How's my colour neg scanning and Post Processing?

Pete B

Pete B

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For a few months I've been trying to better my scanning. I'm not sure what I want to ask. Perhaps I just need some comments on these results and some ideas how to improve my method. I scan using a V700 producing a negative Raw file with all the info. I usually use ColorPerfect then try to colour balance by eye in Nikon's Capture NX. If ColorPerfect doesn't seem to be working out I'll work from scratch in NX. Sometimes I feel my results look a little cross-processed so another's eyes would be appreciated.
These files are Fuji 800Z. Any constructive comments will be welcome. I know I'm not a great photographer but I would like to stay with film for as long as possible.
Pete
 
I've seen a LOT worse. Don't know what they look like on your monitor :) The red coat is pretty saturated, while the skin looks a bit desaturated. Not that that's bad or unintended. Maybe it's the film, maybe it's what you like. I'm used to Portra for the record. It doesn't look bad at all. The shot of the guy with the green coat looks great in my opinion.

The only that looks a bit funky to me is the last one. The highlights on the ground are a bit greenish. I don't know if the scene really looked like that though; maybe it did.
 
White balance is off on some. If you are using the V700 try Silverfast (which is bundled as far as I know). I am getting pretty good colors, esp. skin tones with Silverfast out of the box.
 
Those looks good to me.
1. The details are very well preserved
2. Not as saturated as typical digital shots
3. The grain, I like seeing grain.

I usually dislike Fuji films because they have cooler color balance, but in your shots, it works really well because the scene supports it.
 
shadowfox said:
Those looks good to me.
Click to expand...

Serious?

Left is my quick repair in Photoshop (as far as possible with the blown out JPG I got), right is the TOs original.

31926243.jpg


Like I wrote above, Silverfast will get right colors out of the box most of the time. Much better than EpsonScan anyway.

I can take this sample down if the OP wants to. Just tell me if you are not ok.
 
berlincontemporary said:
Serious?

Left is my quick repair in Photoshop (as far as possible with the blown out JPG I got), right is the TOs original.

31926243.jpg


Like I wrote above, Silverfast will get right colors out of the box most of the time. Much better than EpsonScan anyway.

I can take this sample down if the OP wants to. Just tell me if you are not ok.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was particularly concerned about these shots. No matter how I try I could not get them to work. It's as though the R,G and B are unrelated. I put this shot into photoshop and did an "Auto colours" but it came out a little funky like the left hand side (your conversion) above. It gets to the point where I'm looking for the best of a bad job.
Maybe I need to get away from ColorPerfect and NX and try something else. Any suggestions? I don't want to head down the Silverfast route particularly. I'm using Elements at the moment. Should I really be looking to head into the more complex CS softwares?
Pete
 
I think berlincontemporary's edit is a bit closer although he's going overboard with the red.

I don't think you need more software at this point. I've never tried ColorPerfect or NX but I'm sure they suffice. Are you only messing with the RGB channel or also the hues tool? Does any of your programs have a white balance color picker? There are a few whites or greys in your photo that might give you a good starting point if you set the WB to them.
 
Jamie123 said:
I think berlincontemporary's edit is a bit closer although he's going overboard with the red.

I don't think you need more software at this point. I've never tried ColorPerfect or NX but I'm sure they suffice. Are you only messing with the RGB channel or also the hues tool? Does any of your programs have a white balance color picker? There are a few whites or greys in your photo that might give you a good starting point if you set the WB to them.
Click to expand...

I agree. It certainly looks better than my conversion.
I've been using Vuescan to get all the info from the neg/scanner, Colorperfect, then bringing into NX and finding Black, White and Grey points to try to correct casts. This is sometimes successful like the photo of the guy in green, but sometimes not successful as in this case. I'd be interested to see other's routines. I see some wonderful conversions on the net that look perfect but these are few and far between. I'd really like to bring out the nuances of each film type with my workflow but I can not seem to find a reliable method.
Pete
 
berlincontemporary said:
Like I wrote above, Silverfast will get right colors out of the box most of the time. Much better than EpsonScan anyway.

