ColSebastianMoran
( IRL Richard Karash )
Negative Lab Pro (NLP) is an add-in for Lightroom that provides quite good auto conversion for color negatives. Takes files from a camera-scan. Or, scan with a real scanner, as positive, and convert in LR with NLP. People like the color analysis engine in NLP. I will say that I'm pretty impressed. That's all background.
So, guy shows up in the NLP group asking, "How about using NLP on chromes?" We dismiss this as uninformed.
"No, I really mean it. Take your camera scan of a slide, invert it, then run NLP just as though it's a negative." Seriously?
Here in NH, practicing semi-isolation, not much to do, I decide to try it.
I take a really crummy slide from the sixties. Colors are awful. I tried to adjust the cam-scan in LR with little luck. Make virtual copy, up-end the tone curve to invert it, and run NLP. Here's the pretty much auto result.
Original camera-scan on L, invert and apply NLP on the right.
I am very surprised. The color analysis engine in NLP has helped with the fading, mis-development, or just crummy film.
Then my photo friend Harry Brignal in the UK tries it on a slide of his. Here's his comparison, camera scan after a lot of adjustments on L, NLP result on R. This comparison is bit more subtle, but I think there's real improvement.
This is all FYI, and YMMV, but I'm going to use NLP with problem slides.
So, guy shows up in the NLP group asking, "How about using NLP on chromes?" We dismiss this as uninformed.
"No, I really mean it. Take your camera scan of a slide, invert it, then run NLP just as though it's a negative." Seriously?
Here in NH, practicing semi-isolation, not much to do, I decide to try it.
I take a really crummy slide from the sixties. Colors are awful. I tried to adjust the cam-scan in LR with little luck. Make virtual copy, up-end the tone curve to invert it, and run NLP. Here's the pretty much auto result.
Original camera-scan on L, invert and apply NLP on the right.
I am very surprised. The color analysis engine in NLP has helped with the fading, mis-development, or just crummy film.
Then my photo friend Harry Brignal in the UK tries it on a slide of his. Here's his comparison, camera scan after a lot of adjustments on L, NLP result on R. This comparison is bit more subtle, but I think there's real improvement.
This is all FYI, and YMMV, but I'm going to use NLP with problem slides.
Greyscale
Veteran
This works especially well for expired slide films, or where you have not quite nailed the exposure.
ColSebastianMoran
( IRL Richard Karash )
I'm thinking this as a recovery tool, for problem slides.
brbo
Well-known
Or you could just open the slide in PS and click Image - Auto Color and I bet you results will be pretty much the same.
ColSebastianMoran
( IRL Richard Karash )
Excellent question. Frankly, had not been on my radar screen.
Answer is no, Photoshop's Image... AutoColor doesn't do much of anything with the magenta cast in this crummy old slide. NLP's color analysis engine does a far better job. I also tried one of my favorites in PS: Curves... Option-Auto... Snap Neutral Midtones; results are same as AutoColor.
Here the original vs. Photoshop... Image... AutoColor:
brbo
Well-known
Yes, PS Auto color DOES work.
But saying that NLP is Adobe Auto Color with a little bit of baked-in color balance presets, is... well, it IS allowed on RFF. So, here you go:
(click to view flickr video)
But saying that NLP is Adobe Auto Color with a little bit of baked-in color balance presets, is... well, it IS allowed on RFF. So, here you go:
(click to view flickr video)
ColSebastianMoran
( IRL Richard Karash )
Hey brbo... Good to see you here as well as on the FB page...
Your Flickr video raises all kinds of questions. You apply AutoColor to my screen grab and it works well. Hmm...
Here's my sequence of trials:
- Open RAW in PS, AutoColor doesn't help at all
- Open the PNG screen grab, get your pretty damn good result (!!)
- Open JPG in PS, AutoColor, still poor, only tiny bit better (Note: JPG is AdobeRGB)
- Open RAW in PS, do AutoColor TWICE, get a pretty good result. Huh?
- Open JPG in PS, do AutoColor twice. 3x. Then 10x. No further improvement. Now confused.
- Open JPG in PS, convert to sRGB. Then do AutoColor. Now I get your result, a pretty good improvement.
Possible conclusion: PS AutoColor comes closer to NLP's improvement when applied to an image with color profile sRGB or "Color LCD". (The PNG screen grab is "Color LCD.")
Still very confused that the RAW file in PS shows no improvement with AutoColor, but then much improved with a second application of AutoColor. I discovered this only by accidentally hitting it twice.
Your Flickr video raises all kinds of questions. You apply AutoColor to my screen grab and it works well. Hmm...
Here's my sequence of trials:
- Open RAW in PS, AutoColor doesn't help at all
- Open the PNG screen grab, get your pretty damn good result (!!)
- Open JPG in PS, AutoColor, still poor, only tiny bit better (Note: JPG is AdobeRGB)
- Open RAW in PS, do AutoColor TWICE, get a pretty good result. Huh?
- Open JPG in PS, do AutoColor twice. 3x. Then 10x. No further improvement. Now confused.
- Open JPG in PS, convert to sRGB. Then do AutoColor. Now I get your result, a pretty good improvement.
Possible conclusion: PS AutoColor comes closer to NLP's improvement when applied to an image with color profile sRGB or "Color LCD". (The PNG screen grab is "Color LCD.")
Still very confused that the RAW file in PS shows no improvement with AutoColor, but then much improved with a second application of AutoColor. I discovered this only by accidentally hitting it twice.
ColSebastianMoran
( IRL Richard Karash )
In case anyone wants to try fixing from the original RAW file, here it is:
http://2under.net/private/200200-Slide-Kodak05381-BadlyFaded-DSC9558.ARW
http://2under.net/private/200200-Slide-Kodak05381-BadlyFaded-DSC9558.ARW