Does scanning software „improve“ image quality?

[papo]

I have been using the Epson software and simply wondered, if its worth buying some of the metioned scan software that you see out here. If the software did have a positive effect on the image quality and color rendition then that would be great so i wonder, whats your take on this? Thanks you guys

 

[Swift1]

If you are using Epson Scan in its auto mode, then yes Vuescan and Silverfast will maybe give you better colors, but Epson Scan is very good software and is capable of results as good or better.
Here's an article I wrote for Epson Scan
http://www.coltonallen.com/getting-the-most-from-color-negative-film-with-your-epson-flatbed/

 

[EliasK]

For me and the V700 I 'm using since 2009 Epson software is the best.

Every other software I tried proved frustrating to use for the same or inferior results.

 

[papo]

If you are using Epson Scan in its auto mode, then yes Vuescan and Silverfast will maybe give you better colors, but Epson Scan is very good software and is capable of results as good or better.
Here's an article I wrote for Epson Scan
http://www.coltonallen.com/getting-the-most-from-color-negative-film-with-your-epson-flatbed/

I use the Epson software in professional mode and the results were good in bw but color, especially portra results I wasn’t too pleased with and since everyone is talking about Silverfast, I simply wondered if i should switch.

 

[charjohncarter]

I use the Epson software in professional mode and the results were good in bw but color, especially portra results I wasn’t too pleased with and since everyone is talking about Silverfast, I simply wondered if i should switch.

Color is always hard, any auto mode setting is taking a chance; and that is letting the software make up its mine for you. I use Epson in the Professional mode, and I use Swift 1's tutorial that is posted above. Since using it I get what I decide I want, not what the color mode in any software wants.

I also use Color Perfect but only after Swift 1's tutorial. And only then if I still need a little tweaking.

Most of the film photos in this album are done with Swift 1' tutorial.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/carter3john/albums/72157653623662190

 

[Swift1]

I use the Epson software in professional mode and the results were good in bw but color, especially portra results I wasn’t too pleased with and since everyone is talking about Silverfast, I simply wondered if i should switch.

But is Epson Scan automatically setting color levels? Or are you manually setting color levels with the histogram?
I've found the Epson Scan auto color correction ranges from okay to terrible, depending on the film.

Here's an example.
This was some very expired Kodak Pro 100 I shot recently.

Here's what the Epson Scan auto color gave me,

Here's what I was able to get from the same negative using the method from my website,

 

[papo]

But is Epson Scan automatically setting color levels? Or are you manually setting color levels with the histogram?
I've found the Epson Scan auto color correction ranges from okay to terrible, depending on the film.

Here's an example.
This was some very expired Kodak Pro 100 I shot recently.

Here's what the Epson Scan auto color gave me,

Here's what I was able to get from the same negative using the method from my website,

Oh snap, this is what I need!

 

[Steve M.]

Can any software improve the resolution of a full rez scan on any scanner? It would seem that is impossible, but it could certainly change the colours. However, on my Nikon film scanner, scanning B&W photos as B&W, then scanning the same neg using the colour option, gave very different results. So I guess it's certainly possible to see different results using different software.

 

[p.giannakis]

Every other software I tried proved frustrating to use for the same or inferior results.

+1

I had an Epson scanner that came with Vuescan trial version. Good results but required a lot of tweaking to get a good scan. I removed it and put the Epson software, so easy to use with great results from the beginning.

I have a canon scanner now that came with silverfast. I couldn't figure it out to save my life. I put the native canon software and with the exception of the dodgy jpg files, it gives great scans with the press of a button.

 

[Godfrey]

I have been using VueScan since about 2000 with Epson 2450 and V700 flatbed scanners and Minolta and Nikon film scanners. I've most likely scanned about 25,000 photos in this past 18-19 years, both color and B&W. VueScan isn't the easiest software to learn but, as far as scanning goes, it does about the best job I've found. I periodically compare it to the various competitors, and it's always won the comparison.

Scanning B&W negatives and color slides with VueScan is easy. Scanning color negative images always takes a bit more work. I always scan to a DNG encapsulated TIFF file and depend upon image processing software to do my final color balance and image rendering ... the point of a scan, to me, is to acquire as much data as possible for editing and rendering work.

I never got on with Epson Scan very well, or any of the others. What they do I can do more efficiently and quickly with VueScan.

Works for me.

G

 

[Ronald M]

My scanner gathers dust since I made a mistake and updated my Mac Software. The Minolta 5400 no longer works, tried various others like Vue Scan and Silverfast and nothing works to my standards.

Epson works best on my Epson flat bed.

I may buy a Nikon D850 to scan film.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

My Epson 500 software is great in auto and not so many difference from what this one time scanning guru recommended. No difference at all.
I find it is more significant difference with color film and Plustek scanner. I purchased VueScan only to realize what Silverfast is better, in results.

 

[Bob Michaels]

Scanning software should be used only to digitally capture the maximum amount of information contained on the film. Then an image processing program such as Photoshop or LightRoom is used to manipulate that data into the best looking print. Often the best final results are derived from a file direct from the scanner that looks horribly bad being flat without much contrast. But those are the scan files that contain the most data and ultimately yield the best final results.

There are settings in most scanner software to get a reasonable looking result direct from the scanner with no image processing. Consider them the same as a overall reflective light meter feeding into a camera's auto shutter speed, auto f stop, auto iso, and auto focus. They give an equivalent to a basic point and shoot result which is good enough sometimes.

Personally, over 16 years of scanning negatives, I have always found that Vuescan digitizes the most data from the film and Photoshop works best for image processing. YMMV.

 

[gnuyork]

I have (now) 4 scanners and two are Epsons. I think the Epson software is pretty good, but I liked the bundled Silverfast even better. I now use Vuescan mostly because it's one reasonably priced license for all of my scanners and the owner is very responsive (and helpful) to my questions and constantly updates the software.

Does it make better quality scans? I'm not sure. I do think the auto mode with some tweaks made for pretty easy scans in the Epson software. With Vuescan I'm always second guessing myself, but in the end I usually end up with good scans. I do wish some of the controls were more like Lightroom or photoshop's levels and curves.

It'd be interesting to do a scan software shootout on one of my epsons, if only I had the motivation.

 

[charjohncarter]

Scanning software should be used only to digitally capture the maximum amount of information contained on the film. Then an image processing program such as Photoshop or LightRoom is used to manipulate that data into the best looking print. Often the best final results are derived from a file direct from the scanner that looks horribly bad being flat without much contrast. But those are the scan files that contain the most data and ultimately yield the best final results.

There are settings in most scanner software to get a reasonable looking result direct from the scanner with no image processing. Consider them the same as a overall reflective light meter feeding into a camera's auto shutter speed, auto f stop, auto iso, and auto focus. They give an equivalent to a basic point and shoot result which is good enough sometimes.

Personally, over 16 years of scanning negatives, I have always found that Vuescan digitizes the most data from the film and Photoshop works best for image processing. YMMV.

Amen....but you can use the professional mode to more than optimize your negatives: with B&W; leave plenty of room on the black point and on the white point sides, on color be sure that the RGB and overall levels are set to the final point of each histogram. This does not need any third party software with most scanners their software will easily do this.

With B&W this extra information will let you, and I mean YOU, choose how much shadow or highlight you want in the final product.

In other words, you are in control not some idiot software designer. Then YOU finish in editing software.