I can take this sample down if the OP wants to. Just tell me if you are not ok.
Click to expand...
Maybe I ought to consider Silverfast. I've seen some good results but heard of user's frustrations with the software.
No, don't take the picture down. I'm here to learn, and thanks for your input.
Pete :)
 
Pete, Silverfast is pretty straightforward. You should give it a try before spending hours in front of NX trying to color correct a roll of film. Because once your scan is done the color palette of the TIF / JPG is limited.

As to Photoshop I think Elements does anything CS5 does to color correct an image. I´d start with the COLOR BALANCE tool. "Auto Color" does work occasionally but results are often random.
 
berlincontemporary said:
Pete, Silverfast is pretty straightforward. You should give it a try before spending hours in front of NX trying to color correct a roll of film. Because once your scan is done the color palette of the TIF / JPG is limited.

As to Photoshop I think Elements does anything CS5 does to color correct an image. I´d start with the COLOR BALANCE tool. "Auto Color" does work occasionally but results are often random.
Click to expand...

Are you using the Silverfast Pro version?

My Elements 7 doesn't seem to have a Colour Balnce tool (see attached).
Pete
 
I've had the best luck with color using Epsonscan, never used silverfast though. Set gamma in preferences to 2.2, all color options on, output srgb, auto exposure at the lowest level. Set the individual channel input gamma values (the middle box) to 1.0 on each channel seperately. Set the output highlight value on the combined RGB to the same value as the combined RGB input value. Run auto correction in elements with levels. Also, take a look through the lens you used on a light table, or look through it at a white sheet of paper under white light, or hold it up to your monitor. Is it green?
 
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The corrections shown look much worse to me. The originals were far superior. I agree with Tim Grays comment in that the last one looks a bit green, especially the path.

I think that there are some major monitor calibration differences between peoples seetups so take anything anyone says with a pinch of salt. I would recommend you follow your instincts and that the real test is whether they print with natural colours. If the latter is the case then you have at least a reasonably well calibrated monitor. If the print colours are off then you have a poorly calibrated system.

When you scan make sure you choose the correct film negative type/brand so that the scanner has a fighting chance of taking out the orange colour mask in the film.
 
So I had a little play with it. My adjustments were based on the hat being partly grey and white with some brown. So I just measured the grey bits of colour with a colour dropper which shows me whether there is too much or little of either R,G or B. Just adjusted hue/saturation so that greys in hat were equal amounts RGB. Subtle change but takes out some of the tint which in fact was mostly cyan and green in the hat.
View attachment 83966
 
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After seeing the adjustment, which I find way too much, I would agree that the photo does have a bit of a green cast. Some of the others do too. But it's nothing huge and I certainly wouldn't want to give you any specific advice based on my crummy laptop monitor. Play around and see what you like best. Heck, when I do some of my photos, I can color correct the same negative 3 times in a row and arrive at three slightly (but noticeably) different versions.

I still think you are in the right ball park. You are doing the white balance click in Colorperfect, right?
 
I do the colorperfect white bal click but usually revisit the image in NX with black, grey and white clicks to compare.
Pete
 
tlitody said:
So I had a little play with it. My adjustments were based on the hat being partly grey and white with some brown. So I just measured the grey bits of colour with a colour dropper which shows me whether there is too much or little of either R,G or B. Just adjusted hue/saturation so that greys in hat were equal amounts RGB. Subtle change but takes out some of the tint which in fact was mostly cyan and green in the hat.
View attachment 83966
Click to expand...
This looks very good. The Hat clours are pretty much perfect. On my conversion there seemed a blueish cast to me but I just couldn't find an adequate balance with the colour sliders in nx or elements.
My programs seem to lack this colour dropper which I think I'd find useful particularly for skin tones.

Pete
 
They look perfect on my screen, but my screen is not calibrated, and also I don't have much of an eye for these things anyway.
 
I found in Elements Adjust Colour, Adjust hue/saturation and there is any eye dropper tool in there so clicking on a patch of grey on the hat I reduced the cyan to give this result. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

View attachment 83979


Pete:bang:
 
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