Digital BW, The Print

Craig-

Everything downstream from the raw data from the A/D is software  
manipulation.  There is nothing you can do in a single scan to extract  
more real additional information.  No tweaks, no special techniques.  
What is on the film is in the raw scan file.

If you are happy with the scan from the scanner and it looks better  
(than something else as a starting point) and the histogram is smooth  
then you're done.

If I understood you first post correctly you were implying that vuescan  
is applying some black box mojo that Nikon scan is not applying.  My  
experience is quite different.

I use vuescan the same way Bob  described his use.  Set the white and  
black clipping points at 0 and import it.  I get a nice smooth  
histogram with all the relevant information - the scan is usually quite  
flat though.

--
Kevin Gulstene

> Kevin
>
> The point being that you are being presented a "better" image due to
> post-scan manipulation in software as against "extracting" more or
> better information from the film. For example, I dont wont to be lead
> to believe that I have captured more detail in the highlights or
> shadows merely because some levels adjustment has been pre-applied.
> If and when I want to adjust a scanned image I like to have this
> control of the workflow myself in PS. The real issues for scanners
> are techniques and tweaks to extract real additional information.
>
> regards
> Craig
>
> --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Kevin Gulstene
> <kevin@d...> wrote:
>> OK that's kind of funny.
>>
>> <snip>
>>>  many assume that if the output from it looks better, both
>>> visually and via histograms, then it must be a better scan ...
>> <snip>
>>
>> Umm, yes.  How else would you evaluate the scan.  If it looks
> better
>> visually, and the histogram tells you it has not clipped tones at
>> either end and not introduced gaps what else would you be looking
> for?
>>
>>
>> --
>> Kevin Gulstene
>
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