Need help with Plustek 7600i

[J.S.]

Hi all,
I just bought the Plustek 7600 scanner. I Have never scanned negatives before, and my son and I are trying to figure out how to do it. Of course we've immediately run into problems and I'm hoping someone here can help me with them.
This is what we do using Silverfast software:
First we prescan the image and adjust for contrast etc.
Next we use the cloning tool to spot with. When we have it where we want it we click OK.
Then we click scan. What we end up with is a lighter, flatter version from what we wanted, and the cloning marks have disappeared.

My son thinks that I need to do all the cloning, etc. in either Photoshop or Lightroom . But why would they give you the tools if they're not functional? If I have to go that route, which should I use?

I also wonder about the dpi. Is there a standard number I should use? I only want to get my images on the internet. I will not be printing from these scans.

So, any help would be much appreciated. Please take note that i am pretty much a technological illiterate, and need simple, easy (quick and dirty) instruction.

Thank you, thank you,
Judith

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

I have never used silverfast and wasn't aware that any scan software let you do clone work. This is best done in Photoshop or whatever image editor you prefer. Tonal corrections should be done in an image editor, you'll get better results than doing it in scan software. I just do plain scans, no corrections, and work on the images in photoshop. All neg scans come out very flat, because neg scanners are made to scan slides, which have a larger density range than negative films. That's why you must adjust the contrast after the scan.

See examples here on my website where I discuss scanning.

 

[v3cron]

The best workflow I found (and people have different preferred ways of doing things) is to make an HDR scan using the multiexposure function. This gives you a raw image scan with maximum dynamic range, and it also then tagged with the scanner's profile. Set the workspace in Photoshop to your preferred space (I like ProPhotoRGB) and tell it convert on profile mismatch. You will then get a negative image of your scan correctly converted to ProPhotoRGB. Invert and use the curves and other tools to adjust to your liking.

Scanning is not easy no matter what hardware/software you use, because color management can be tricky. If you are not getting output that matches your preview, it probably has to do with a profile or setting problem somewhere. The method I described doesn't sound easy, but it removes some unknowns - specifically what happens inside Silverfast's brain - and tags your tiff with a known profile that you can easily convert.

 

[v3cron]

Oh wait a sec...what are you using to view the image afterwards? If it is not a color-aware program, you will not see the colors as they actually are. Open in Photoshop to see the "real" colors and then convert to sRGB for other viewers like web browsers, etc.

 

[willie_901]

Do the least amount of manipulation possible in Silverfast.

You ask: why do they put those tools in the software? I have no idea. But I find using their tools to be extremely frustrating.

 

[J.S.]

This is most helpful. I'm Sorry, I forgot to say I am scanning black and white negative film.

 

[v3cron]

The tiffs still need to be properly tagged and converted.