Why?

[PAUL O]

You get the picture? I'm sat at home mulling over the why's and wherefore's of photography and decide to play around with some scanning!
I scanned the same 6x17cm negative using the V700 and same settings (16 bit, film with holder) BUT changed the film type setting! One frame was scanned as a "black and white negative" and the other as a "positive".
I opened both images in CS2 and having inverted the positive frame was stunned to see an impressive improvement in image "quality". The inverted (positive scanned image) was far superior - especially in the shadows! The image scanned as a negative needed the addition of a "screen" adjustment layer (100%) (I think that's the correct terminology!) to bring it anywhere close to the other one! Even then, the mid tones were still a bit "muddier" on the image scanned as a negative.
My question, to all the Digital Gurus is this ... why?

[Lynne Evans]

Hi Paul, I don't know the answer to your question but I have had the same experience when scanning black and white negs. There must be someone clever enough to explain this!

[IanG]

One is a straight scan and easier to optimise. the other is using the scanner's software to convert from neg to pos,

Ian

[PAUL O]

Further investigation on the web suggests that the reason for this "improvement" in quality is down to the fact that scanners are optimised to produce their best quality with transparency films; by scanning as a positive the scanner is "performing better"? There is a real improvement in quality - I have scanned another negative and got the same results - better shadow detail!!

[Nigels]

These leads me to ask about scanning colour neg film. Once again the scanner is applying some alogorithm to make the positive. Would it be better to scan as a positive and apply an algorithm post scanning? Is this even possible with colour neg film? Does anybody bother to provide a standalone post scanning app for colour neg film? Anybody investigated?

[joolsb]

Yes, yes, yes but not standalone and yes. In that order.

Check out a Photoshop filter called 'ColorNeg'. Sorry, I've lost the link I had but I expect Tim P. will be along soon to tell you more...

[craigmagee]

You can also try scanning your b&w neg as a color pos/neg. This can, depending on the scanner/software, pull out a bit more detail but it varies.
I used to do it on the Nikon Coolscan and you'd get a slightly green b&w image with a bit more in the shadows and highlights than a straight b&w scan.
On the Imacon though its pointless as the software is so good for b&w, doing it as colour you just get an orangey/red scan which looks a little flatter when you convert it.

[timparkin]

Yes, yes, yes but not standalone and yes. In that order.

Check out a Photoshop filter called 'ColorNeg'. Sorry, I've lost the link I had but I expect Tim P. will be along soon to tell you more...

ColorNeg... mmmm... highly recommended (don't forget to use anqiqscan or whatever the other plugin is called to fix the gamma)

http://www.c-f-systems.com/Plug-ins.html

Worth the purchase price and a few dollars more.. I've come to the conclusion that a good raw scan is important to capture and archive. The other nice thing about ColorNeg is that if you want to change the settings you don't have to scan again..

Tim

[Bogdan_B]

ColorNeg... mmmm... highly recommended (don't forget to use anqiqscan or whatever the other plugin is called to fix the gamma)

Another vote for ColorNeg, way better than Silverfast.
Scantique is the name of the plug-in that sorts out the gamma and its included in the pack.