film/dev combo for scanning

[gr82bart]

Here's a good site that compares different IT8 targets - http://www.computer-darkroom.com/it8cal/it8_page_1.htm

Don's advice is good - but only after your scanner, monitor and printer have been calibrated. Otherwise, what you scan, may not be what you see or what you print.

Regards, Art.

[donbga]

Here's a good site that compares different IT8 targets - http://www.computer-darkroom.com/it8cal/it8_page_1.htm

Don's advice is good - but only after your scanner, monitor and printer have been calibrated. Otherwise, what you scan, may not be what you see or what you print.

Regards, Art.

Art,

I've found that profilling the scanner has little if any effect on scanning B&W negatives, however I may test that again just to be sure. The most import step in the context of this thread is to calibrate and profile ones monitor on a regular basis. Since color management is abandoned when printing digital negatives profiling the printer isn't important.

Don Bryant

[gr82bart]

Hi Don,

You are absolutely right about B&W negatives.

I wouldn't say colour management is abandoned when printing digital negatives. It's just the profile is inherent - CMYK - when printing.

Regards, Art.

[donbga]

Hi Don,

You are absolutely right about B&W negatives.

I wouldn't say colour management is abandoned when printing digital negatives. It's just the profile is inherent - CMYK - when printing.

Regards, Art.

Art,

No color management means No Color Management (aka prrinter/media profiles).

Don

[gr82bart]

Sorry Don,

I'm not well versed in digital negatives.

I understand the statement is true for B&W negatives, but what about for colour negatives? Surely, you'd need to have colour management? Even if the colours are reversed?

Please don't think I'm starting a flame, I really am just asking question.

Regards, Art.

[donbga]

Sorry Don,

I'm not well versed in digital negatives.

I understand the statement is true for B&W negatives, but what about for colour negatives? Surely, you'd need to have colour management? Even if the colours are reversed?

Please don't think I'm starting a flame, I really am just asking question.

Regards, Art.

Art,
Normally color negative film isn't profiled for scanning whereas transparency film is profiled.

So assuming that one wanted to start with a color trannie and eventually produce a digital negative for a monochrome process a scanner profile probably would allow for a more accurate tonal replication. Since were are mapping colors to a specific color space before the conversion there would likely be some affect to the eventual conversion to grayscale.

Since I normally don't do this (color original to grayscale) I really have little experience to make an accurate judgement about the process. But I do know that desaturating the imaging usually doesn't lead to good results and the channel mixer seems to provide the most accurate control giving one the most options creatively and tonally.

My emphasis about no color management was meant to point out that none is used in the production of digital negatives as developed by Burkholder or Nelson. It wasn't my intent to be brusk .

Don

[Kerik]

I hope this is an acceptable topic... What type of negatives do scanners respond to best for making enlarged negs on a desktop printer?

Are there films and developers that are better suited than others for this?

Happy Days
Mark

If you're shooting roll film, consider Ilford XP2 Super. It is a C-41 process monochrome film. No grain, little reciprocity failure and can be processed by any lab. This film gives great results with consumer level scanners because you don't have very dense hightlights that are beyond the capabilities of lower-end scanners.

I use an Epson 2450 scanner and have made wonderful platinum and gum/platinum prints up to 12"x18" from digital negs scanned from 6x7 XP2 negs.

Kerik