson software.

thanks, i'll check out vuescan.

 

[waloshin]

No offense ,but I don't like Epson anything, Nikon is the way to go.

 

[seenew]

What you have found is that scanning negatives is not easy. It's not just yu, it's that way for everyone. If you want to avoid a lot of work what you can do is calibrate the scanner. They sell "targets" which are very exact 35mm size color charts these targets are not cheap. And then you'd need a profile for each film type. Once you are all set up and calibrated you can get close to right but still not dead on. There will always be some hand work involved. It takes at least 5 minutes in Photoshop to correct, crop and "dust bust" each frame. Longer if you want it done perfectly. Not all software is the same. You might look around a bit.

I do some scans myself but I send the bulk of the work out because they can do it for 24 cents per image.

I second this.
I only scan what little black and white 4x5 I shoot, and then it's a drum scanner (of which the campus has 4!) and get amazing results.

 

[Naim135]

What you have found is that scanning negatives is not easy. It's not just yu, it's that way for everyone. If you want to avoid a lot of work what you can do is calibrate the scanner. They sell "targets" which are very exact 35mm size color charts these targets are not cheap. And then you'd need a profile for each film type. Once you are all set up and calibrated you can get close to right but still not dead on. There will always be some hand work involved. It takes at least 5 minutes in Photoshop to correct, crop and "dust bust" each frame. Longer if you want it done perfectly. Not all software is the same. You might look around a bit.

I do some scans myself but I send the bulk of the work out because they can do it for 24 cents per image.

This is interesting my Father has a lot of 35mm film stock to scan and is looking to get hold of a Nikon film scanner. Where can you get the Targets from? we are UK based.

 

[AlaskaMoose]

No offense ,but I don't like Epson anything, Nikon is the way to go.

Flatbed scanners? Epson V700 series. I can scan 12 slides at one time. As a film scanner Nikon is good, but there are better and more expensive ones. Take a look at the film scanners at B&H.