Is Vuescan a Good Program and Is It Fairly User Friendly

[Mr_Flibble]

Bought a life-time license a few years back. I've been using it well for over a decade.
It works great with my super-old HP Scanjet G4050

User friendly...meh. Once I've set it up the way I like I rarely need to change the settings.

 

[robert blu]

With my Nikon 5000ED I'm satisfied user for B&W, not (yet?) for colours which is a minor part of my scanning.

I'll try willie suggestions next time

robert

 

[ColSebastianMoran]

Thanks. Basically, I do not need it. The trick will be color corrections.

Do you think I should set white balance on the unexposed film to start? I have a Durst ChromaPro, so I could also dial in color corrections (I do for some old KII slides).

Yes, the color inversion of color-neg is the challenge.

Quick answers:
- Any high CRI light source from incandescent to LED to flash.
- Shoot RAW. You need the extra bits for the inversion
- Import into Lightroom, then run Negative Lab Pro add-in

Alternative:
- RAW conversion into Photoshop
- Levels adjustment
- Curves adjustment to invert, bend a big sweeping curve
- Then adjust to taste

Using your DiChro filters? Give it a try. In my tests, 50C+15M did balance out the film rebate, but resulted in lousy muddy reds.

For more than you wanted to know, this thread here in RFF.

 

[markjwyatt]

Yes, the color inversion of color-neg is the challenge.

Quick answers:
- Any high CRI light source from incandescent to LED to flash.
- Shoot RAW. You need the extra bits for the inversion
- Import into Lightroom, then run Negative Lab Pro add-in

Alternative:
- RAW conversion into Photoshop
- Levels adjustment
- Curves adjustment to invert, bend a big sweeping curve
- Then adjust to taste

Using your DiChro filters? Give it a try. In my tests, 50C+15M did balance out the film rebate, but resulted in lousy muddy reds.

For more than you wanted to know, this thread here in RFF.

Thanks! I read through that thread previously, gave me a lot of the information I am working from.

I am going to try and do it without Lightroom or Photoshop (I use ON1 at this point).

 

[RObert Budding]

I've used Vuescan, but I prefer NikonScan for my CS9000. It runs fine under Windows 10, with a few modifications. And if it stops working at some point? I'd cut over to Vuescan. Yes, the UI is a bit clunky, but it is a good program for unsupported scanners.

 

[willie_901]

...My goal in scanning is always the same, B&W or color: obtain as much data as possible and leave the finish rendering to more sophisticated image processing tools. ...

G

Exactly !!!

Well put.

When one expends effort scanning analog media, the additional resources required to "obtain as much data as possible" are a relatively small investment.

 

[Bob Michaels]

...... My goal in scanning is always the same, B&W or color: obtain as much data as possible and leave the finish rendering to more sophisticated image processing tools. ......

yes, Yes, YES! Most of us who have been scanning for a long time realize the disadvantages of using those scanner adjustments to get the best looking file from the scanner software. We only strive to digitize as much of the data on the film as possible. We know how good / bad the file looks straight from the scan file has no bearing on the quality of the final output.

We realize the data coming from the scanner itself going into the CPU is the same no matter what scanner settings one uses. The scanner software can make some crude, unreversible, and typically unseen on the screen adjustments to the scan file. Why bother? Save all those adjustments to be used in an image editor where they are much more precise, can be undone if necessary, and you can see the effect on your monitor.

Realize all those adjustments one can make in the scanner software are there only for those who will not use an image editor and will settle for final output that is passable. That is not us so don't bother with them.

 

[bmattock]

Anyone who wants to know what scanners are supported by Vuescan can simply go to https://www.hamrick.com/ and look. They are all there and updated frequently.

The reason Vuescan doesn't work with DSLR cameras is because they are cameras. Not scanners. They don't 'scan', take photographs in a more traditional sense of 'all at once' rather than a line or two at a time.

The end result may be the same, but the process is inherently different.

The reason people get confused is because some insist on calling making a copy of a negative or slide with a digital camera, 'scanning' when it is not that at all.

 

[dmr]

I admit I was a cynic toward Vuescan until it rescued my K-M SDIV when I was forced to upgrade (?????) to Windows 7. It's very easy to use, although as before I do any adjustments, etc. in post.

One thing I do like is the same program/interface for both the negative scanner and the HP flatbed.