Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/01/02
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Tina, I wouldn't presume to talk about marketing or photography to you, but maybe I can add something to the scanning discussion. It seems like there are three issues with the scans, firstly the density of the kodachromes and then the contrast and colour palette. I don't have experience with Lasersoft, the other two I do. I have gone back to the Nikon software over the Vuescan despite speed advantages in the other. With Velvia and Provia I almost always have to increase the master gain by .3 to .5 to get detail from the darks. I think this is where you need to start, watching the histogram for each channel for clipping. Your scanner and the latest digital ICE should even support dust removal from Kodachrome. Digital ICE4 advanced? then enable post processing for digital ROC. For a couple of old Kodachromes I tried it worked miracles to the colour. The DEE may well be worth a try too. I wouldn't bother with too much multi-sampling, noise isn't the issue is it? Then work on the contrast, then the palette. I would be trying those only in PS. Once you get something workable you can copy that layer to the others, as you know. In my opinion you may not get to the modern look you sound like you are seeking from these, but you certainly need to extract the information from the shadows without clipping the highlights before you can do any other manipulation. Pardon me if I am repeating things with which you are very familiar. Also sorry about the acronyms to others without the Nikon software. best of luck with it all. Cheers Geoff -----Original Message----- Subject: RE: [Leica] IMG: Original scans At 07:04 PM 1/2/2008, you wrote: >Tina, > >What scanner and software are you using? Nikon LS5000 and NikonVue, VueScan and LaserSoft.. > I scan my old Kodachromes on a >lowly Nikon Super Coolscan 4000 with Nikon software, and don't see any >issues (except for long scan times with 16-bit and 16x sampling), >assuming I hit the exposure within reason. These slides look very >challenging - I'm not sure it is possible to recover the shadow detail, >short of going back in time. Yes, old scans from at least 20 years ago :-( Kodachromes have held up well, but as others have pointed out, tastes have changed. No more Kodachrome colors: "They give us those nice bright colors They give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the worlds a sunny day, oh yeah" Thanks, Paul Simon. I need the super bright colors of current stock images!! > If you are desperate and bored, you might try scanning different >exposures and processing in Photomatix Pro. It probably won't work. Thanks!! :-( Tina Tina Manley ASMP, NPPA, EP, PI http://www.tinamanley.com _______________________________________________ Leica Users Group. See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information